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Approve content

This page shows you how to approve a pending training version so it becomes the live content learners see.

Who this is for

Quality Admin and Corporate Admin, and only for versions you did not author.

Before you start​

A new training version never goes live on its own. The author submits it, it lands as pending review, and it waits in the Quality Review Queue. Approval is the step that activates it.

To approve, all of the following must be true:

  • You are a Quality Admin or Corporate Admin.
  • You are not the person who created the version (segregation of duties).
  • A change rationale of at least 10 characters is provided.
  • The version has at least one source attached.
These rules are enforced by the server

The Approve dialog checks the rationale length, but the source requirement and the author-cannot-approve rule are enforced by the backend. If they are not met, the action is refused with an error even if the screen let you try. See Segregation of duties.

Step 1: Compare the change​

In the Quality Review Queue, open the Pending versions filter and find the task. Click Compare to open a side-by-side delta against the current active version.

The comparison shows three sections:

  • Content paragraphs with additions marked + (green) and removals marked with a strike-through.
  • Sources that were added or removed.
  • Learning objectives that were added or removed.
Screenshot pendingthe Compare versions sheet showing content, sources and objectives deltas

Read the delta so the rationale you write next reflects what actually changed.

Step 2: Open the approval dialog​

Click Approve on the task card. The Approve pending version dialog opens.

Screenshot pendingthe Approve pending version dialog with the change rationale field and the activate and re-certify checkboxes

Step 3: Record the change rationale​

In Change rationale, write why this version is correct (at least 10 characters). This text is required and is stored in the audit log.

A good rationale references what you checked, for example: Approved per QA review of SOP-027 v3.2; sampling steps verified.

Why the rationale is mandatory

ISO 9001 §7.5.3.2.c expects a documented reason for a controlled change. The text you type is recorded verbatim in the audit log and cannot be edited afterward.

Step 4: Decide whether to activate​

Activate this version after approval is checked by default. Activation deactivates the currently active version and makes this one live.

  • Leave it checked to make the version live immediately.
  • Uncheck it to approve the content without activating it yet.

Step 5 (optional): Require everyone to re-do the training​

When you activate, a second checkbox appears: Require everyone to re-do this training.

Tick this only when the change is significant. It re-enrols everyone who completed an earlier version: a fresh assignment is created for each of them, and their prior completion records are marked as superseded.

Prior evidence is superseded, never deleted

Re-certification keeps every past completion record intact and marks it as superseded. It never edits or deletes evidence. Use this for material changes, not minor wording fixes. The number of people re-enrolled is recorded in the audit log.

Step 6: Confirm​

Click Confirm approval. On success the version is approved, and if you chose to activate, it becomes the live content.

What gets recorded​

When you approve, Better Comply writes audit events that cannot be skipped:

  • approve_content with your rationale, the source count, and whether the content was AI-generated.
  • activate_version when you activate, with whether you required re-certification and how many people were re-enrolled.
These audit events are fail-loud

If the audit record cannot be written, the whole approval is rolled back and you get an error. Better Comply never leaves a regulated change live without its audit trail. This is a 21 CFR Part 11 §11.10(e) control. See Read the audit log.

Reject a version instead​

To send the version back to the author, click Reject, write a reason (at least 10 characters), and confirm. No content becomes live, and the rejection is recorded in the audit log. The author can revise and re-submit.