Once a position request is submitted, its proposed values and files stay fixed for review. If they are wrong or the change is no longer wanted, use the appropriate action to close the request and prepare a new one when needed. A conversation message does not edit the submitted proposal.

Explain the issue, close the active request with the appropriate action, prepare current draft values, and submit a new request when review should begin again. The shared proposed work and newer edits remain separate from the information saved with the submitted request. Closing a request does not overwrite a colleague’s current work with earlier submitted information.

Before you begin

To do this You need
Cancel an active request you submitted Be the requester
Cancel another person’s active request Coordinate approval requests plus View positions for every affected department on every submitted date
Reject an active request Be an eligible approver assigned to the step that is ready
Reject on behalf or through override Coordinate approval requests for on-behalf decisions or Override approval requests for an override, plus View positions for every affected department on every submitted date
Prepare corrected draft values Manage positions for the affected department
Submit the replacement request Submit position requests plus View positions for the affected department

The request’s current status and step determine which actions are available.

Know what can and cannot change

While a request is active, you can add appropriate context through Conversations. A message does not alter the submitted proposal.

You cannot change:

  • the request type;
  • the position;
  • submitted position details;
  • effective dates;
  • the approval steps;
  • the organization-defined reason;
  • Justification;
  • submitted files; or
  • completed decisions.

This preserves exactly what each reviewer saw and decided.

Cancel an active request

Cancellation is appropriate when the active request should stop without a reviewer making an approval decision.

Choose the cancellation reason that matches what happened:

Reason Use it when
Changes required The proposal needs corrected values, dates, type, reason, or files before a new request is submitted
No longer needed The business action is no longer being pursued
Submitted in error The wrong position, request type, or unintended submission was used
Other None of the listed reasons fits; a cancellation note is required

Add a useful note when it helps later readers understand the next step. A note is always required for Other.

Cancellation:

  • changes the request to Canceled;
  • ends all remaining step work;
  • preserves the submitted proposal, Conversations, and decisions;
  • preserves current shared proposals without overwriting newer edits;
  • releases a new-position capacity reservation when applicable; and
  • does not undo a separate approved position change that occurred outside the request.

Return or reject a request

Use Return for changes when the submitted work needs correction. Explain what must change. Use Reject request when the selection should not proceed. Neither applies any part of the current selection, and earlier decisions remain recorded.

An approver assigned to the step that is ready selects Reject request and records a reason when the decision form requires one. Rejection:

  • changes the request to Rejected;
  • closes all remaining step work;
  • preserves the complete review record;
  • preserves the exact submitted values without overwriting newer shared proposals;
  • releases a new-position capacity reservation when applicable; and
  • cannot be reopened or converted into an approval.

Understand invalidation

Invalidated is a final status used when the request can no longer proceed because required position information changed.

Invalidation preserves the request record but does not create an editable version. Review the history and current position, correct the underlying condition where appropriate, and start a new request if the business action is still needed.

Start a corrected request

After return, rejection, cancellation, or invalidation:

  1. Open the position’s shared proposed work.
  2. Compare current official information, the closed submission, and any newer saved work.
  3. Correct explicit values, dates, reasons, and files deliberately.
  4. Prepare a replacement selection with current checks and fresh required decisions.

Then complete the new request:

  1. Confirm the request type.
  2. Choose the organization-defined reason.
  3. Write a current justification.
  4. Upload every required named file again.
  5. Check who will review the new request and the order of its approval steps.
  6. Select Request approval.

The new request starts at its first required step. Earlier approvals do not carry forward.

The new request does not automatically copy:

  • files;
  • Reason or justification;
  • Conversations;
  • prior decisions;
  • the earlier approval steps; or
  • the earlier request number.

Link or mention the earlier request only when your organization’s process calls for it and the new record remains understandable on its own.

If approved position information changed

An authorized change, including an import, can update approved position information while a request remains active. It does not edit the submitted request.

Reviewers see a warning and must review the current approved information before approval. If the submitted proposal needs correction, cancel with Changes required and build a new one from the current approved position. Use rejection for a substantive rejection.

The request does not automatically update to match the changed position. Review the current position before preparing a new request.

After approval

An Approved request retains its final decisions. Check that the approved changes were saved and review their effective dates.

If a later business decision changes the approved position again, use the normal position editor and submit a new request where approval is required. Do not treat the completed request as editable.

After approval, review any missing staffing or financial information in Issues. Each issue explains the problem and offers correction links when you have the required access.

Who can cancel another person’s request

An administrator needs the Coordinate approval requests and View positions permissions for every affected department on every submitted date, including the source and destination of a transfer. The requester can still cancel their own active request. Cancellation closes the original outright; a new submission receives a new request number, checks of the current information, and new approval steps.

After rejection, review the submitted values alongside current shared proposals. Closing the request never overwrites newer proposed work. Confirm the intended values before a new submission. A rejected request cannot be reopened; rejection is not a temporary return for editing.

Form choices

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

Cancellation reason

Choose why this request should stop. Canceling a request preserves its recorded history.

Choice Meaning
Changes required The request needs changes before it can proceed.
No longer needed The requested change is no longer wanted.
Submitted in error The request should not have been submitted.
Other Another reason applies; explain the business reason.

Choose the reason that describes this cancellation, rather than using Other for every request. Check the position and remaining proposed work afterward. Cancellation is different from rejecting a request after review.

Optional practice: fix a request with the wrong value

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

Practice steps and checks

Use a separate practice request with an incorrect FTE or start date.

  1. Open the request and read its current status.
  2. Choose the available action to close it, if the submitted proposal must be replaced.
  3. Explain why it is being closed.
  4. Open the position’s draft, enter the intended values, and review the dates and files.
  5. Submit a new request and check its new number.

The old request stays in history. If a request was rejected, it cannot be reopened. Compare the submitted values with current shared proposals and newer edits before submitting again.

For another person’s request, the administrator must be allowed to act for every department and date involved. See administrative actions.