ℹ️ Preparation status is applicable only in projects under Premier subscription that includes an unlimited preparation period. It is also available during the trial period. Projects under any other subscription terms have Live status by default as the initial one. Learn more about all possible project statuses.
In this article, we will go over the key aspects of the preparation and live phases, focusing on how you can benefit from the unlimited preparation period.
Preparation phase
This is the default status for newly created projects, allowing internal setup before external collaboration begins. No billing is triggered in this phase if your subscription includes an unlimited preparation period.
During the preparation phase:
Users with the same domain as project administrators and consultant domains can be invited without restrictions, free of charge.
Administrators can manually activate the project, or it will be automatically switched to Live upon inviting external users.
💡 Upon status change, the billing is automatically started unless the trial period is not over yet.
Consultant domains
Consultant domains are email domains specified in project settings that are not treated as external users. This means users with these domains can participate in a project without triggering a status change from Preparation to Live. This feature helps organizations collaborate with consultants while maintaining control over when a project officially launches.
To add consultant domains, navigate to General settings of the project.
Click Add consultant domains under the status dropdown.
Enter the email domains of consultants who should not be considered external users.
Click Add.
💡 You can update the consultant domains list at any time. For added convenience, you can also add or edit domains from the Participants page using a corresponding button inside the info box.
Inviting external users
Upon inviting external participants with domains not matching administrator or consultant domains, project status will automatically change to Live. If external users are found, you will see a corresponding info box notifying you of the status change and billing activation.
Upon proceeding with the invitation, you will get an additional confirmation dialog to decide how to proceed:
Launch project and start billing: external participants are invited, the project status changes to Live, and billing begins.
Stay in preparation and add new consultant domains: external users' domains are added to the consultant domains list, and the project status remains unchanged.
ℹ️ During the trial period, there is no additional confirmation, and the project is launched automatically upon inviting external users.
Live phase
This status indicates that collaboration with external participants has started, and billing is activated. It is activated when an external user is invited or when an administrator manually changes the status.
During the live phase:
Full collaboration with external users is activated; administrators can set up multiple user groups and share documents.
Administrators can revert to Preparation from Live only before the first invoice is issued.
Project activation
When you are ready to launch your project, head to Settings and then Project – General tab.
Navigate to the Activation section.
Click Launch project.
Alternatively, click the status dropdown and select the Live status.
Back to preparation
You may find a need to re-enter your preparation period. If you are in the trial period and would like to benefit from the unlimited preparation feature, make sure to keep your project in the preparation phase. If it is Live, you can revert it back in the status dropdown by selecting the Preparation status. During this transition, external users are deactivated to prevent collaboration until the project is reactivated.
⚠️ It is possible to go back to the preparation phase only during the trial period or before the first invoice is issued. If the project launch was made in error, please reach out to your account manager as early as possible to avoid billing.
Any participants with domains different from administrator or consultant domains will be deactivated upon returning to the preparation status.
Key takeaways
In short, Preparation is for setup without external collaboration or billing, while Live opens the project for full use and starts billing.
| Preparation phase | Live phase |
Availability | Only during trial or under Premier subscription with unlimited preparation period included | Default for all other subscription types |
Purpose | Internal project setup | Active collaboration with external participants |
Billing | Not triggered | Starts automatically upon status change |
Access | Only internal users with admin domains or consultant domains | External users can be invited, and collaboration |