How to join an activity without being a manager

Updated on September 23, 2026

You are a project member, not a manager. The activity card is where the work happens — comment, attach, mark the step, sometimes complete. You do not need (and a regular user cannot) become a manager just to work on your own card.

This article is day-to-day on the board. The difference between activity and task is here. Whoever defines what a member can do on each project is in activity permissions — that is a manager and administrator screen.

💡 If a button does not appear on the card, the project restricted that action (manager only, or assignee only).

Where to find it

Activities assigned to me Projects > Activities — list or kanban. Open the card you own or the one the team asked you to collaborate on.

You only see the projects you are a member of (and public ones). A project that is not on your list does not “unlock” by itself: whoever administers the account adds you.

What a member usually does on the card

Activity modal, where the member comments, attaches, and completes

The exact set depends on the project. In a member’s day-to-day:

Open the card and read the agreement (description, due date, estimate).
Comment and mention with @ whoever needs to see it. File and conversation in the same place: attachments and comments.
Attach the brief, the screenshot, the version that counts for execution now.
Complete the activity (or the subactivity) when the step is yours.
Create subactivities if the card is too large — how to create subactivities.

On some projects a member only sees the activities they own. A board “empty” of other people’s cards can be a rule, not an error.

What a member does not do from here

Edit the project settings or the Activities tab (who can create, complete, comment).
Become the project manager — a regular user is not promoted to manager.
Change the account’s task catalog.
Approve the week’s hours from the card. A comment on the card does not replace submitting the week.

Hours stay on the time entry or on the Timesheet. The card organizes the work; the entry classifies the time.

If you cannot complete or comment

Check whether the activity is assigned to you — on a project with restricted visibility, someone else’s card disappears or locks.
Ask the project manager (or the administrator) to unlock Comment, Complete, or Edit for members — or to assign the card to you.
Do not ask “make me a manager” just to attach a PDF. That is permission for that action, on the project.

When to use it

Use when the deliverable has a file, a conversation, or a step someone else will continue.

Do not use the card as the company chat or as the place to close the week of hours.