Independent review

The review record identifies the parcel, source revision and reviewer. Its decision can remain Pending or become Approved, Returned or Rejected. A decision date, reason and evidence reference explain what the reviewer saw and why they acted. The operator prepares the parcel and its checks; the reviewer makes the independent decision. The workspace places pending decisions alongside the selected parcel rather than burying them in a separate search.

The reviewer needs the source revision and its evidence before deciding. A pending decision identifies work to take up; a returned decision gives the operator a reason to act on. The reviewer should not decide work they prepared. When the operator changes the parcel, the old decision remains attached to the revision the reviewer actually inspected.

• Receive the revision. Open the pending decision for the parcel being reviewed.
• Inspect its support. Read check outcomes and the linked document evidence.
• Record the decision. Name the reviewer and explain an approval, return or rejection.

Agree who qualifies as an independent reviewer and how work is assigned. Decide what evidence reference the reviewer must record for an approval or return. A revision change after submission needs a new review, so the team should make the source revision visible when handing the case across.

Agree how the reviewer confirms they did not prepare the parcel. Decide who creates a fresh pending decision when a returned parcel is corrected. The operator needs the recorded reason, while the next reviewer needs the changed source revision and its evidence. Practice both handoffs with the same parcel number.

Use a submitted parcel with a pending decision. The reviewer opens its evidence and check outcomes, records a Returned decision with a reason, and the operator prepares the correction. Reopen the old decision after the correction: it still refers to its original source revision. The corrected revision must receive its own review before the team treats it as approved.

A returned decision should explain the specific check or document that needs work. After the operator changes the parcel, compare the new revision with the decision record before anyone treats it as approved. The analyst can later read the reason and decision date to explain why the original revision stopped.

• Pending review decisions — Shows the reviewer which parcel revisions await a decision.
• Returned decisions — Shows the operator the reason and revision requiring correction.

See the related process and the data model for the linked records behind this handoff.