|

Policy & Document Management guide

Approve, reject or request changes

Review governed documents, provide targeted feedback and return revised submissions through a traceable approval workflow.

Approver, Document Owner or Policy Manager Approximately 5–15 minutes Updated 9 September 2026

Approval workflow

When a document requires approval, the approver can approve it, reject it with a reason, or request targeted changes. Each outcome gives the owner a different next action.

ApproveMoves the document to the approved state so the owner can prepare it for publication.
RejectReturns the document with a mandatory reason. The owner can revise content or replace an uploaded file before resubmitting.
Request ChangesAllows the approver to highlight specific text and attach review comments.
ResubmitReturns the revised document to the approval queue while retaining its workflow context.

1. Review as an approver

1

Open Pending Approval

Open the Policies & Documents workspace and select the document from the Pending Approval tab.

2

Read the document and metadata

Confirm the owner, document type, intended audience, sensitivity and content before deciding.

3

Choose the appropriate outcome

Approve when the document is ready, reject when the submission should be returned with an overall reason, or request changes when precise edits are needed.

Approvers can select text, add review comments and submit a change request rather than relying on an unstructured email trail.

2. Respond to requested changes

  1. Open the document returned to the owner.
  2. Review each highlighted section and the comment attached to it.
  3. Edit the relevant wording and confirm that all requested changes are addressed.
  4. Select Update or the available resubmission action.
  5. Confirm that the document returns to Pending Approval.
Change requests are iterative. The approver may request further changes until the document is suitable for approval.

3. Resubmit a rejected document

The rejection reason is visible to the owner. Correct the document, replace an uploaded PDF if necessary, choose an approver and resubmit. The original rejection remains part of the workflow history.

Expected result

Once approved, the document moves into the approved lifecycle state. Where the document type supports publication, the owner can continue with the applicable audience, quiz and publication workflow.

Common problems

The document disappears from the approver queue

This is expected after approval, rejection or a submitted change request. The document moves to the next workflow state.

The owner cannot see comments

Open the returned document and select or hover over the highlighted passage. Confirm that the change request was submitted rather than left in an unsaved review state.