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Users responsible for managing documents.

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This article explains why a document review may automatically return to an In Edit state when changes are made to user lists, group lists, or reviewer assignments during an active review cycle.

1. Automatic review cancellations

In document control systems, documents follow a defined workflow that includes review and approval stages. Once a document is released for review, the system relies on assigned reviewers and document lists to maintain the integrity of the workflow.

Most workflow-based document systems automatically cancel an active review if certain changes are made to the document's configuration, especially changes involving:

• User lists
• Group lists
• Reviewer assignments
• Workflow sequence requirements

If a list update removes a reviewer who is currently part of the active review cycle, the system can no longer proceed because the defined workflow is broken. When this happens, the system automatically cancels the review and returns the document to the 'In Edit' status.

2. Recognising system-triggered cancellations

When the system detects that the last remaining reviewer (or any required reviewer) has been removed from the document's reviewer list, it applies the following actions:

• Stops the review process
• Cancels the release for review
• Moves the document back into edit mode
• Logs an audit entry describing the system-triggered cancellation

This behaviour is intentional to ensure the review process is complete, accurate, and follows the configured workflow rules.

Note

The system records the editor as the 'executor', even if the editor took no direct action. This does not indicate the editor manually performed the cancellation. The audit trail entry typically includes a message indicating that the cancellation was system-generated due to list or reviewer changes.

3. Interpreting audit trail information

Audit trails contain a sequence of timestamped events showing reviewer actions, list updates, system-triggered events, and document state changes.

When reviewing an audit trail for this type of issue, look for:

• Any updates to document lists made during the review cycle
• A system-generated message indicating cancellation
• An event timestamp showing the cancellation immediately following a list change

This chronological sequence confirms that the cancellation occurred automatically due to list modifications.

4. Preventing unexpected cancellations

To reduce the likelihood of unexpected cancellations:

• Avoid updating document lists while a document is actively under review
• If list updates are necessary, complete them before initiating the review release
• Review the final list of reviewers before sending a document for review
• Notify relevant team members when list modifications are required

5. Worked scenario

A document is released for review and is currently waiting for the final reviewer in the sequence to complete their review. During this time, an administrator updates the document's user list to remove some users who no longer need access.

During the list update, the administrator unintentionally removes the last remaining reviewer who is part of the active review cycle.

Because the review workflow can no longer continue without a required reviewer, the system:

• Automatically cancels the active review
• Returns the document to 'In Edit' status
• Creates an audit trail entry indicating the cancellation
• Logs the cancellation using the editor's name, even though the editor did not take any action

A typical sequence in the audit history may look like:

• 9:20 AM – A reviewer completes their assigned review step
• 10:05 AM – The user list or group list is modified
• 10:05 AM – System automatically cancels the document's review
• 10:05 AM – Document returns to 'In Edit'

The audit trail may include a message similar to:

Note

The document review was automatically cancelled because the last reviewer in the review cycle was removed from the document lists.

Even though the cancellation is system-initiated, the audit trail records the action under the editor's name as the executor. This is expected behaviour. The editor did not manually cancel the review.