Multi-reviewer user access review campaigns
Multi-reviewer campaign expiration and escalation when the first reviewer does not complete the review
In multi-reviewer campaigns, there is a scenario where the first reviewer does not complete their review. If any reviewer fails to complete their review within the specified period, the campaign expires for subsequent reviewers, and the access review is not passed to the next reviewers.
If there are two reviewers and the first reviewer does not complete their review (either not started or partially completed) before their completion date, the campaign is considered expired once the first reviewer’s period ends. As a result, the campaign is not made available to the second reviewer or any subsequent reviewers.
The same behavior applies in escalation scenarios. If multiple reviewers are assigned and each has an escalation reviewer, the campaign escalates to the designated escalation reviewers when the primary reviewer’s period ends. However, if the primary reviewer and all of their escalation reviewers fail to complete the review within their allocated periods, the campaign expires and the access review is not passed to the next sequential reviewers or their escalation reviewers.
Example:
Assume there are two primary reviewers, and each has two escalation reviewers. Each reviewer (primary and escalation) is given two days to complete the review. In this case, the first primary reviewer and their two escalation reviewers have a total of six days to complete the review (two days for the primary reviewer and two days for each escalation reviewer).
If the review is not completed by the end of these six days, the campaign expires and the access review does not proceed to the second primary reviewer or their escalation reviewers.
If a campaign has an escalation reviewer and the primary reviewer has partially completed the review, the escalation reviewer is assigned only the access items that have not yet been reviewed by the primary reviewer.
For example, in a campaign with nine access items assigned to a primary reviewer and a primary escalation reviewer, if the primary reviewer completes four items before escalation, the escalation reviewer is responsible for reviewing only the remaining five items.
Multi-reviewer campaign when one reviewer completes the review
When a certification campaign is created with multiple reviewers, each reviewer is assigned a specific duration to complete their review.
Consider a scenario with two reviewers, where each reviewer is given two days (48 hours) to complete their review. The total campaign duration therefore spans four days.
Scenario 1: Early completion by Reviewer 1
- Campaign start time: October 09, 2025, 16:00:00.
- Reviewer 1 review period: 48 hours (until October 11, 2025, 16:00:00).
- If Reviewer 1 completes the review early, for example on October 10, 2025, at 10:00:00, the review window for Reviewer 2 starts immediately at that time.
- Reviewer 2 review period: Starts on October 10, 2025, at 10:00:00.
- Reviewer 2 deadline: October 12, 2025, at 10:00:00.
If Reviewer 2 fails to complete the review within this time frame, the campaign is marked as expired.
Scenario 2: Immediate completion by Reviewer 1
- Campaign start time: October 09, 2025, 16:00:00.
- Reviewer 1 review period: 48 hours (until October 11, 2025, 16:00:00).
- If Reviewer 1 completes the review almost immediately, for example on October 09, 2025, at 18:00:00, the review window for Reviewer 2 starts at that time.
- Reviewer 2 review period: Starts on October 09, 2025, at 18:00:00.
- Reviewer 2 deadline: October 11, 2025, at 18:00:00.
Failure to complete the review within this period results in campaign expiration.
Access revocation in multi-reviewer campaigns
In certification campaigns configured with multiple reviewers in a sequential review flow, each reviewer evaluates access decisions based on the actions of the previous reviewer(s).
A key rule in this flow is that once an access item is revoked by a reviewer, it cannot be modified or overridden by any subsequent reviewer. Revoked items remain visible in read-only mode for transparency.
Example 1: Two reviewers
A campaign is created with two reviewers and a user with N access items. Reviewer 1:
- Accepts X items.
- Revokes Y items.
After Reviewer 1 completes the review, Reviewer 2 sees:
- The X accepted items, which can still be reviewed and updated.
- The Y revoked items in read-only mode.
Reviewer 2 cannot take any action on the revoked Y items.
Example 2: Three reviewers
A campaign is created with three reviewers and a user with N access items. Reviewer 1:
- Accepts X items.
- Revokes Y items.
Reviewer 2:
- Reviews only the X accepted items.
- Accepts M items and revokes N items.
- Sees the Y items revoked by Reviewer 1 in read-only mode.
Reviewer 3:
- Can take action only on the M items accepted by Reviewer 2.
- Sees the items revoked by Reviewer 1 (Y) and Reviewer 2 (N) in read-only mode.
The key rule is that any access item revoked by a reviewer remains locked and visible in read-only mode for all subsequent reviewers. Only items accepted in the previous review step can be modified.
Cascade extension
When extending a campaign, the Cascade Extension option determines how the extension period is applied across multiple reviewers. There two option for cascade behavior -when the option is disabled and enabled, which are discussed below together with practical examples.
Cascade extension OFF
Scenario 1: Single reviewer. If the campaign is extended by two days, the extension is added directly to the current due date. Hence, if the original due date was October 15, the new date will be October 17.
Scenario 2: Two reviewers. Each reviewer has two days and total campaign duration is four days.
- Case 1: Reviewer 1 has completed the review
- The extension applies only to Reviewer 2’s review period.
- Reviewer 2 receives two additional days.
- Case 2: Reviewer 1 has not started. The extension hen applies only to Reviewer 1’s review period.
For example, campaign duration is October 11 – October 15. Reviewer 1 then has October 11–13 and the deadline is extended to October 11–15. Reviewer 2 has October 15–17 and the deadline remains unchanged.
- Case 3: Reviewer 1 partially completed the review and Reviewer 2 has started.
- The extension applies only to Reviewer 1, since their review is not fully completed.
- Reviewer 2 receives no extension.
Cascade extension ON
Scenario 1: Single reviewer. Here, the behavior is the same as when Cascade Extension is disabled. The extension is added directly to the current due date. For example, the original due date was October 15, now the new due date is October 17.
Scenario 2: Two reviewers
- Case 1: Reviewer 1 has completed the review.
- The extension is applied to Reviewer 2’s review period.
- If a third reviewer exists, the same extension is applied to them as well.
- As a result, all subsequent reviewers receive the additional days.
- Case 2: Reviewer 2 has already started the review.
- The extension is applied only to Reviewer 2’s review period.
- Reviewer 1 does not receive any extension, as their review is already complete. Case 3: Reviewer 1 has not started.
- The extension is applied to both Reviewer 1 and Reviewer 2.
For example, the campaign started on October 11 with an original due date on October 15. For Reviewer 1: October 11–13 → extended to October 11–15 and for Reviewer 2: October 13–15 → extended to October 15–19.
- Case 4: Reviewer 1 partially completed and Reviewer 2 has started the review.
- The extension is applied to both reviewers.
- Both Reviewer 1 and Reviewer 2 receive the additional two days, following the same logic as the example above.
Common rules and notes
- Once a campaign is completed or expired, the Extend Campaign Expiration option is disabled. Cascade Extension does not apply after completion or expiration.
- The value entered in Extend Expiration for (days), with or without Cascade Extension enabled, must not exceed the original duration defined in the Expiration Policy tab.