Open Activity history when you need to know who changed something, when they recorded it, and why. A request also keeps its submitted values, files, and decisions together. Use the related links to follow the change from the request to the saved record.

Choose the Activity history clock immediately to the right of the page actions to open the history window. Close it to return to your record or settings. An activity history link opened in a new tab shows the same window over the related page.

Use activity history to confirm a specific saved action and reports or exports to review activity across many records. Use Conversations to exchange messages and decision comments to explain approval decisions. An activity note explains a saved change but does not create an entry by itself when no value changed.

Before you begin

To do this You need
View activity history on a record The record’s viewing permission, such as View positions, View employees, View labor budgets, or View actual compensation
Configure activity history note settings Manage organization settings
Download a related report The report’s data access plus the matching export permissions
Access setup See Roles and permissions.

What is tracked

FTE Tree records important position-control actions, including:

Area Tracked activity
Positions Created, updated, copied as a new draft, eliminated, or discarded while still an eligible unsubmitted draft.
Position drafts and submitted changes Drafted or discarded before submission, submitted with fixed values and files, approved, rejected, invalidated, canceled, or applied.
Employees Created, updated, deactivated, reactivated, assigned, or changed through dated fields.
Job classifications Created, updated, made unavailable or available, or changed through dated fields.
Position assignments Created, updated, ended, canceled, voided, or vacated.
Organization setup Department, job classification, work schedule, compensation, adjustment, and custom field changes.
Approval setup Step order, field and request-type step requirements, and department approver assignments.
Approval decisions Approval, rejection, direct responses, responses recorded for another approver, overrides, invalidation, and cancellation.
Imports Uploaded, checked, failed, applied, stopped, or downloaded.
Reports Generated, previewed, or downloaded.
User access and security Role, department access, invitation, session, and security setting changes.

The exact details shown depend on what changed and the user’s current position, employee, compensation, access, security, or billing access. You can see only the details your permissions allow.

Dated values are marked Recorded, with the date when they apply. When you can view the earlier value, the entry compares it with the newly recorded value. A later entry with a past effective date does not change what an earlier activity entry says. Saving the same value again creates a separate history entry, even when its effective date also matches.

Each entry identifies the person or system that performed the action. Entries keep the person’s name recorded at the time, even if their name changes later. An action completed automatically for a person stays attributed to that person. Automated activity uses names such as Automated task, Billing service, and Email service. Support activity appears as FTE Tree support. Billing activity shows this information in the Performed by column.

Use Performed by to filter by the person or system that performed the action. Clear the filter to return to All people and systems. The filter follows the same person even when their name changes, and people who share a name remain separate choices.

Choose the recorded dates, people, and actions you need, then select Apply filters. The history updates in the open window, so you can keep reviewing the same record. Clear filters removes those choices and updates the history. If an update fails, your entered filters and previous results stay visible; select Apply filters to try again.

Contact us opens FTE Tree’s external contact form. Contact messages are separate from organization activity history.

Where to review activity

Start from the record you are investigating, then open Activity history from the clock icon immediately to the right of the page actions. The history window shows the full timeline, available filters, and change details.

Close it or press Escape to return to the same place on your record. The clock sits beside the page actions; it does not appear in the left navigation, as a page tab, or inside the Actions menu.

The name beneath Activity history identifies the record or collection whose history you are viewing. When adding something to an existing record, you may see that record’s history. The new item has no history of its own until it is saved. A history link opens the history window over its related page.

History location What it covers
Position Position values, proposed changes, conversation messages, assignment changes, and approval links.
Employee Employee profile, employment status and assignment-related changes.
Workforce Rules Rule setup and dated versions, or the setup of a saved rule check.
Employee pay Changes to the employee pay entries you can view.
Position financial contributors Changes to this position’s budget rates or employee-pay entries. Saved calculation results and shared policy histories remain in their own work areas.
Requester files Changes to the file requirements for the selected request purpose.
Selected notification The related request or position, when you can still view it.
My access and email preferences Your own organization access assignments and notification preferences.
HRIS connections and compensation ownership Recorded connection creation and ownership transitions, subject to your access. Credentials are not shown.
Department Department details, hierarchy changes, approval-step approver assignments, and organization structure changes. Workforce Budgeting also includes dated financial classifications.
Approval request Submitted values, approval path, approver decisions, cancellation, responses recorded for another approver, overrides, and when approved changes took effect.
Import Uploaded files, results, applied rows, corrections, and downloads in the import’s Activity history view.
Report Generated reports and downloads.

Use reports or exports when the question spans many records or a date range that would be inefficient to review one record at a time.

Action notes

Some actions can show one text box for an action note. A person with the Manage organization settings permission can set each configurable event’s note to Off, Optional, or Required under Settings > Activity history notes. FTE Tree supplies the note label and guidance for the event so people are asked for the right kind of context.

Use an action note for context a later reviewer cannot learn from the changed fields alone. For example, explain that an approved position should remain open after an employee departure, that a selected candidate withdrew before the start date, or that a 0.50 FTE assignment provides shared coverage across two programs. Do not repeat the visible change or include employee, compensation, or other sensitive details that do not belong in the note.

The selected policy applies to future actions. Changing a note from Required to Optional or Off does not remove notes already saved in activity history.

Routine Budget and compensation entries offer optional notes by default. Your organization can change those configurable notes to Off or Required.

Assignment cancellation and voiding, financial corrections, ending or removing financial entries always require an explanation. Each action asks for one note and keeps it in Activity history. Preparing position approvals uses the request reasons and supporting information already collected for that workflow.

Activity history notes do not have organization-managed choice lists. This setting does not change approval request reasons, sensitive justification, decision comments, or a reason that is built into a specific action. Those fields follow the rules described for their workflow.

Approval decisions use a short comment. Your organization separately configures whether a reason is required for approval and for rejection or return for changes. The same outcome rule applies to direct decisions and decisions recorded on behalf of an approver. The Override entire request action always requires a reason.

Some actions, such as moving an approval step earlier or later, already describe the change and do not ask for a note. The activity still appears in history with the changed order.

Billing activity does not offer organization-configurable note settings.

Action notes are separate from conversation messages. Use Conversations to ask questions or add context. Use action notes when the note explains the action being saved.

Approval request history

Approval requests preserve the approval path that applied when the request was submitted. Later approval-setting changes do not change that saved path.

The request history can include:

Information Details preserved
Request Request type and request number.
Requested changes Position values and effective dates.
Impact Approved-versus-proposed FTE impact.
Approval path Required step and approvers chosen for each step the request must complete.
Supporting information Optional supporting files, request conversations, and decision comments.
Approval activity Decisions recorded on behalf of an approver, use of Override entire request, and approved changes that took effect.

This makes it possible to explain both the final decision and how the request reached that decision.

Review checklist

Use the history to answer four questions:

Question What to review
Who took part? The person who submitted the request or changed the record, each approver, and anyone who recorded a response for another approver or used an override.
What was requested? The approved value, proposed value, calculated impact, reasons, notes, and attachments.
Which dates apply? The effective date for each changed value and the date the final change took effect.
How was it decided? The approval path saved at submission and every approval, rejection, invalidation, cancellation, or override.

Reviewing these questions separately helps distinguish the staffing decision from later setting changes.

File attachments and security

Approval requests can include named required files and additional supporting files. FTE Tree checks files before reviewers can download them. Correct an unacceptable file before submission. Submitted files cannot be replaced: follow Correct or close a request when a submitted request needs a different file.

Do not upload documents that are not needed for the business decision. Attach only supporting files that reviewers need for the decision.

Reviewing history

Use Activity history on the item you are reviewing when you need its full history. Use reports when you need to review many items, approval activity, report downloads, imports, or access changes across a date range.

Retention expectations

Activity history, report history, and history exports are kept according to the organization’s retention rules. Notification delivery details or security activity may be kept for a shorter time than staffing and approval history. See Data retention and account deletion for details.

Common mistakes

  • Using conversation messages when an approval decision note is required.
  • Uploading more sensitive material than the request needs.
  • Reviewing today’s position page when the question is about a prior effective date.
  • Assuming a later approval-setting change altered an already-submitted request.
  • Comparing a report total to a position’s Summary or Details page without checking the report date range.

Form choices

Use this reference to choose form values. Available choices depend on the task, selected date, and your access.

Organization policy

Choose whether this action asks the person to record a business reason.

Choice Meaning
Off Do not ask for an action note.
Optional Offer a note without requiring one.
Required Require a note before the action can be completed.

Use Required for actions where a reason is necessary to understand the history. Explain the business context people should record. Do not request credentials or protected pay details in notes. A note-policy change can require someone with an already-open form to review the requirement before submitting again.

When other work completes or replaces a request’s proposed changes, its original decisions and explanations remain available. Review the outcome to see which changes were saved and which were not. Request explanations and conversation messages have separate access requirements. Opening a related activity entry does not give you additional access.

Organization activity overview

With Review organization activity, open the organization activity overview to see what happened, when, and who did it. Record details and protected notes still require access to the underlying information.

Optional practice: see who approved the new position

For exercises that change records, use a separate practice organization and complete the preparation below.

Practice steps and checks
  1. Open Activity history for Patient Services Coordinator.
  2. Find its New position request.
  3. Open the related event and read who acted, when, and why.
  4. Compare that recorded time with the position’s January 1, 2027 start.
  5. Open the related request if you need its submitted values or decisions.

A position may be approved before the day it starts. Both dates are useful.

Try an action note or conversation on a separate practice record and check where it appears. Neither edits an already-submitted proposal. If something has been redacted, read the remaining explanation rather than assuming the event was deleted. See activity reports for a wider review.