Open the request and find the step where it stopped. Read the message to see whether it needs a reviewer, a required item, a permission, or a fresh review of changed information. The sections below follow those different situations.

Do not create a duplicate request until you understand the existing one.

Before you begin

To do this You need
Submit a request Submit position requests plus View positions for the affected department
Decide a request Assignment to the active approval step and access to the request
Cancel your request Requester access while the request is active
Act for another approver or override an active request 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
Change workflow or approver setup Manage approval setup

Submission is blocked

Check:

  1. Every required proposed value is complete.
  2. Effective dates are valid and the position is not active before required information begins.
  3. No conflicting request is active for the position.
  4. Every required step in the selected request-type workflow has an eligible approver other than the requester.
  5. The requester has the Submit position requests and View positions permissions for the affected department.
  6. A new active position has an unreserved paid position place.
  7. Every required named file box contains its own file; an additional file does not satisfy it.
  8. Any blank form offered by a named field is ready to download.
  9. Choose an available reason and complete justification if the form requires it. If no reason is available, ask the administrator to check the request setup. Keep private employee pay and medical information out of the explanation.

Correct the named issue, review the request again, and submit.

Workforce requirements are still checking

Checking requirements means FTE Tree is preparing the current workforce rule assessment. It is different from Unknown, which means required information is missing. Wait for a completed check before approving. If checking fails, use Retry check in Workforce checks when offered. You can still choose Return for changes or Reject request when the request should close. Requests that need no independent review continue automatically once a completed check allows approval.

A completed warning allows the configured action. If a requirement blocks the action, correct any unmet requirement or missing information shown as Unknown before continuing. A passing earlier check does not reserve capacity; another approved change can require a new assessment.

When approval is blocked, read the workforce rule assessment above the decision form. Return for changes closes the submission so the requester can correct the work and submit a new request. Reject request closes it when the changes should not proceed.

Neither applies the proposed changes. A blocked request does not expire automatically: it remains in the approval list until someone decides or cancels it. If underlying information or a rule is being corrected, leave it pending and reopen the decision page afterward for a current check.

No eligible approver

The requester and anyone who prepared the changes cannot independently approve their own work. If a required department or central responsibility has no eligible reviewer, an approval administrator must correct the setup before submission. Both departing and receiving departments need coverage for a transfer; if the department’s reviewer group has no one who can review the request, fix that group. A department without its own reviewer assignments uses the nearest higher-level department’s assignments. If its selected reviewer group has no eligible person, FTE Tree does not skip that group to use a more distant department.

Review:

  • The request type and its workflow’s step availability.
  • Department approvers for those exact request-type steps.
  • Active user memberships.
  • Role and department access.
  • Requester’s identity.
  • The steps assigned to changed fields and, for New position or Replacement hiring, Always review through.
  • For position change only, any later steps assigned to the changed fields.

Do not grant broad access solely to bypass one request. Configure the intended approver responsibility.

Request is waiting at a step

Open the step detail and confirm:

  • The step is active.
  • At least one selected approver is active.
  • The request appears in My approvals > Ready now for the intended approver.
  • A prior decision did not already move or close it.
  • Notification delivery is not being mistaken for assignment status.

The request remains available in FTE Tree even if an email is delayed.

A file is blocking approval

Approval and an administrative approve override wait until every submitted file passes its safety check. A pending check may finish without any change from the requester. A failed, infected, unsupported, or missing check cannot be bypassed.

Open the request to identify the affected named or additional file within your access. An approval administrator can also find overdue or unavailable checks under Administrative approvals > Needs attention, but that list does not show protected filenames. Rejection remains available when the request should end. If a corrected file or other information is needed later, the requester provides it in a new request.

Approver cannot decide

The person may be able to view the request without being assigned to the step that is ready. Only an approver assigned to that step can use the normal decision action.

Also check whether another eligible approver already completed the step, the request closed, or the person is viewing a different organization. One eligible decision resolves the step, so the other active assignments no longer need action.

An approval administrator can record a response for another approver when appropriate and authorized. Use an override only for an exceptional administrative decision.

Submitted FTE changed

At final approval, FTE Tree rechecks position status, position FTE and active FTE, and the FTE change for every submitted effective date. The change cannot be completed if the approved position information no longer matches what the reviewers checked. It also checks assignments, Reports to relationships, departments on action dates, and future capacity. Review newer approved changes and prepare a current request when the original proposal is no longer valid.

The old request is not rewritten for the approver and an override does not bypass the check. Review the visible message, cancel the active request, prepare the proposal from the current approved timeline, and submit a new request. The closed request remains available as the record of what was originally reviewed.

If the request has no approval steps and was waiting for a file check, it remains Pending when the last file passes its safety check but the current FTE figures differ from the submitted figures. An approval administrator finds it under Administrative approvals > Needs attention, opens it, and cancels it with Changes required. FTE Tree does not assign an approver or approve it automatically.

Request was invalidated

An Invalidated request was closed by FTE Tree because information needed to apply it changed. A changed submitted FTE figure instead blocks final approval and requires the active request to be canceled and resubmitted.

Compare the submitted values in the closed request with the current approved position. If the change is still needed, enter all current values needed for the proposal and create a new request. The invalidated request stays unchanged for history.

Rejected, returned, or invalidated request cannot be edited

A request marked Rejected, Returned for changes, or Invalidated is closed and read-only. Review the recorded reason or explanation, then use the normal position editor and request process when the organization still wants the change. After rejection or return, compare the submitted information with current shared proposals and newer work before submitting again. A new request needs checks of the current information, files, and approvals; the earlier decisions do not carry over. See Correct or close a request for preparing a replacement.

New-position approval cannot finish

Review:

  • The request still holds its reserved paid position place.
  • Required active-position values remain valid.
  • Department and job classification choices are valid for each date.
  • The request is still active.

A request that already reserved a paid position can finish even if a later subscription change puts the organization over its current paid position count.

Get more help

Before asking for help, note:

  • Request number and position number.
  • Current status and step.
  • Exact visible message.
  • Intended action.
  • Approximate time.
  • Whether setup, access, or the position changed after submission.

Share this with the organization’s approval administrator first. Contact Support when the visible request status conflicts with current setup and access.

Optional practice: help a request reach its next step

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

Practice steps and checks
  1. Open the stopped request and read its status and exact message.
  2. Check whether it needs a reviewer, a required file, corrected information, or a different permission.
  3. Ask the person responsible for that item to fix it.
  4. If the submitted proposal is wrong, close it and submit the correct one.
  5. Repeat the stopped action and check the next status.

For a department move, check both the departing and receiving departments and every effective date. Reviewers need the full submitted timeline and the explanations and files required for a sound decision. If that context is unavailable, correct the access or proposal before approval.

A rejected request is finished. Review the shared proposed work and newer changes before making a new request; do not try to reopen the rejected one.