Advancing a cycle

Move the cycle on to its next phase. You need the System Admin or Total Rewards Admin role, and a launched cycle — see Launching a cycle.

A cycle never advances on its own. Its dates are what you publish, and moving from Planning to Approval and Finalized is always your decision — see Setting a timeline.

Advance it

1. Open the cycle.
2. In the cycle’s header, select the primary action, which names the next phase, such as Advance to Approval.
3. Confirm with Advance to Approval again.

A message confirms, for example, Cycle is now in Approval, and the phase stepper moves on. Every advance is recorded on the audit trail.

How advancing works

• One phase at a time, forwards only. To reach Finalized from Planning, advance twice. A phase you have left cannot be returned to.
• Planning and Approval never wait on the worksheets. You can advance while worksheets are still outstanding, and managers and approvers keep working as before; the phase tells everyone where the cycle is meant to be.
• Finalizing waits until the cycle is ready to close. Advance to Finalized stays unavailable until every worksheet is approved and every pool is within budget, and the cycle’s Overview tab lists what is still in the way under Before you can finalize. See Monitoring budget and approvals.
• A cycle in setup launches rather than advances. See Launching a cycle.

Advancing to Approval notifies nobody, so tell your managers and approvers when you move the cycle on.