When a Calibration Panel releases a plan, the signing process begins. This article walks through every signature step in order — who signs, what they can see, and what is locked — so both Rating Officials and Reviewing Officials know exactly what to expect.
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The Final Rating is locked after release Once the Calibration Panel returns the Final Rating to the Rating Official, no one may change the ratings or narratives. Rating Officials will acknowledge the Final Rating and sign; this step does not reopen the plan for editing. If assistance is needed after release, contact the Help Desk. |
What Triggers the Signing Process
The signing process begins when the Calibration Panel releases the plan back to the Rating Official for signature.
The Calibration Chair may accept the Rating Official's Preliminary Rating or adjust the rating directly in the plan before submitting the Final Rating. Once released, the plan moves to Calibration Done on the Calibration Panel's Dashboard, and an Acknowledge Final Rating and Sign task appears on the Rating Official's Dashboard.
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Calibration Plans list showing a plan marked Calibration Done — the trigger for signing |
The Signature Order
Signatures must be completed in this exact order. Each step becomes available only after the preceding one is done.
| 1 |
RATING OFFICIAL Acknowledge the Final Rating and sign The Rating Official opens the Acknowledge Final Rating and Sign task on their Dashboard, reviews the Final Rating and Calibration Notes, then signs. This is always the first signature after release. |
| 2 |
REVIEWING OFFICIAL Sign (if required by the plan template) If the plan template requires a Reviewing Official signature, their task appears after the Rating Official signs. The Reviewing Official may sign but cannot reject the calibrated result. |
| 3 |
EMPLOYEE Sign (normal process resumes) The employee signs last, after all required official signatures are complete. This follows the normal signing process — calibration does not change the employee's signing step. |
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Required signatures must complete in order The Reviewing Official step only becomes available after the Rating Official signs. The employee step only becomes available after all required official signatures are complete. No step can be skipped. |
Step 1: Rating Official Signs
The Rating Official is always the first to sign after release. The plan appears in a dedicated task on the Dashboard — it does not return to the regular Rate and Sign task list.
- Open the Acknowledge Final Rating and Sign task on your Dashboard.
- Review the released rating. Check whether the panel changed the rating from your preliminary submission. This is the official rating — you cannot change it.
- Read the Calibration Notes. Select Calibration Notes beside Part 4. This is the first time the Rating Official can read the panel's notes. Notes show the author, panel role, panel name, and timestamp.
- Sign the plan. Complete your signature step. The plan moves forward to the Reviewing Official step (if required) or directly to the employee when "Sign and Release to Employee" is selected.
- If the Reviewing Official's signature is required, only the "Yes" and "No" button's will be displayed when "Sign" is selected. After the Reviewing Official's signature has been applied, the plan will need to be released to the Employee for Signing.
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Only the Rating Official can release the plan to the employee After the Reviewing Official signs (when required), the plan returns to the Rating Official for one final action. The Rating Official will see a Release to Employee task on their Dashboard. Open the plan and select Release to Employee beside the Rating Official's signature in Part 5. The employee's signing task will not appear until this action is completed. |
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What the Rating Official can and cannot do after release
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Step 2: Reviewing Official Signs
The Reviewing Official signature step appears after the Rating Official has signed. Whether this step is required depends on the plan's template settings — not every plan requires a Reviewing Official signature.
- Open your signing task. After the Rating Official signs, the Reviewing Official's task appears on their Dashboard through the normal signing workflow.
| Reviewing Official signature task on the Dashboard after the Rating Official has signed |
- Read the Calibration Notes (optional). Select Calibration Notes beside Part 4 to read the panel's notes. This is available to Reviewing Officials after release.
| Calibration Notes link beside Part 4 — visible to Reviewing Official after release |
- Sign the plan. Complete your signature step. You may sign but cannot reject the calibrated result or return the plan for rating changes.
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What the Reviewing Official can and cannot do after release
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Signature Locks After Release
These protections apply to both the Rating Official and the Reviewing Official once the plan is Finalized (released):
| Action | Available after release? |
| Rating Official — sign the plan | Yes — first required action |
| Reviewing Official — sign the plan | Yes — after the Rating Official signs |
| Reviewing Official — reject the plan | No — not available on calibrated plans |
| Remove a rating signature | No — locked while Submitted or Finalized |
| Remove a Part 1/Planning signature | No — locked after Finalized |
| Undo employee bypass | No — locked after Finalized |
| Edit ratings or narratives | No — locked after release, for everyone |
If Signing or Printing Fails After Release
Signing and printing after release are supported actions. If either fails:
- Record the plan, the exact action you were attempting, and any error message that appeared.
- Reopen the plan once and try the action again before contacting support.
- If the problem persists, submit a Help Desk ticket with the plan ID, your role, and the full error.
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Do not assume Calibration was turned off If you receive an access error while trying to sign, contact the Help Desk to confirm the cause rather than assuming the feature was disabled. |
Quick Reference: Signing After Release
| Who | When their task appears | Can read Calibration Notes? | Can reject? |
| Rating Official | When the panel releases the plan — task appears as "Acknowledge Final Rating and Sign" on the Dashboard | Yes — for the first time | N/A — signs, does not reject |
| Reviewing Official | After the Rating Official signs | Yes | No — may sign only |
| Employee | After all required official signatures | No — never on own plan | N/A — signs normally |
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Next Steps and Related Articles
Need help? Submit a Help Desk ticket |