Review a document and have it approved

When a document is to become binding – a work instruction, an authorisation, a sign-off – the author does not approve it himself, but attaches it to a review process. teamspace notifies the reviewer or reviewers automatically; after the approval a notification goes back to the requester. This is how a document matures from a work-in-progress into a valid version. This article shows the procedure from the perspective of both the author and the reviewer.

ℹ Note (Review). The basic procedure (attaching to a review process, automatic notification, digital approval, feedback to the requester) is confirmed by the product description; the columns For acknowledgement and Review in the Versions tab are documented. The exact button labels and dialog names of the review procedure have not yet been checked against the live interface in this version (last_verified: null).

1. Submit the document for review

1. In the file list, click the Details icon on the right-hand edge of the file row – the detail manager opens.
2. Switch to the Versions tab. The current version is at the top; its columns For acknowledgement and Review show the respective status.
3. In the Actions sidebar, choose the action Submit for review. In the dialog you set the reviewer, the review (e.g. Review) and a review instruction.

2. Choose the review type: Approval or Acknowledgement

• Approval (Review) – the specialist approval. Choose it when a second person is to sign off on the document’s content before it becomes valid (four-eyes principle).
• Acknowledgement – the read confirmation. Choose it when the recipients only need to confirm that they have read the document (e.g. a new work instruction).

The two can be combined: first Approval by the reviewer, then Acknowledgement by the team.

⚠ Important. If you submit the document to yourself, the four-eyes principle is undermined. For the Approval, choose a person other than the author.

3. The reviewer is notified and approves

The reviewer automatically receives a notification. They open the document, review it and grant the approval digitally – or reject it with a comment. After the approval, the requester automatically receives a notification.

4. Check the status

• In the Versions tab, the columns Review and For acknowledgement show the current status for each version – you can see at a glance what has already been approved.
• Anyone who needs it can additionally see in the History tab who submitted and approved what and when (see Understand document management).

When a new version is needed

If the document is rejected or needs to be changed, you upload a new version (or edit it online). The new version is initially unreviewed and must go through the review process again – the old approved version is retained until then.

Common questions & needs

Related topics

• Understand document management: from the concept to the approved document Quality management Concept
• Exercise: From the idea to the project proposal Quality management Exercises
• Manage versions (with video) File management How-to
• The detail manager of a file File management Concept