Welcome to our FAQ section! Here, you’ll find quick answers to the most common questions about planning and action phases, such as allowing users to update appraisal sections or managing notifications. If you don’t see your question listed, feel free to contact us directly.
📝 | For more information on adding a planning or action phase, see the below articles: |
Action Phase Finalisation
Why has the phase or appraisal automatically been finalised?
If your appraisal has auto-completed or phase has been automatically finalised or progressing to the next phase, this can indicate the following:
The appraisal was sitting in the action phase before the appraisal progressed.
The action phase can finalise automatically after the Action Phase End Date, causing the appraisal to auto-complete if the action phase is the last phase in the appraisal.
Appraisals are stuck in 'In Progress' and unable to move to 'Finalise
If an appraisal is in the Action Phase and the phase finalisation setting is configured as 'Phase automatically finalised after end date,' this phase cannot be manually finalised. In this case:
There will be no buttons to manually progress the appraisal.
The system will automatically finalise the Action Phase after the end date. If the end date has already passed, the phase will finalise overnight. Once this happens, the appraisal will progress to the next phase (typically the Self-Scoring Phase), depending on your appraisal setup.
To resolve this issue immediately, you can adjust the 'Phase Finalisation' setting to allow manual finalisation:
Change the 'Phase Finalisation' setting to allow manual finalisation of the appraisal.
Sync the changes to apply them to existing appraisals. (If you do not want these changes applied to existing appraisals, avoid syncing them.)
Once the setting is updated, the appraisal manager can manually approve the Action Phase, allowing the appraisal to progress to the next phase.
Once a phase is finalised, the system will allow the next phase to begin.
For detailed guidance on editing your Action Phase settings, refer to our article on the action phase.
Updates to Sections
How can I allow employees or managers to update section items?
If employees or managers are unable to add, edit, or delete section items such as goals, development objectives, or competencies, ensure the following settings are correctly configured:
1. Verify Section Settings: Check that the relevant settings are enabled for the specific section. For example, the Goal section settings allow updates to goals, or Development Objective settings for development items.
2. Review Appraisal Phase Settings: Ensure that the add, edit, and delete options are correctly configured for the appraisal phases (e.g. Planning phase or Action phase) where changes are expected to occur.
3. Sync Template to Appraisals: If the above settings are correct, please ensure you sync the template to appraisals to allow the changes to be reflected.
4. Check the Current Appraisal Phase: Check that the appraisal is in the correct phase to allow users to make these changes.
For example, if the appraisal is currently in the scoring phase, this phase usually does not allow changes to sections. Use the diagnostic tool to find out which appraisal is currently sitting in. If this is intended, you can roll back the appraisal to a phase (as defined in step 2) where these changes are allowed.
Why are sections showing a white background and how to remove this?
The white background may appear due to specific section settings applied to the appraisal template. To remove the white background, check the section formatting within the appraisal template. Highlight the whole description and ensure the document colour background is removed or modify it according to your preferred style.
How do I know that my sections and appraisal phases will work how I want them to?
To ensure that your sections and appraisal phases are set up correctly, review your appraisal template carefully and preview the setup before assigning it to employees. You can test the appraisal by assigning it to a test employee and manager to verify that the sections and phases function as expected. Additionally, double-check that all phase settings, such as visibility and approval steps, are properly configured.
📝 | If you assign the test appraisal to an admin user, keep in mind that the admin will have additional access to the appraisal, so this may not accurately reflect how employees or managers will interact with the appraisal. |
Notifications
Why have managers not been notified that the planning phase was completed by the employee?
If managers have not been notified when an employee completes the planning phase, check the following
1. Notification Settings: Ensure that the "Planning Phase Submitted" notification is enabled in the appraisal notification setup.
2. Phase Settings: Check whether the Planning Phase requires manager approval. If it does not, the "Planning Phase Submitted" notification will not be triggered when the employee submits the phase. Instead, the phase will be finalised immediately upon submission, and the "Planning Phase Finalised" notification will be sent either directly after employee submission (if no approval is required) or after the manager approves the phase.
What are the available Planning Phase Notifications?
Planning Phase Rejected: An email is sent to the user notifying them that their manager has rejected their planning phase.
Planning Phase Submitted: An email is sent to the manager notifying them that their employee has submitted their planning phase.
Planning Phase Finalised: An email is sent to the employee notifying them that their manager has approved and finalized their planning phase.
Planning Phase Due Date: An email is sent to the employee notifying them that the planning phase of the appraisal is due.
What are the available Action Phase notifications?
Action Phase Submitted: This notification will trigger when the employee submits the action phase.
Action Phase Finalised: An email is sent to the employee notifying them that their manager has finalised their action phase.
Action Phase Due Date: An email is sent to the employee notifying them that the action phase of the appraisal is due.