Review and decide a request

Open your assigned request and read what the requester wants to change and when. Check the values, explanation, files, and any warning about newer information before choosing Approve, Return for changes, or Reject request. Your decision may be one of several required steps.

Approval advances the covered responsibility. Return for changes asks for revised work, while rejection declines the selection. Returning or rejecting closes this submission without applying the requested changes. A corrected submission preserves the old decisions and starts fresh required review.

Before you begin

An assigned approver can review this request without receiving general position browsing, reports, or financial access. Every reviewer must be able to read the complete submitted position timeline and the explanations and files needed to decide. If required decision context is unavailable, approval must wait until the access or proposal is corrected. Keep protected pay and personal information in their separately authorized records.

The requester and anyone who prepared the changes being reviewed cannot independently approve their own work, even if they are assigned as reviewers. When you decide, FTE Tree checks that your account and membership are active and that you are still assigned to review those changes. Removing position-view permission alone does not remove your review task; removing your membership or assigned review responsibility prevents a new decision.

Review and decide step by step

1. Open the request assigned to you and select Review & decision. Confirm the named step under Your decision is ready.
2. Read the request summary and justification, then review each requested change and its Effective date. Compare current approved information with the submitted request and check the FTE impact.
3. Open Files for required and additional files, Approval progress for earlier decisions and remaining steps, and Conversations for questions and replies.
4. Resolve any changed-information warning or unavailable action before deciding.
5. Return to Review & decision after reviewing the evidence, then choose Approve, Return for changes, or Reject request and enter the reason required by the form. Returning or rejecting the request closes this submission without applying its changes.
6. Open the request again and confirm the next step or final outcome.

Step 4 of 4, for example, means you are deciding the fourth and last step in this request’s approval process. The Effective date beside a requested change is when that change would begin, not the date of your decision.

When you have no ready decision, the main page is Details. Activity history remains available from the request’s history control. The sections below explain the checks and what each outcome means.

If workforce rules apply, the Workforce checks section shows their results when you open the review. Approval is unavailable until the check finishes. Rules set to Warn and allow show a warning and allow approval; blocking rules keep approval unavailable. You can still return the request for changes or reject it. If the check fails, the checking message changes to an error. Select Retry check; your decision notes stay on the page. FTE Tree checks current results again when you submit approval.

Dated FTE checks begin when the request’s first change takes effect. Rules that ended before that date do not apply. Period budget comparisons still use the full budget period, so earlier costs remain part of a full-year budget comparison.

Understand the submitted approval steps

When the request is submitted, FTE Tree saves its approval steps and who may review each step. Later setup changes do not rewrite that evidence; substantive changes can require a replacement selection.

Steps run in their configured order. Within a department step, departments review in the order they first appear in the proposed timeline. Both departing and receiving departments review a transfer. A central step runs once at its configured place. The next step waits until every required responsibility in the current step is complete.

The request preserves its submitted responsibilities and eligible reviewers. One eligible person completes a department responsibility. If that person is also eligible for other departments in the same step, the decision form can explicitly include those responsibilities. Check the named departments before deciding. This never completes a separate central or later step. Overlapping reviewer groups do not make every member eligible for every department.

Review the complete position timeline and the exact department responsibilities named in your decision. Sorting or paging does not change what you approve. Check all dates, suspensions, reactivations, eliminations, FTE increases and reductions, and any financial effects you are permitted to view. Missing eligible reviewers or changed requirements can prevent the request from proceeding without fresh review.

Compare submitted and current information

The summary’s Request type identifies New position, Position change, or Replacement hiring. A request containing several types lists each applicable type in its summary and in request lists.

In Requested changes, review each changed field and any requested actions in one table. A Requested action row describes what approval would authorize, such as creating a position, reactivation, or replacement hiring. It is separate from the position’s field values and can include effects on assignments or reporting relationships.

For a new position, Current approved shows Not yet created because no approved position exists yet. Other action rows show a dash where a field-value comparison does not apply.

• Current approved shows the approved value used for comparison.
• Submitted request shows the value that was submitted.
• the effective date shows when the submitted value would begin; and
• the FTE impact summarizes the submitted capacity change.

If the request has changes on several dates, check every dated row.

Requested changes and FTE impact each show up to 50 rows per page. Use the page controls below each table to review every row. The FTE impact table shows the before-and-after values and active FTE change for each effective date.

With permission to view labor budgets, the impact table also shows Annual budget change. With permission to view actual compensation, it shows Annual pay change. These permissions are separate, so you may see either column or both. Department changes require access to both the original and proposed departments.

Dollar estimates compare approved position information with the requested changes using current recorded rates and adjustments for each effective date. They show an annual change, rather than a partial-year total, and can change when those records change. Missing setup shows an explanation instead of a zero amount. Applied requests show Not recorded because dollar estimates are not saved with the approval.

A submitted Currency custom field is ordinary request information. It does not receive actual compensation access protection merely because it displays an amount. If the field contains information that should not be available to everyone who can view the request, stop and ask the requester to correct the proposal.

Review current approved changes after submission

Approved position information can change after submission, such as through an authorized import. The submitted proposal and approval steps remain unchanged.

When the request shows a warning:

1. Review the current approved position information.
2. Compare it with the submitted request.
3. Decide whether the request still has the intended effect on the position.
4. Acknowledge the changed approved information before approving.

Acknowledgment does not update the request or confirm that the change has no effect on the request. It records that you reviewed the current approved information before deciding.

The confirmation belongs to the specific request and the current information you reviewed. If that information changes again while the decision page is open, reopen the page and review it again. The decision keeps a record of which updated information you reviewed.

If the position’s important details or calculations have changed since submission, reading and acknowledging the warning may not be enough to approve. The requester must prepare a new request using the current information when the page requires it.

If the current approved information makes the proposal wrong or ambiguous, do not approve merely to move the review forward. Explain the issue in Conversations and have the requester cancel and submit a new proposal, or choose Reject request when the changes should not proceed.

Review workforce requirements

Applicable workforce rules compare the requested changes with staffing, FTE or cost requirements. Review each visible requirement, target, measured result and explanation. A warning can allow approval, while an unmet blocking requirement or Unknown result prevents the action. A missed target alone is advisory.

When approval is blocked, the Workforce checks section appears above your decision. Review the affected dates, required limit, measured value, and any missing information within your access. Choose Return for changes when the proposal needs correction, or Reject request when it should not proceed. Either decision closes this submission without applying its changes. The requester can review the reason, correct the proposed work, and submit a new request for fresh review.

The blocked request remains in your approval list until it is decided or canceled; it does not expire automatically. Leave it pending only while the person responsible corrects underlying information or a rule. Reopen the decision page afterward for a current check. If some blocking details are outside your access, ask an organization administrator with access to the affected information to review them.

The requirements are checked again when the approved changes are saved in FTE Tree, including automatic approvals. A previous passing preview does not reserve capacity. Another approved change or a policy change can require renewed review. Acknowledging changed information does not override a workforce rule. When protected financial information is outside your access, ask someone with the appropriate access to review the requirement; the message does not reveal the private total.

Running workforce checks… means the current assessment is still being prepared. Wait for completion before approving. If checking fails, select Retry check in Workforce checks. Requests that need no independent review continue automatically once a completed check allows approval. Waiting for an assessment does not override or fail a requirement.

Review required files

Open Files and review each named required file in its labeled row. Additional files are separate evidence and do not satisfy a missing named requirement.

For each file:

1. Confirm that it matches the requested position and action.
2. Confirm that it is complete and internally consistent.
3. Compare its dates and facts with the submitted request.
4. Keep it within the requester and eligible request participants who need it for this work.
5. Check its security status.

Approval is blocked while any required file is missing, still being checked, or unavailable because its security check did not complete cleanly. Rejection remains available when the request should not proceed.

Do not download a file to a personal or unapproved location. Do not forward it to someone who cannot open it through the request.

Review Conversations and earlier decisions

Open Conversations to read messages about the request. Read the relevant conversation before deciding, especially when a prior reviewer asked a question.

Open Approval progress for earlier step decisions and their recorded reason. An earlier approval does not replace your step’s responsibility.

Do not put compensation, employee-personal, medical, or other restricted information in Conversations or reason for the decision.

If restricted text was entered accidentally and the page offers an authorized redaction action, select the explanation containing that information and enter a clear redaction reason. Redaction removes the entire selected explanation everywhere it appears. The request and evidence that a redaction occurred remain in the history.

Approve, return, or reject

Choose an outcome for your task’s entire stated coverage:

Enter a concise reason for your decision. Your organization chooses separately whether a reason is required for approval and for rejection or return for changes. The decision form explains which outcome requires one for this request. A submitted request keeps the reason requirements that applied when it was submitted, even if the organization settings change later.

Understand final approval

For a request submitted directly from position control, final approval applies the submitted position change according to its effective dates:

• a new position becomes approved on its effective dates;
• a position change records the complete approved timeline, including paired suspension and reactivation when requested;
• a replacement request grants permission to refill the position; or
• an Eliminate action makes the position Eliminated beginning on its submitted elimination date.

Suspension preserves the position, its approved FTE, and assignment dates while active FTE and assignment participation are zero. Review the requested changes and their consequences before deciding. Saving the approved changes records the position status and the reporting changes chosen in the request together. Existing assignments count toward staffing again when the position returns, provided they have not ended. Elimination is permanent and ends or cancels affected assignments. Employee status and pay records remain; changing continuing pay requires a separate decision.

An available employee left without an assignment can appear in Issues for placement and pay review. That follow-up does not block a completed position approval. If the reviewed changes cannot be saved, the decisions remain recorded and the request shows Application needs attention.

FTE Tree automatically retries temporary problems with saving the approved changes. If the request says current requirements need review, compare the submitted work with the current information and prepare a replacement request when needed. Ask your approval coordinator for help if the request cannot continue. Check Changes applied before arranging work that relies on those changes.

Approval of a position request does not itself:

• assign an employee;
• add or change labor budget rates;
• add or change compensation records;
• apply financial adjustments; or
• complete organization-defined handoff tasks.

After approved changes apply, Issues identifies missing staffing or financial information. Available links take authorized users to the correction.

If the action is unavailable

Confirm:

• the request is still active;
• your assignment belongs to the step that is ready;
• another eligible approver has not already decided;
• the request is not your own;
• required file checks permit approval;
• your department access is still valid; and
• current approved changes have been reviewed and acknowledged when required.

Do not attempt to work around a closed or unavailable decision by creating a duplicate response. Open the request history to see whether another action completed first.

For a New position request, check the required position details. For a position change, review each action and date, the entered FTE and FTE that counts, the assignments, and the reporting lines. Check that future changes fit the allowed capacity. A replacement approval allows the position to be filled again; someone must still enter the new employee’s assignment.

Under the explicit No independent review configured policy, valid requests can complete automatically after required checks. Under Use configured review steps, a missing or inactive required reviewer blocks the request; it does not grant automatic approval. Acknowledgment of changed information does not override a blocked approval. If the proposal is no longer correct, ask the requester to cancel and prepare a new one, or reject it when it should not proceed.

For administrative decisions, see Administer an active request.

Form choices

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

Decision

Choose the outcome supported by your review and explain it when required.

Approving one step is not necessarily final approval of the entire request. Check the remaining approval steps and request status afterward. An administrative override records an exceptional decision and should include a clear business explanation.

Optional practice: review the new full-time position

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

Practice steps and checks

1. Open your ready approval for Patient Services Coordinator.
2. Check that it creates 1.0 FTE in Outpatient Services beginning January 1, 2027.
3. Read the reason, explanation, files, and other required position details.
4. Make the decision when the submitted request matches the intended position.
5. Check whether another reviewer still needs to act.

After final approval, the position should show 1.0 approved FTE on January 1. It does not need an employee assignment before the position itself can be approved.

Use a separate request to practice rejection, with a reason the requester can act on. The ordinary reviewer should be a different person from the requester.