If you're running a small business or creative agency, you probably know the pain of juggling projects across a team. You want everyone on the same page, but without 47 emails or side chats muddying the waters. If you’re using Honeybook, you’ve got a decent tool for client projects, but—let’s be honest—collaborating with a team inside Honeybook can feel a bit hidden. Assigning team members to projects isn't always obvious, and it's easy to miss what you can and can’t actually do.
This guide is for owners, managers, and anyone wrangling projects in Honeybook who wants real, no-nonsense instructions for assigning team members, tracking who’s doing what, and avoiding confusion. No fluff, no vague promises—just the steps, the quirks, and some honest advice.
Why Assigning Team Members in Honeybook Matters
Before we dive into the steps, here’s the reality: Honeybook was built mainly for solopreneurs and small teams. Collaboration features exist, but they’re not as robust as full-blown project management tools like Asana or ClickUp. Still, with a few tweaks and realistic expectations, you can get your team working together without chaos.
Assigning team members to projects helps you:
- Know who’s responsible for what
- Avoid double work and dropped balls
- Make client handoffs smoother
- Keep project communication tidy (well, tidier)
But—and this is a big caveat—Honeybook doesn’t have classic “task assignment” baked in. Instead, you’ll be assigning teammates to projects as leads, participants, or collaborators. It gets the job done, but it’s not the same as assigning granular tasks or deadlines.
Step 1: Set Up Your Team in Honeybook
Before you can assign anyone to a project, you need to actually add them to your Honeybook account.
Here’s how:
- Go to your Company Settings.
- Click your profile photo in the top right corner.
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Choose “Company Settings” from the dropdown.
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Find the Team tab.
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It might be labeled “Team” or “Team Members.” (Honeybook updates this wording now and then.)
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Invite your team members.
- Hit “Add Team Member.”
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Enter their email address and choose their role:
- Admin – Full access (be careful who gets this)
- Moderator – Some editing rights, but not total control
- Collaborator – Limited actions, usually just what you assign
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Send the invite.
- Your teammate will get an email invite. They need to accept and set up their profile.
Pro tip: If you’re trying to assign a contractor or someone who just needs to view a project, use the Collaborator role. Keeping roles tight avoids accidental changes or confusion.
Step 2: Create or Open a Project
You can’t assign anyone until you’ve got a project to put them on.
- To create a new project, hit the “+ New Project” button from your dashboard.
- To use an existing one, click into it from your projects list.
Give the project a clear name—something everyone will recognize. “Q2 Website Redesign” beats “Client Stuff #2.”
Step 3: Assign Team Members to the Project
Now, here’s where Honeybook’s approach differs from some other tools. You’re not assigning individual tasks—you’re assigning people to the whole project.
To add team members to a project:
- Inside the project, look for the Participants panel.
- It’s usually on the right side or under the “Details” tab.
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If you don’t see it, look for a “Project Settings” or “Team” option.
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Click “Add Team Member” or “Add Participant.”
- You’ll see a list of everyone you’ve already invited to your Honeybook account.
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Select who you want to add.
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Choose their role on this project.
- Roles here control access and visibility. Double-check you’re not giving away admin rights by accident.
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Usually, only admins and project owners can make big changes; collaborators can see and interact with what’s assigned to them.
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Confirm.
- Once added, your team member can access the project, see files, timelines, and communicate with the team (and sometimes the client, depending on permissions).
What works:
- Simple for smaller teams with clear project ownership.
- Reduces “who’s doing what?” confusion at the project level.
Limitations:
- You can’t assign specific tasks or checklist items to individuals within Honeybook itself. For that, you’ll need to use an outside tool or get creative (see below).
- Notifications are basic. Team members will get a heads-up when they’re added, but ongoing updates aren’t always detailed.
Step 4: Communicate Roles and Responsibilities (Don’t Skip This)
Here’s the honest truth: Just adding someone to a project in Honeybook doesn’t magically make their responsibilities clear. The tool won’t nudge folks when deliverables are due or assign sub-tasks.
To keep things from falling through the cracks:
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Use the project notes or description: Spell out who’s driving what. Example:
“Sarah: Handles client calls. Mike: Prepares proposal docs. Alex: Manages design drafts.”
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Assign files or timelines: You can tag people in file comments or timeline notes, but don’t expect Honeybook to track completion.
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Keep a separate, shared checklist: If your team needs granular task management, use a Google Doc, Notion, or a shared spreadsheet and link it in the project notes.
Pro tip: Set a recurring reminder to review projects together—Honeybook won’t do this for you.
Step 5: Keep Tabs on Progress (With Realistic Expectations)
Unlike full project management tools, Honeybook’s progress tracking is mostly manual.
Here’s what you can do:
- Use the project pipeline: This shows which stage a project is in (Inquiry, Proposal, Contract Sent, etc.). It’s useful for big-picture tracking, but not for nitty-gritty tasks.
- Check the activity feed: See who’s added files, sent messages, or made changes.
- Rely on team check-ins: Actual accountability will come from talking to your team, not from Honeybook notifications.
Shortcomings:
- No automatic reminders for task due dates.
- No Kanban boards or Gantt charts.
- If you need those, you’ll need to supplement Honeybook with another tool.
Step 6: Adjust Permissions If Needed
Sometimes you’ll want to give a team member more (or less) control over a project.
- Back in the project’s Participants panel, click the three dots or “Edit” next to a team member’s name.
- Change their role: From Collaborator to Admin or vice versa.
- Remove them if they’re no longer needed.
Be careful—changing roles can affect what someone can see or edit. If you’re ever unsure, test with a dummy account before making big changes to live projects.
What to Ignore (and What to Watch Out For)
- Don’t expect advanced task management: Honeybook isn’t Trello or Asana. If you need complex workflows, use Honeybook for client-facing stuff and something else for internal task tracking.
- Don’t rely on Honeybook to remind your team: The notifications are basic. Set calendar reminders or use Slack/Teams for nudges.
- Watch for role creep: Once you start adding team members, double-check who has access to sensitive info. It’s easy to forget who can see what.
Pro tip: If you outgrow Honeybook’s team features, you’re not alone. Many teams use it for contracts, invoices, and client communication, and handle internal project management elsewhere.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate as You Go
Assigning team members to projects in Honeybook isn’t rocket science, but it’s also not a magic bullet. Get your team invited, make assignments at the project level, and use shared notes or outside tools for the details Honeybook doesn’t handle well.
Start simple. Don’t overcomplicate things. Most importantly, check in with your team and tweak your process as you go. Honeybook can handle the basics—just don’t expect it to run your whole operation. And if you hit its limits, don’t be afraid to supplement with other tools. The goal is less confusion, not more software.
Now, get your team set up and see what works in the real world.