Challenge Budget Approval Workflow – User Guide

1. Introduction

We are introducing a Challenge Budget Approval workflow for challenge creation and launch.

This workflow ensures that challenge prizes and copilot fees are reviewed and approved by a Project Manager before a challenge can be launched. The approval process improves budget visibility, governance, and control across projects.

The approval status is displayed directly in the Prizes & Billing section of the challenge.

Challenges can have one of the following Budget Approval Statuses:

• Pending Approval

• Approved

• Rejected

Challenges cannot be launched unless the Budget Approval Status is Approved.

2. What This Means for Each User

The new workflow introduces changes for both Copilots and Project Managers.

2.1 For Copilots

As a copilot, you can continue managing challenge setup as usual.

What You Can Do

You can:

• Create challenges

• Add prizes and copilot fees

• Save challenges as draft

• View the Budget Approval Status in the Prizes & Billing section

Budget Approval Statuses

Pending Approval
All newly created challenges default to Pending Approval.

While the challenge is in this state:

• You can continue editing prizes and copilot fees

• The challenge cannot be launched and launch button is disabled

Approved
Once a Project Manager approves the budget:

• The Budget Approval Status changes to Approved

• The challenge becomes eligible for launch and launch button is enabled.

• The approver handle is displayed in the billing section

Rejected
If the budget is rejected:

• The Budget Approval Status changes to Rejected

• The challenge still cannot be launched and launch button stays disabled

• The rejection reason becomes visible in the Prizes & Billing section

You can then:

• Update prizes or copilot fees

• Resubmit the challenge for approval

Any budget update automatically resets the status back to Pending Approval.

Important Behavior After Approval

If you modify:

• Prize amounts

• Copilot fee

After approval, the Budget Approval Status will automatically reset to Pending Approval.

The challenge must then be re-approved before launch.

What Happens After Launch

Once a challenge is launched:

• Prizes and copilot fees become locked for copilots

• Budget fields are no longer editable by copilots

• Any budget changes must be handled by a Project Manager

During launch, you will also see the following notice:

“Prizes and copilot fees are locked after launch. Contact the Project Manager for any updates post-launch.”

2.2 For Project Managers

Project Managers are responsible for reviewing and approving challenge budgets before launch.

What You Can Do

Project Managers can:

• Approve challenge budgets

• Reject challenge budgets

• View Budget Approval Status

• Edit prizes and copilot fees after launch if needed

Approving a Challenge

When reviewing a challenge:

1. Navigate to the Prizes & Billing section

2. Review the proposed prizes and copilot fee

3. Approve the challenge budget

Once approved:

• The Budget Approval Status changes to Approved

• The challenge can now be launched by the copilot

• Your handle is displayed as the approver

Rejecting a Challenge

Project Managers can also reject challenge budgets.

When rejecting:

• A rejection reason is required

• The rejection reason is stored and shown to the copilot

The copilot can then revise the budget and resubmit it for approval.

Budget Changes After Approval

If prizes or copilot fees are modified after approval:

• The Budget Approval Status automatically resets to Pending Approval

• The challenge must be reviewed and approved again before launch

Self-Approval

If a Project Manager creates the challenge themselves, they can also self-approve the budget.