How a contributor link works
A contributor link is how Works lets someone answer their part of an assessment without being given an account. It is a single emailed web address that does one job, for one person, on one assessment, and nothing else.
This page explains what the link is, how long it lasts, what ends it and what it does not allow. For the steps, see inviting contributors to an assessment.
What the link allows
Section titled “What the link allows”A contributor link is issued for one assessment, to one person. Opening it signs that person in with a deliberately narrow set of rights: they can see My sections, read the assessment and the framework questions they are asked, and save scores for the sections assigned to them. Every other request is refused.
This holds even when the person is, in ordinary life, an administrator. A link session carries only the contributor’s rights; the roles the person holds elsewhere do not apply while they are signed in through the link.
No account to create
Section titled “No account to create”The person invited never sees a sign-up form and never chooses a password. Works holds a login record for them behind the scenes, with no password, passkey or authenticator attached, so it cannot be signed into by any route other than a live link.
An invitation is addressed to a person already on the plan, not to a bare email address, and that person must have an email address on file. Adding a new person is a separate permission (manage people and access); see people and access.
How long it lasts
Section titled “How long it lasts”A contributor link can be opened again and again while the person works. It ends in one of four ways.
| What ends it | When |
|---|---|
| The contributor presses I’m finished | At once. Their scores are locked. |
| It goes unused | After 7 days without being opened. Each opening moves the 7 days on. |
| The assessment is closed | When it is baselined, or the person is removed as a contributor, or they have no sections left on it. |
| The sender withdraws it | At once. Sending a new link to the same person for the same assessment withdraws the earlier one. |
Each time the link is opened it starts a session of 60 minutes, counted from the moment of opening. Using the screen does not extend it; when the hour is up the contributor opens the same link again and carries on. A session is also cut when the person finishes or the link ends.
There is no ceiling on the total life of a link. A contributor who opens it at least once a week can work for as long as the assessment stays open.
Links issued before 1.0.5 keep their old terms: they work once and expire after 72 hours. Sign-off links, which let a person sign a deliverable off, are unchanged for the same reason; a signature is one act.
Finishing
Section titled “Finishing”On My sections the contributor sees an I’m finished button under “Done for now?”. It opens a confirmation, Finish this assessment?, that says how many of their sections they have scored and lists any left blank. Blanks are allowed; they stay blank once the person finishes.
Finishing does four things.
- It locks that person’s scores on this assessment. The lock applies however they reach it; a contributor who also has an ordinary login is locked too.
- It ends their link and session.
- It tells the person who sent the link and the assessment’s convener, in the product and by email (the notification is A contributor has finished, and each person can set their own preference for it).
- It shows on the assessment page. Under Contributors the person reads Finished, with the date.
A person who tries the same link afterwards is told: “You have finished this assessment, so this link has ended. If more is needed, the convener can reopen it and send you a new link.”
Reopening
Section titled “Reopening”If more is needed, the convener opens the assessment page and selects Reopen and send a new link against the person. That clears the lock and emails a new link. The old link stays ended. The permission to do this is the one that issues contributor links (Assess edit).
Sending an assessment back from in review to draft does not clear anybody’s finish. Reopen each person who is needed.
What the convener sees
Section titled “What the convener sees”Under Participants on the assessment page, Contributors lists each person who has been sent a link. Each shows Working or Finished, and one of three lines: “Finished” with the date, “Last opened” with the date and time, or “Link not opened yet”. The list follows what contributors do without a reload.
“Last opened” is a date and time only. The address the link was opened from is kept in the audit log, which only people who can read it see.
What the sender sees, and does not see
Section titled “What the sender sees, and does not see”The sender is told who the link was addressed to. Someone who does not hold the permission to manage logins sees the person’s name and that a link was issued, not the email address. The link itself is never shown, and there is no copy button. The reason is separation of duties: whoever sends a link must not be able to follow it and act as the person it was meant for.
What a contributor sees when a link fails
Section titled “What a contributor sees when a link fails”The link page names the reason rather than saying only that it is invalid.
| Reason | What the person is told |
|---|---|
| Finished | They have finished, so the link has ended; the convener can reopen it and send a new one. |
| Ended | The assessment is closed, or they no longer have sections on it; ask whoever sent it. |
| Expired | The link has expired (7 days unused, or 72 hours for a link issued before 1.0.5); ask for a new one. |
| Withdrawn | The link has been withdrawn, usually because a newer one was sent; check for a more recent email. |
| Already used | A link issued before 1.0.5, or a sign-off link, works once; ask for a new one. |
| Opened too often | The link has been opened too many times in the last hour (the cap is 30 an hour); wait and open it again. |
| Account disabled | The login behind the link has been disabled; ask an administrator. |
| Not recognised | The link is not valid; check the whole address was copied, or ask for a new one. |
A link is a bearer credential
Section titled “A link is a bearer credential”Anyone who holds the link can use it, in the same way as an ordinary password reset email. The email says so (“Please don’t forward it”). The link is also reusable now, so it stays a credential for longer than a single-use link. What limits the damage is the scope and the ends listed above: a forwarded link can score the sections of one assessment, nothing else, and stops when the person finishes, goes a week unused, or the assessment closes.
Every opening is recorded in the audit log with the address it came from, and every score entered through a link is marked in the audit trail as having come through a link, with who issued it. The sender can withdraw a link at any time.
Known limits
Section titled “Known limits”- No automatic reminders. Works does not chase anyone. The convener sees Last opened and who has not finished, and uses Send again or reopens.
- No emailed code on each opening. The link alone opens the session, as for a password reset link.
- Baselining ends every outstanding contributor link. A contributor who has not finished loses access when the assessment is baselined, and the finish records are kept.