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Requesting and reviewing approvals

Products and Promotional materials require approval from the IP Provider to move to the next stage. We provide a step-by-step guide on the process of Partners submitting requests, IP Providers reviewing them, and resubmitting after receiving revision requests.

Who uses this

Role Main Actions Path to Access Screen
Partner Approval requests, Resubmission, Cancellation of approval requests Projects โ†’ Products detail โ†’ 'Requests & Approvals' section
IP Provider Assigning/changing the approval assignee, Checking the review status Projects โ†’ Products detail โ†’ 'Requests & Approvals' section
IP Provider (Current Assignee) Approval, Conditional approval, Revision request, Rejection Approval requests detail page โ†’ Check My turn on the approval line

Core Concepts

Approval types

Each project can have multiple Approval types. Each type is given a name (e.g., "Design concept", "Sample") and a category.

There are two categories:

  • Stage approval: Products cannot move to the next stage without receiving this approval. Movement is blocked until it is obtained.
  • Ad-hoc approval: Approvals requested when needed, regardless of stage movement. Things called "Other approvals" on the screen, such as import permits or overseas manufacturing, fall into this category.

What is considered "Approved"

Two states allow moving to the next stage:

  • Approved: Official approval completed
  • Conditionally approved: Status where progress is permitted with conditions attached. The stage can be moved, and the conditions to follow are delivered in the message the IP Provider writes when deciding, which stays in the messages on the approval request detail.

Both are considered to have received the mandatory approval for that stage.

Relationship with stage mandatory approvals

If Mandatory approvals are designated for the stage where a Product is located, all of those approvals must be received to move to the next stage. Approval alone does not move the stage โ€” once every approval is in, a person has to pick the next stage.

Resubmission history (Rounds)

Each time a resubmission occurs, the round number increases by 1. Since the description and attachments submitted at the time are kept separately for each round, you can view them side by side with previous submissions in the Resubmission history of the detail screen.

How to use

Partner perspective

Requesting approval

  1. Go to the Products detail page of the project.
  2. Select the Approval types to request in the 'Requests & Approvals' section.
  3. Write a description and upload the required files (original design files, sample photos, etc.).
  4. Click the "Apply" button, and a review notification will be sent to the IP Provider with the status set to In review.

Note: To request a stage approval for a product linked to a Concept, that Concept must be approved first. Products with no Concept linked have no such condition.

Approval request list โ€” what is in review and what has received revision requests

Resubmitting (when a revision is requested)

  1. Click the relevant request in the 'Requests & Approvals' section of the Product detail to go to the detail page.
  2. "A revision request has arrived" is displayed in the top banner, and the reason the IP Provider wrote appears as is under Revision request received.
  3. Modify the description or add/delete attachments, then click the "Resubmit" button.
  4. Upon resubmission, the round (Nth review) increases, and the existing message thread continues as is.

Where you make the fix differs by approval kind. The approval request detail tells you where to go, so follow that link.

  • Product stage approval: resubmit from that approval on the Product detail
  • Promotional material: fix the files and description on the Promotional material detail, then resubmit
  • Other approvals (import permit, overseas manufacturing): fix the application form, then resubmit

Cancelling an approval request

To cancel a request in the In review or Revision needed status, click the Cancelled button on the detail page. Upon cancellation, the request becomes Cancelled and remains only as history.

When conditionally approved

If the IP Provider approves with conditions attached, the conditions are delivered in the message written at the time of the decision. The Products can move to the next stage, but those conditions must be checked and reflected. Conditional approval is a closing status just like approval, so the IP Provider does not follow it with another decision โ€” if a fresh review is needed, the IP Provider first returns it to In review with Cancel conditional approval.

IP Provider/Operator perspective

Reviewing approvals

  1. When a Partner requests approval, a notification arrives to the designated first approval assignee. If there is no assignee, an operational exception is displayed in the Action Center of the user with designation authority.
  2. Go to the Products detail page, and items In review will be displayed in the 'Apply/Approve' section.
  3. Check the details of the request. Review the description and attachments, and unfold Resubmission history to compare with previous submissions.

Approval request detail โ€” approval line, request info, and submission history on one screen
4. Select one of the approval buttons at the bottom of the message composer. - Approved: Official approval. If it is a stage approval, allows moving to the next stage. - Conditionally approved: Grants permission to proceed with conditions attached. A reason (details of the conditions) must be entered. - Revision needed: The Partner must revise and resubmit. A reason must be entered. - Rejected: Rejects the request. A reason must be entered. 5. Once a decision is made, the reason you entered stays as a message, a system message is recorded in the timeline, and a notification is sent to the Partner.

Note: None of the four decisions can be processed without a reason. That includes approval.

After a rejection

A rejection cannot be reversed. If another review is needed, the Partner has to submit a new approval request. Only three decisions can be undone: approval, conditional approval, and revision request.

Processing other approvals (import license / overseas manufacturing)

When a Partner submits an import license or overseas manufacturing application under "Other approvals" in the project menu, the IP Provider processes it using the same review workflow (Approved, Revision needed, Rejected). Other approvals are operational approvals unrelated to mandatory stage approvals.

Statuses and rules

Approval request statuses

Status Description Mandatory approvals met
In review Submitted by Partner, under review by IP Provider No
Approved Official approval completed Yes
Conditionally approved Permitted to proceed with conditions Yes
Revision needed Partner must revise and resubmit No
Rejected Refused. Cannot be reversed and remains only as history No
Cancelled Partner cancelled the approval request. Remains only as history No

Rejected and Cancelled are finished states. They do not count as an approval you currently hold, and they are also left out of the round count when you apply again under the same approval type.

Status transition flow

The status names match what appears on the screen.

Current status Action taken Next status
Draft Partner submits In review
In review IP Provider reviews Approved ยท Conditionally approved ยท Revision needed ยท Rejected
In review Partner withdraws the application Cancelled
Revision needed Partner resubmits, or IP Provider cancels the revision request In review
Revision needed Partner withdraws the application Cancelled
Approved IP Provider cancels approval In review
Conditionally approved IP Provider cancels conditional approval In review
Approved ยท Conditionally approved ยท Rejected ยท Cancelled โ€” Nowhere left to go

Three decisions can be undone. Cancelling an approval, a conditional approval, or a revision request returns the request to In review, where it can be reviewed again. A rejection cannot be reversed.

Cancelling an approval or conditional approval carries one more condition. If Products have moved to the next stage after approval, that approval cannot be reversed โ€” because actions have already been taken based on that approval. In that case, return the Products to the previous stage before cancelling.

Permissions summary

Action Eligible roles
Request approval Partner
Resubmit Partner who submitted the approval request
Cancel approval request Partner who submitted the approval request
Assign or change approver Workspace owner, IP Provider manager, Project operation manager
Approve ยท Conditionally approve ยท Request revision ยท Reject Current approver
Proxy action upon approver departure Workspace owner
Cancel approval ยท Cancel conditional approval Approver who made that decision (not possible after Products move to the next stage)
Cancel revision request Approver who made the revision request

Approvers and the approval line

A submitted request needs an approver. The candidates are project members on the IP Provider side plus the workspace owner, and the person who submitted the request is excluded.

  • Approvers are set in advance on the Approval type. If no one is set on the approval type, the workspace owner becomes the approver.
  • If an approver still cannot be determined (for example, the owner is the person who submitted that request), it is unassigned. Approvals, conditional approvals, revision requests, and rejections cannot be processed, and an operational exception is displayed in the Action Center of the user with assignment privileges.
  • With one approver, that person handles it. Set several people on the approval type and it becomes sequential approval handled one at a time in the given order, and then only the approver whose turn it is can decide.
  • Approval buttons and Action Center tasks are displayed only to the current approver.
  • In sequential approval, once one person approves, a notification goes to the next approver that it is their turn.
  • Only when the current approver leaves the company or project can the workspace owner process it on their behalf.
  • Users with assignment privileges can adjust the approvers for this one request from the Approval line on the approval request detail. While it is In review they can add, remove, or reorder the slots whose turn has not come yet; while it is Revision needed only replacing an approver is possible. Partners cannot edit the approval line.

Approval notifications are sent centered around the approver. General approval notifications are not sent to all workspace administrators or IP Provider managers.

Frequently Encountered Situations / Cautions

The Approval requests button is not visible. To request stage approval for a product linked to a Concepts, that Concepts must be approved first. Check the status of the linked Concepts in the Products details.

I approved, but the Products does not move to the next stage. Approval only permits the move; it does not perform it. Once every mandatory approval is in, pick the next stage on the Product detail and move it there. You can check whether the stage progresses via the mandatory approval badge next to the stage chip in the Products details.

A reason is required for every decision. Approval, conditional approval, revision request, and rejection are all refused with an empty reason. For a revision request, specifically enter what and how the Partner needs to fix.

Do all previous attachments disappear when I resubmit? No. In the resubmission form, you can keep existing attachments, delete them individually, or add new files. The contents submitted for each round can be viewed again anytime in Resubmission history.

Processing has stopped because the approver left the company or project. If the current person in charge's active company affiliation or Project member has ended, a notice is displayed on the detail page that the workspace owner can process it instead. The workspace owner can resolve the deadlock.

Where do I apply for Other Approvals (import permits, overseas manufacturing)? Select "Other Approvals" from the project menu. Import permit and overseas manufacturing application forms are provided separately; after entering Products, attachments, and detailed information and submitting, Notifications are sent to the first approver. If there is no person in charge, an operational exception is displayed in the Action Center of the authorized designee. Other Approvals are processed independently of stage mandatory approvals.

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