Three Basic Configuration Options

When configuring a routing step, administrators may see up to 3 choices for the review deadline. In most cases, they can also adjust the deadline later when assigning reviews, except when they choose to automatically assign reviews (see Special Cases below).


Remember: All review deadlines in InfoReady are "soft", meaning that reviewers can still submit reviews, even after the review deadline has passed.


1. No Default Deadline

  • This is the default choice for a standard routing step.
  • Leave this option if the deadline will vary by reviewer or application.

Administrator view of No Default Deadline option selected

2. Specific Date

  • Select a specific date and time if the review deadline will be the same for every application that will be assigned to the routing step.
  • If not automatically assigned, you will still be able to edit this date before sending the review assignment, but it will pre-populate the review assignment modal.

Admin view of specific date selected

3. Offset Date

  • Select to have the platform calculate and set the review deadline based on a certain number of days, weeks, or months from the assignment date.
  • In the most basic version of this scenario, the review deadline will vary for each application and will be based on when prior routing step(s) is/are complete (if any). 
  • Days, weeks, or months must be entered as whole numbers greater than 0

Admin view of offset date

  • All "time" deadlines when selecting an offset date are 11:59pm, i.e., the full day. Reviewers will only see the day, not the time on the review form page 
  • For example, if you assign a review on September 24 at 2:41pm, and the chosen offset date was 5 days, the technical deadline assigned by the platform will be September 29 at 11:59pm. Reviewers would see Sunday, September 29, 2024 as the deadline (shown below).

Reviewer view of Review Deadline


IMPORTANT 
Q: When does InfoReady start "counting" to calculate offset deadlines? 
A: As soon as the review assignment is made. So, if an admin assigns reviews later "by hand", the date shown in the review assignment box will be calculated from the day the administrator is doing the review assignment (and the deadline can be edited if needed).

However, if an application is automatically assigned, whether through Applicant-Driven steps (Scenario B below), default reviewers + autoassignment (scenario C below), or Department Driven Steps (Scenario E below), InfoReady starts counting as soon as the application status changes to Accepted.

If your process involves any of the scenarios indicated above and you'd like to use offset review deadlines, you may want to set up your later routing steps with more time to complete to account for the completion of the prior routing steps.

Special Cases

A. Editing Specific or Offset Dates

  • Administrators can go back into Edit mode to change the default review deadline to any future date at any time.
  • This includes after launch but before reviews are assigned, while reviews are in progress, and even after reviews are completed for the routing step.
  • However, any deadline changes will not retroactively adjust previously set deadlines. They will only affect review deadlines going forward.
  • For more information on editing review deadlines, see this article.

B. Applicant Driven Routing Steps (ADRS)

  • Because applications are sent directly to reviewers upon submission, you must set either a Specific or Offset date. ("No Default Deadline" is not an option).
  • If you choose an offset date, the deadline is calculated by the application submission date, since that is also the day the application is accepted and moves directly into the review process.
  • If you add other routing steps after ADRS and choose to automatically assign them with an offset date, the day the application is submitted is still "day 0", and review deadlines will be calculated forward from that date. 

C. Default Reviewers + Automatically Assigning Reviews + Offset Date

  • InfoReady has always given administrators the ability to pre-populate their review assignment with one or more default reviewers, as well as choosing them to be automatically assigned.
  • This set up is ideal when the same individual(s) will review all applications for a certain routing step.
  • When using this combination with the new Offset Date for review deadline, note that "day 0" (i.e., the day the platform starts counting to calculate the review deadline) is the date the application status changes to "Accepted."
  • This may be when the administrator chooses "Accept" from the "Accept or Return" area of an application or as a batch action. However, if Applicant Driven Routing Steps are used, it is the date the application is submitted (See Applicant Driven Routing Steps below).

D. Concurrent Routing Steps + Offset Date

  • If you have multiple steps running concurrently in combination with the automatic assignments, keep in mind any concurrent steps "open" for reviewers at the same time.
  • For any offset configurations, the platform will start counting the days/weeks/months as soon as the step is open.

E. Department Driven Routing Steps

  • Mirroring the existing functionality, Offset Date is the only review deadline option.
  • In the past, only offset "Days" was an option, but now administrators can also choose weeks or months.

Admin view of department driven routing steps set up

Return for Revisions Routing Steps

  • These steps function like any other routing step, so administrators can now set the Review Deadline to be offset or specific.
  • Keep in mind there is also a Deadline for Revisions to choose when setting up this step. This is the deadline applicants are expected to re-submit by if revisions are requested. Administrators can choose if they would like the reviewer to be able to edit that deadline or not.

Have more questions about this topic? Go to the Community Forum to pose the question to other users or submit a support ticket to InfoReady.