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Prerequisites

  • The risk document (SFMEA, FHA, PSSA, SSA, FTA, CCA, or other) is in Draft state with analysis complete
  • You have project_approver role or equivalent permissions
  • All failure modes or hazard entries within the document are ready for review

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Workflow Overview

Risk specification documents follow a four-state lifecycle. Each transition is gated by signature conditions that satisfy aerospace certification requirements. diagram

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Step 1 — Send the Document for Review

  1. Open the risk document from the Risks space document inventory.
  2. Locate the workflow action toolbar at the top of the document.
  3. Click Send for Review.
    • The system automatically adds all project_approver users as signers with the Approver role.
    • Document status changes to In Review.
Polarion notifies assigned approvers when the document enters In Review. Confirm your project’s notification settings are active before sending to avoid silent approvals.

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Step 2 — Approvers Sign the Document

Each project_approver must open the document and record their electronic signature:
  1. Open the document in In Review state.
  2. Locate the Signatures panel (typically in the document header or a dedicated tab).
  3. Click Sign and confirm your identity with your Polarion credentials.
    • Auto-signature is enabled for the project_approver role — the system may prompt you directly on first login after assignment.
Any content change to the document after signing automatically marks all prior signatures as obsolete. If the author corrects an entry mid-review, all approvers must re-sign. Do not make substantive edits while the document is In Review without first using Rework to reset the cycle.

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Step 3 — Approve the Document

Once at least one approver has signed and no approver has rejected:
  1. Click Mark Approved in the workflow action toolbar.
    • The system enforces: at least one approved AND no one disapproved.
    • Document status changes to Approved.
If any approver has recorded a rejection (disapproval), the Mark Approved action will be blocked even if other approvers have signed. Use Rework to return to Draft, address the concerns, and restart the cycle.

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Step 4 — Publish the Baseline

Publishing creates the formal, locked version of the risk assessment:
  1. Confirm the document is in Approved state.
  2. Click Publish.
    • Document status changes to Published, representing the certified baseline.
The exact appearance of the Publish button and any confirmation dialog should be verified in your Polarion instance. Access to this action may be restricted to specific roles (e.g., Configuration Manager).

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Step 5 — Rework (If Needed)

If corrections are required at any point after Draft:
  1. Click Rework from the document’s workflow toolbar.
    • Available from In Review, Approved, and Published states.
    • All existing signatures are marked obsolete and approval verdicts are reset.
    • Document returns to Draft.
  2. Make the required corrections.
  3. Restart from Step 1.
Reworking a Published document removes the certified baseline. Coordinate with your project Configuration Manager before reworking a published risk assessment, as this affects DO-178C/ARP 4754A evidence traceability.

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Document Status vs. Work Item Status

Risk documents track approval state independently from the individual failure modes, hazards, or requirements they contain. A document can be Approved while its entries remain in their own workflow states. The document-level approval represents the complete risk assessment package — not the status of individual rows.

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Verification

You should now see the document listed in the Risks space document inventory with status Approved (or Published). The signature panel should show at least one signed approval entry with a timestamp. The document title row in the Home dashboard Document Inventory table should reflect the updated status.

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See also

Code: .polarion/documents/workflow/riskSpecification-workflow.xml (0.67) · .polarion/tracker/fields/severity-enum.xml, status-enum.xml, priority-enum.xml, implementationStatus-enum.xml, riskSpecification-document-status-enum.xml (0.59) · .polarion/tracker/workflow/workflow.xml (0.53) · modules/RiskTemplates/DFMEATemplate/attachments/risksheet.json (0.47) · modules/Risks/COMPLIANCE-001/module.xml, modules/Risks/MIL-STD-882E-HTS-001/module.xml, modules/Risks/SEC-THREAT-001/module.xml, modules/Risks/SFMEA-SUB-001/module.xml, modules/Risks/SFMEA-SUB-002/module.xml, modules/Risks/SFMEA-SUB-003/module.xml (0.47) · modules/RiskTemplates/HazardTrackingTemplate/attachments/risksheet.json (0.45) · .polarion/tracker/fields/testCase-custom-fields.xml, desReq-custom-fields.xml, processStep-custom-fields.xml, characteristic-custom-fields.xml, systemElement-custom-fields.xml, commonCauseEvent-custom-fields.xml, riskControl-custom-fields.xml, task-custom-fields.xml, custom-fields.xml (0.45) · modules/RiskTemplates/DFMEATemplate/attachments/risksheetTopPanel.vm, SubSystem-FMEATemplate/attachments/risksheetTopPanel.vm, System-FMEATemplate/attachments/risksheetTopPanel.vm, PFMEATemplate/attachments/risksheetTopPanel.vm, HazardTrackingTemplate/attachments/risksheetTopPanel.vm, DFMEATemplate/attachments/risksheetPdfExport.vm, SubSystem-FMEATemplate/attachments/risksheetPdfExport.vm, System-FMEATemplate/attachments/risksheetPdfExport.vm, PFMEATemplate/attachments/risksheetPdfExport.vm (0.45) · .polarion/pages/spaces/Requirements/Home/page.xml, Design/Home/page.xml, Risks/Home/page.xml, Testing/Home/page.xml, Risks/FMEA Reports/page.xml, Documentation/Home/page.xml, Documentation/Powersheet Help Redirect/page.xml, RiskTemplates/Home/page.xml (0.43) · modules/RiskTemplates/RiskControlPlanTemplate/attachments/risksheet.json (0.43)