Overview

Track approval requests from Home and the request lists. Each request keeps its selected Reason, whether sensitive Justification was required, submitted position values, effective dates, impact, stages, selected approvers, comments, files, decisions, and final outcome.

Use the status and activity together: status shows where the request is now, while history explains how it got there.

Find a request

Use:

  • Home for work assigned to you and recent request activity.
  • My approvals > Ready now for requests waiting for your decision at the current stage.
  • My approvals > Upcoming for your assignments waiting on an earlier stage.
  • Position requests for work you submitted or may view through your department access.
  • The position’s Change requests tab for requests tied to one position.
  • Administrative approvals for requests in departments you are allowed to administer.

Search and filters can narrow the list by status, request type, department, requester, or date when those choices are available.

Understand request status

Common states include:

Status Meaning
Pending or in review A current approval stage is waiting for an eligible decision.
Approved Every required stage completed and the request was applied.
Denied An approver ended the request without applying the proposed change.
Invalidated A system safety rule closed the submitted attempt. Calculation updates do not cause this.
Cancelled The requester or an approval administrator closed the active request with a reason.

The request detail shows the current stage, completed stages, selected approvers, and recorded decisions.

Comments and discussion

Request comments support discussion separately from decision explanations. Comments contain protected request information. Reading or participating requires current Position access and View sensitive workforce data for every part of the request, even when the person is assigned to approve it.

When the request closes, its earlier comments can no longer be edited or replied to. People who still have the required Position access and View sensitive workforce data can read that discussion and add a clearly marked follow-up note. A follow-up note does not reopen the request or change its decision, and it cannot be edited or replied to after it is added. The comment author or an authorized administrator can still redact text that should no longer be displayed. The Edited link opens versions saved while the request was active. Comment history remains separate from request activity history.

Files

The request keeps the exact named file checklist and audience choices that applied when it was submitted. That checklist does not change when an administrator later edits setup. A named file labeled All request reviewers is available to anyone who can review the active request. A named file labeled Sensitive access required, and every additional file, requires complete current Position access and View sensitive workforce data. Without that access, protected file details remain hidden and a direct file link does not open.

A file cannot be downloaded until its safety checks finish successfully. Its audience cannot be changed after submission.

Only share files that are necessary for the decision. Do not add passwords, authentication codes, full credit card or payment details, or unrelated personal information.

Reminders and notifications

Assigned approvers can receive reminder email according to organization settings. Approval work remains visible in FTE Tree even when an email cannot be delivered.

Reminders stop when the assignment, stage, or request is no longer active. A missing email does not mean the request disappeared; check Home or My approvals > Ready now directly.

Activity history

Request history preserves:

  • The selected Reason and the Justification requirement that applied at submission.
  • Submission and stage changes.
  • Approvers selected for the submitted attempt.
  • Decisions and required explanations.
  • Denial, invalidation, cancellation, and overrides.
  • File and comment activity where applicable.
  • The retained evidence for each separate submitted request.

The submitted request does not update itself when approval settings or position information change later.

Administrative approvals

Approval administrators use three views:

  • Needs attention shows at most one row for each current request with no active assigned approver, a response overdue by the first configured reminder interval, a failed or unavailable file check, or a file check that has remained pending too long. A request with more than one problem combines the reasons. Protected filenames are not shown.
  • Available shows one row for each assignment held by another approver at the current stage for which you can record a response. Your own assigned work remains under My approvals, and a request you submitted is not available for administrative action.
  • Completed shows only responses you recorded for another approver and can still open through current position access. It does not include your direct assigned decisions, responses entered by another administrator, or assignments closed because another member of the approver group answered.

Needs attention never reassigns an approver, changes the review path, advances a stage, or creates a new deadline. A stage problem shows Respond for for each approver saved on the current stage. A file-only problem shows Open because it does not identify an approver decision to record and can occur before approval begins.

Read the reason before acting:

  • No active assigned approver means every approver saved on the current stage has an inactive membership or account.
  • Response is overdue means the stage reached the organization’s first reminder interval. It does not mean the request was automatically escalated.
  • A submitted file needs attention means a check failed or the file is otherwise unavailable.
  • A file security check is taking too long means a pending check exceeded its allowed time.

Get the appropriate business decision before recording a response for another approver. Use Override request only when the organization authorizes an exceptional decision that should skip every remaining stage.

Administrative access does not automatically reveal protected request information. The selected Reason remains visible with the request summary. Pay, costs, Justification and decision explanations, comments, additional files, and named files labeled Sensitive access required require current Position access and View sensitive workforce data for the complete request.

An assigned approver or a person acting on behalf of an approver can open the request summary while it is active and may record a permitted decision even when protected information shows as Restricted. Do not approve when hidden information is necessary to make the decision. After the request closes, that earlier participation alone does not provide permanent access. The requester and people with current Position access can continue to review the closed request summary; protected information and comments still require current Position access and View sensitive workforce data. Administrative Completed omits a closed request as soon as the administrator can no longer open it.

Common questions

Why did the request disappear from Ready now?

Another eligible approver may have completed the stage, the request may have closed, or your assignment may no longer be active. Search the broader request list or open the position’s request history.

Only one assigned approver for the request’s department needs to decide a stage. When someone else acts, your active assignment no longer needs action. It remains in request history, but it does not appear under your Completed tab because you did not record that response. FTE Tree does not require every assigned approver or a unanimous decision.

If the request is closed and you no longer have position access, it is also removed from your broader approval lists. Ask the requester or a person with current position access when the organization needs a follow-up.

How do I continue after denial, cancellation, or invalidation?

Review the retained outcome, enter the complete current position values normally, and create a separate new request. Earlier values, files, decisions, and approvals are not copied.

Why can I see a request but not its exact cost?

Request visibility, decision authority, position access, and View sensitive workforce data are separate. The selected Reason is ordinary request information, but exact pay and cost, Justification and later action explanations, comments, additional files, and named files labeled Sensitive access required require current Position access and View sensitive workforce data for every part of the request.