Configuring Approver-only Assessment Sections

Approver-only assessment sections allow you to specify that certain template sections can be completed only by designated section approvers. These sections support the same functionality as normal sections, including all question types, conditional logic, etc.

Section approvers can be assigned manually or automatically based on template configuration. Users or user groups must have the Assessment can be approver permission to be assigned as section approvers.

Note:

You can use the processes below to configure approver-only sections for any product using assessments, including Third-Party Risk Management, IT & Security Risk Management, etc.

Enablement: : Approver-only sections must be enabled at the template level and a default section approver must be configured for the template. Section approvers can then be assigned automatically using template rules or inventory-based values, with the default section approver used if no other assignment is configured. Once enabled, you can add new approver-only sections when creating or editing a template version. You can also convert existing sections to approver-only sections in draft templates.
Visibility: : Approver-only sections are only visible to users assigned as section approvers when launching the assessment. These sections are hidden from other respondents, regardless of the Section Visibility template setting.
Section approvers vs. workflow approvers: : Section approvers are contributors to the completion of an assessment. This function is separate from traditional workflow approvers, who are responsible for moving the assessment through workflow stages. Section approvers and workflow approvers are assigned separately, and a user (or group) with the appropriate permissions can be assigned to both roles.

Section approver assignment hierarchy

Section approvers are assigned at assessment launch using the following order:

Manual assignment: Section approvers assigned during launch override all other assignment methods.
Template rules: If no manual assignment is made, section approvers are assigned based on template rules where configured and applicable.
Default section approver: Any remaining unassigned sections are assigned using the default section approver configured on the template.
Site admin: If no default section approver is configured on the template, the system will automatically assign the Site admin as the section approver.

To configure approver-only sections

Section approvers can be configured using default settings, template rules, and optional inventory-based values. These configurations determine how section approvers are assigned at assessment launch.

To configure approver-only sections via template rules or inventory objects, you must enable approver-only sections at the template level.

To enable approver-only sections at the template level:

On the left-hand menu, select Templates. The Templates screen appears.
Hover over the tile of a draft template until the Edit button appears.
Click the Edit button. The Template details screen appears.
On the Details tab, scroll down to Settings.
Toggle on Enable approver-only sections.
Add section approvers in the Default section approvers field.

Note:
Only users or groups with the Assessment can be approver permission will appear in the drop-down.
Click the Publish button.

To configure section approvers via template rules

On the left-hand navigation menu, select Templates. The Templates screen appears.
Hover over the tile of a draft template until the Edit button appears.
Click the Edit button. The Template details screen appears.
On the Rules tab, click Add rule.
Under Actions, select Add section approvers upon creation. The Approver-only section drop-down appears.
Select All approver-only sections to assign one user to approve all sections, or select Assign specific sections individually to assign sections individually.

Note:
Only users or groups with the Assessment can be approver permission will appear in the drop-down.
Click the Save button.

To create a new approver-only section in a template

Important:

Before creating an approver-only section, you must enable approver-only sections for the template and configure a default section approver. You can do this in Settings on the Details tab of the template.

On the left-hand navigation menu, select Templates. The Templates screen appears.
Hover over the tile of a published template until the View button appears.
Click the View button. The Template details screen appears.
Click the Create new version button. A new draft version of the template is created.
In the Builder tab, click the Add section button. The Section details modal appears.
Enter a name for the section and enable the Set to approvers only setting.
Click the Add section button. The section displays as Approvers only in the template builder.
Add questions to the section and configure them as needed.
Click the Publish button.

Note:
If the template did not previously have approver-only sections, the updated template cannot be pushed to already launched assessments.

To convert an existing section to approver-only

Important:

Before converting a section to approver-only, you must enable approver-only sections for the template and configure a default section approver. You can do this in Settings on the Details tab of the template.

On the left-hand navigation menu, select Templates. The Templates screen appears.
Hover over the tile of a draft template until the Edit draft button appears.
Click the Edit draft button. The Template details screen appears.
Click the Context Menu icon on the section you want to configure. The Context menu appears.
Select Switch to approver only. The section displays as Approvers only in the template builder.
Click the Publish button.

To launch an assessment with approver-only sections

On the left-hand navigation menu, select Assessments > Active. The Assessments screen appears.
Click the Launch Assessment button. The Launch Assessment screen appears.
Click the Select button on the template you want to use to launch the assessment.
Complete the fields. For more information, see Launching Assessments.
(Optional) Add section approvers in the Select section approvers field. If no section approvers are assigned manually, they are automatically assigned based on template configuration.
Note:
Section approvers can be assigned automatically using template rules, inventory-based values, or the default section approver configured on the template.
- If the assessment has Assign everyone to all sections enabled, all section approvers will be assigned to all approver-only sections.
- If the assessment has Assign participants to specific sections enabled, you can assign individual section approvers to specific approver-only sections on the section assignment screen. Any sections without manually-assigned approvers are assigned automatically.
- Manually-assigned section approvers override any automatic assignment.
Note:
At any point, if an assigned section approver becomes unavailable (for example, if the user is removed from the system), the system assigns an approver using the template’s default section approver.
Click the Launch button. If you selected Assign participants to specific sections, click the Next button and proceed to the next step.
Use the checkboxes to assign sections, if necessary.
Click the Launch button. If you selected Assign workflow approvers to specific stages, click the Next button and proceed to the next step.
Assign workflow stages to approvers, if necessary. For more information, see Assigning Stages to Approvers.
Click the Launch button. The assessment will be launched and the respondents will be notified.

Note:

You can also configure approver-only sections when launching assessments in bulk. For more information on launching assessments in bulk, see Launching Inventory Assessments in Bulk.

Launching assessments with approver-only sections from the Self-Service Portal

Assessments that include approver-only sections can be launched from the Self-Service Portal.

When launching an assessment via the Self-Service Portal, section approvers are assigned automatically based on template configuration. Users cannot assign section approvers when launching the assessment.

Email configurations and recipients

The Send email to configurations on the template's Details tab will determine which users receive reminder emails for approver-only sections.

For more information, see Configuring Default Assessment Deadlines and Reminders.


Send Email to	Current Assessment Stage	Reminder emails sent to
Only contributors	Not started / In-progress	Contributors (Respondents and Section Approvers)
	Under review	All Assigned Users (Respondents, Section Approvers, Workflow Approvers)
Only workflow approvers	Not started / In-progress	Workflow Approvers
	Under review	Workflow Approvers
All assigned users	Not started / In-progress	All Assigned Users (Respondents, Section Approvers, Workflow Approvers)
	Under review	All Assigned Users (Respondents, Section Approvers, Workflow Approvers)

FAQ

Who can view approver-only sections?

All sections configured as approver-only can be accessed by anyone designated as a section approver when launching the assessment. Approver-only sections are only visible to approvers, regardless of the assessment's section visibility configuration.

Who can complete approver-only sections?

Upon assessment launch, section approvers can complete only the sections to which they are assigned.

Is section assignment required for approver-only sections?

No. Section approvers can be assigned automatically at launch using template rules, inventory-based values, or the default section approver configured on the template.

What question types can be included in approver-only sections?

All questions types can be added to approver-only sections.

Does conditional logic work for approver-only sections?

Yes, skip and show conditional logic is available for approver-only sections.

Will approver-only sections work when the Section completion and notifications setting is configured as Consecutive on the template?

Yes, the feature will work with the Section completion and notifications setting is configured as Consecutive or Any Order.

Why do template changes not push to older assessments when approver-only sections are added to a newer version of the template?

Template changes that introduce a new approver-only section cannot be pushed to assessments created with earlier template versions. Those assessments do not include configuration for the new section.

When launching new assessments, section approvers are assigned automatically using template configuration (either via rules or default section approver).

How are section approvers assigned automatically?

Section approvers are assigned at assessment launch based on template configuration. If template rules are configured and apply, they are used to assign approvers. If any approver-only sections remain unassigned, the system assigns the default section approver configured on the template.

When are section approvers assigned?

Section approvers are assigned when the assessment is launched.

Can approver-only sections be used in assessments launched via the Self-Service Portal?

Yes. When launching assessments via the Self-Service Portal, section approvers are assigned automatically. They cannot be configured during launch.

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