Review Management replaces email-based sign-off with structured review requests directly inside Azure DevOps — assign reviewers and approvers, track every response in real time, enforce rejection comments and generate audit-ready approval reports all without leaving ADO
Scattered email threads, untracked responses and no formal record — when the auditor asks who approved version 2.1 and when, nobody can answer.
Forwarded emails, verbal sign-offs and chat messages are not formal approval records. When a certification authority asks for evidence of who reviewed and approved a requirement set, email threads are not an acceptable answer.
Chasing approvals over email means the review owner has no real-time view of who is pending, who approved and who rejected. Follow-up emails stack up. Deadlines slip. Nothing is enforced.
When an approver rejects a work item without explaining why, the team has no actionable starting point. The conversation resets over a new email thread with no connection to the original review record.
No external tools, no email chains, no manual tracking. Review Management runs the complete formal approval lifecycle inside Azure DevOps.
Create a review request with a subject, optional message and a set of work items sourced by query, ID or title. Add Reviewers for feedback and Approvers for formal sign-off. Configure rules, set a due date and send. Every participant receives an email with a direct link to respond.
Reviewers open the request, leave per-work-item comments and click Mark as Reviewed. Approvers approve or reject each item individually or all at once. Rejection requires a written comment — the system blocks it without one. Status indicators update in real time as each response comes in.
Once all approvals are complete the review closes automatically if Auto-close is enabled, or manually by the review owner. Generate the Approval Audit Report or Review Results Report in Word or PDF in one click. Optionally create a baseline directly from the reviewed work items.
Add work items by query, ID or title. The "Add User As" option auto-assigns the existing work item owner as a reviewer or approver — no manual stakeholder lookup needed. Preview the notification email before sending to confirm exactly what participants will receive.
Reviewers provide comments and feedback only. Approvers can comment and formally approve or reject each work item. One review can include both roles simultaneously — reviewers weigh in while approvers make binding decisions on the same set of work items.
The review grid shows live status indicators for every work item — approved, rejected or pending. Switch between My Response, All Responses, All Comments and Summary views in the side panel to see exactly where the review stands at any moment.
Add or remove reviewers, change the due date or update the message on any active review after it is sent. Resend reminders to participants who have not yet responded. Close a review manually or cancel it entirely — each action moves the review to the appropriate folder in the browse page.
Click the Review button inside any Baseline, Smart Doc or Version Package to launch a fully pre-loaded review request without navigating to Review Management separately. Choose to review work items at their baseline revision or at the latest ADO revision before sending.
Generate the Approval Audit Report capturing every approver's name, role, decision, comment and timestamp in Word or PDF. Generate a Review Results Report capturing all reviewer feedback in the same format. Save either report directly to your Document Management library without downloading.
Every control below is enforced by the system — not by policy documents that people forget to follow.
Enable the Ask User for Password on Approval rule to require approvers to re-enter their login credentials before their approval or rejection is recorded. This satisfies the FDA 21 CFR Part 11 requirement for verifiable electronic signatures on regulated records.
The Approval Audit Report captures every approver's name, role, decision, comment and timestamp in a single formatted document. The Review Results Report captures all reviewer feedback. Both are available as Word or PDF and accepted as formal evidence by FDA, FAA, TÜV and ISO auditors.
When Approve as Package is enabled no approver can selectively approve some items and ignore others. All work items must be approved or rejected as a single unit — enforcing full team alignment on a complete requirement set before the review can close.
If an approver attempts to reject a work item without adding a comment the system displays an error and prevents submission. Every rejection in every review has a mandatory written reason — permanently captured in the review record.
Configure a Pre State and Post State on any review. When a work item is approved it transitions automatically to the defined post-approval state in ADO — for example from Active to Approved — without any manual backlog update required from the review owner.
After a review closes create a formal baseline from the reviewed work item set in one action. Choose to baseline the latest revision, the approved and rejected revisions only, or all work items at their existing revision. The baseline opens pre-loaded in the Baseline module.
From safety engineers requesting independent assessor approval to product owners running sprint backlog reviews — every role has a specific workflow inside Review Management.
Create a review request for a completed requirement set sourced from a ADO query. Add the product owner as Approver and key stakeholders as Reviewers. Once all responses are in, mark the review closed and generate the Approval Audit Report. Also, launch the review directly from Smart Docs without navigating to Review Management separately.
Before sprint planning, create a review using Approve as Package to ensure the full sprint backlog is collectively reviewed and approved by the development lead and QA lead simultaneously. Use the real-time response grid to see which team members have responded and send reminders to those who have not.
Create structured review requests for compliance control documentation, quality manuals and SOPs with department heads as mandatory Approvers. Generate the Approval Audit Report at review close and save it directly to Document Management as the formal document control evidence. Use version labels to link each report to a specific compliance cycle.
Create a review for the HARA, Safety Goals or Functional Safety Requirements with the Functional Safety Manager and Independent Safety Assessor as mandatory Approvers. Enable the Approve as Package rule to enforce collective sign-off. Generate the Approval Audit Report as ISO 26262 lifecycle sign-off evidence. Launch the review directly from a Smart Doc HARA.
Create a review for Software Test Plans and Test Completion Reports with the PM and Development Lead as Approvers. Use the real-time status indicators to track which test plan sections have been approved and which are pending. Generate the Review Results Report as formal pre-release QA sign-off evidence.
At each project milestone create a review from the Baseline to formally approve the requirement snapshot captured at that milestone. Choose Use Baseline Revisions so approvers assess the exact work items frozen at that point — not the current ADO state. Close the review and create a new baseline from the approved set for the next phase.
Before any regulatory submission create a review for the relevant documentation with VP R&D, Medical Director and VP Regulatory as mandatory Approvers. Enable Ask User for Password on Approval for FDA 21 CFR Part 11 electronic signature compliance. Save the Approval Audit Report directly to Document Management as submission evidence.
Create a review for System Requirements or Interface Control Documents at each design review milestone — SRR, PDR, CDR. Add systems lead, chief architect and customer representative as Approvers. Launch the review from the Smart Doc SRS so all work items are pre-loaded. Generate the Approval Audit Report as formal design review entry criteria evidence.
Configuration managers use Review Management to formally close configuration baseline events — PDR, CDR and TRR — with a complete approver sign-off record. The Approval Audit Report captures every decision with name, role, timestamp and mandatory comment, serving as the formal configuration baseline entry criteria evidence for each milestone.
Create reviews for URS, Functional Specification and Test Protocol documents with the QA Manager and IT Validation Lead as Approvers. Enable Ask User for Password on Approval to satisfy FDA 21 CFR Part 11 electronic signature requirements at each IQ, OQ and PQ phase. Generate and save Approval Audit Reports to Document Management as validation lifecycle evidence.
Create a review for the Software Verification and Validation Plan before test execution begins. Add the DER or Notified Body representative as a mandatory Approver. Use the All Responses side panel view to see feedback from all participants in one place. Generate the Approval Audit Report as formal test readiness review evidence for the certification package.
Create program-level reviews covering work items from multiple ADO area paths using query-based work item selection. Use the Update Review function to add late stakeholders or adjust the due date without cancelling and re-creating the request. Use Copy URL to share a direct link to the review with external stakeholders who need visibility without navigating ADO.
From DO-178C in aerospace to FDA electronic signatures in pharma — see how regulated teams use Review Management to produce certification-ready sign-off evidence inside Azure DevOps.
Create a multi-stakeholder review for aircraft system validation requirements with the customer DAA, DER and independent V&V engineer as Approvers. Use Resend Reminder to re-notify pending approvers before the deadline. Generate the Review Results Report capturing all reviewer feedback as formal ARP4754A validation evidence.
Create a review for quality management procedure documents with the QA Director and Regulatory Affairs Manager as Reviewers. Generate the Review Results Report at close — capturing every reviewer's comment and timestamp. Submit as ISO 13485 Section 4.2.3 documented procedure review evidence during QMS certification audit.
Create a review for Vehicle Cybersecurity Goals and Requirements with the Cybersecurity Manager and third-party assessor as Approvers. Configure post-approval state transitions to move approved items from Proposed to Accepted automatically on approval. No manual backlog update required — ADO updates immediately.
After the initial security requirements review is sent the project sponsor requests adding a Network Security Assessor as a mandatory Approver. Use Update Review to add the new Approver and adjust the due date. Previously submitted responses are retained — only the new Approver needs to action the items.
After the annual BCBS 239 risk data quality requirements review closes, use Create Request to launch a follow-up review from the same work item set. Select Use Latest Revisions to reflect post-review changes. The new request opens pre-populated — no work item re-selection needed.
Create a review for CUI-related system security requirements with cleared personnel as mandatory Approvers. Use Copy URL to share a direct link with cleared reviewers who need access without navigating the ADO project. Every decision is captured with name, timestamp and comment in the Approval Audit Report.
After all Approvers submit decisions for the airworthiness criteria review, click Close Review to formally complete the cycle. The Approval Audit Report generates at closure and is submitted to the Designated Airworthiness Representative as formal MIL-HDBK-516C airworthiness determination evidence.
Create a review for FHIR conformance requirements with clinical informatics leads as Reviewers and the Chief Medical Information Officer as Approver. Use the All Responses side panel to see every reviewer's per-work-item comment consolidated in one place before the CMIO makes the final approval decision.
After a change control modifies the pharmaceutical quality system documentation, open the Baseline capturing the pre-change requirement set and click Review. Select Use Latest Revisions to send updated work items to reviewers. The review pre-loads from the baseline without any manual work item re-selection.
Open the NERC CIP control implementation Version Package and click Review. The dialog pre-loads all control work items from the package. Add the CISO and Grid Security Officer as Approvers. The Approval Audit Report generated at close is submitted as formal evidence at each quarterly NERC CIP assessment.
Create the annual ORSA requirement review with Approve as Package enabled so the CRO, Chief Actuary and Compliance Director must collectively sign off the entire risk and solvency assessment requirement set. No partial approvals allowed — all items must be accepted or rejected as a single unit.
Open the Software Requirements Specification Smart Doc and click Review from the toolbar. The review dialog pre-loads all work items from the Smart Doc. Add process assessors as Reviewers and the Software Engineering Director as Approver — without navigating to Review Management separately.
The Approval Audit Report captures every approver's name, decision, comment and timestamp in a single formatted document. Generate it in one click at any time — it is the formal sign-off record that certification authorities and regulatory bodies require as submission evidence.
Enable Ask User for Password on Approval to add a verifiable electronic signature step to any review cycle. No external e-signature tool required. The credential verification happens inside ADO and the approver's confirmed identity is captured in the Approval Audit Report.
Click the Review button from inside any Baseline, Smart Doc or Version Package and a fully configured review request opens pre-loaded with all relevant work items. No navigation to a separate module, no manual work item re-entry, no missed items.
The review grid shows live approval status for every work item across all approvers. Leadership can see at a glance which items are approved, which are rejected and which are still pending — without sending a single follow-up email or scheduling a status call.
Review Management is part of MR NextGen — built natively inside Azure DevOps. Create structured review requests, collect formally recorded approvals and generate audit-ready evidence without a single email thread. Launch reviews from Baseline, Smart Docs or Version Package in one click.
Review Management connects directly with every other MR NextGen module — launch reviews from any of them and save reports back to Document Management.
Create living requirements documents inside Azure DevOps. Launch a formal review request directly from any Smart Doc — all work items pre-load into the review dialog automatically.
Explore Smart Docs →Build intersection and horizontal traceability matrices from live ADO work items. Generate a Smart Report and save it to Document Management — or trigger a review of the traced requirement set.
Explore Traceability →Freeze any requirement set as an immutable snapshot at any milestone. Launch a formal review directly from any Baseline and create a new baseline from the reviewed and approved work item set.
Explore Baseline →Save Approval Audit Reports and Review Results Reports directly to the Document Management library in one click. Every review report is versioned, organized and accessible to the whole team.
Explore Document Management →Group work items into formal version packages by release or milestone. Launch a review directly from any Version Package to formally approve the release scope before delivery.
Explore VPM →The only AI requirements assistant built natively inside Azure DevOps. Use Copilot to generate and refine requirements in Smart Docs, then trigger a formal review request to collect stakeholder sign-off.
Explore Copilot4DevOps →
End-to-end requirements management in Azure DevOps.
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