## How are external invitations to the Collaboration Project handled?
The Collaboration Project can include [RED Data](/handbook/security/policies_and_standards/data-classification-standard/).
To avoid unwanted exposure, all new Professional Services projects now require synchronous verification between GitLab’s PS Project Manager and the customer’s Project Manager (or main stakeholder) before any access is granted. This synchronous verification can happen in a Zoom session or in a session hosted by the customer.
All subsequent team member invitations will be controlled and issued by Customer's Project Manager, preventing cross-customer provision errors.
## How far we've come
Customer Project (CP) automation was an effort initially designed back in 2022 by Adriano Fonseca as an OKR to improve our delivery processes. The original design can be found [here](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-com/customer-success/okrs/-/issues/258). This design has changed a bit as we have worked to revive the effort.
