What Is a Mandatory Reviewer in zipBoard? (vs. Collaborators)

What are Mandatory Reviewers?

A Mandatory Reviewer is a collaborator or a client who is explicitly required to review an asset, having been manually assigned through the Asset Modal. A mandatory reviewer has a specific review responsibility: their review is officially expected, and the asset automatically appears under their Needs My Review list. Completing the review removes the asset from Needs My Review. 

To learn more about setting up approvals, check out our Document approval workflow guide

Comparison: Collaborator vs. Mandatory Reviewer

How to Add Mandatory Reviewers?

Step 1: Open the Asset Card

Open the project, go to Uploads, click the asset to open its card in Reviewers, click + Reviewer. For more details on inviting team members, see ways to invite reviewers.

Step 2: Add the Reviewer

Select the person who needs to review the asset.

Step 3: Reviewer Becomes Mandatory

Once the person is manually added as a reviewer, they are treated as a Mandatory Reviewer for that asset. Their review is therefore specifically expected as part of the workflow, and they will automatically receive a notification. Learn more about guest reviewer notification here.

Step 4: Asset Appears in My Work

For a Mandatory Reviewer, the assigned asset will appear in their My Work section with the status Needs My Review (see also find your pending reviews)

Step 5: Complete the Review

The Mandatory Reviewer can open the asset from My Work, review the document, and update their review status accordingly. See how to complete your review in zipBoard here.

Collaborator vs. Mandatory Reviewer: When to Use Which?

Use Collaborators When 

• A team member needs to check the current review progress of a newly uploaded marketing asset.
• Because they are an internal user with appropriate access, they can view and update the review status immediately without needing prior manual assignment.

Use Mandatory Reviewers When

• The reviewer needs to ensure specific compliance approval is given for a document before publication.
• The reviewer manually assigns the reviewers via the Asset Modal, designating them as Mandatory Reviewers so the asset automatically populates in the reviewers’ Needs My Review queue to track their required sign-off.
• You want to make sure your reviewer receives an email notification letting them know they've been assigned to the asset.

What happens when a new version is uploaded?

When a new version is uploaded to an asset, the review workflow adapts automatically:

• Each assigned reviewer's status resets to "Sent for review on [date]", and guest reviewers reset to Pending.
• The asset goes back into the Needs my review queue for all assigned mandatory reviewers.
• Learn more about managing asset versions in .

How to Remove Mandatory Reviewers?

If you need to remove a mandatory reviewer from an asset, follow these steps:

1. Open the project, go to Uploads, click the asset to open its card, and locate the + Reviewer section.
2. Click on the checklisted (selected) user to uncheck and remove them as a reviewer.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who can view and update the review status of an asset?

Any user with the appropriate access can view and update the review status directly, without needing to be manually added as a reviewer first. See Track Reviewer Statuses to learn more.

What is a Mandatory Reviewer?

A Mandatory Reviewer is a user who has been specifically designated and manually added to an asset via the asset card. Their review is expected as part of the workflow, and the asset will be added to their My Work section.

How do I make someone a Mandatory Reviewer?

Open the project, go to Uploads, click the asset to open its card, click + Reviewer and select the person. Once added, the system automatically treats them as a Mandatory Reviewer.

Where do assets appear for a Mandatory Reviewer?

Assigned assets automatically appear in a Mandatory Reviewer's My Work section under the Needs My Review list, ensuring they have a clear queue of items requiring their attention.

Will Mandatory Reviewers Get a Notification?

Yes. Mandatory reviewers will automatically receive an email notification alerting them that they have been assigned to review an asset.

What happens if I make an existing collaborator a mandatory reviewer?

Their review status and history are kept. If they have already finished their review, the asset does not reappear as pending for them.

When does the asset leave "Needs my review"?

As soon as the mandatory reviewer completes their review, the asset is removed from their Needs My Review list.

What happens if I remove a Mandatory Reviewer?

They stop receiving reviewer email notifications, and their past review history remains logged in the asset's history.

Who gets emailed when a status changes?

By default, only the asset owner gets emailed when a status changes.