The Assignment Lifecycle and Status Flows

Understanding Assignment Statuses

A guide for assignors on how assignments move through the system.

1. The Assignment Lifecycle

Every assignment in Ref Insight follows a predictable path from creation to completion. Understanding this flow helps you manage your assignments efficiently and troubleshoot if things don't look quite right.

Assignments exist in one of six statuses, which fall into two categories:

• Standard flow — The normal path an assignment takes from creation to game day
• Exit points — Ways an assignment can end before the official works the match

2. The Six Statuses

Standard Flow

Exit Points

3. How Assignments Move Between Statuses

Starting Point: Tentative

When you first create an assignment, it begins as Tentative. From here, you have two options:

• Release it → Status becomes Assigned
• Remove it → Status becomes Removed

After Release: Assigned

Once released, the official can respond:

• Official accepts → Status becomes Accepted
• Official declines → Status becomes Declined
• You revoke it → Status becomes Revoked

You can also accept or decline on behalf of the official if needed.

After Acceptance

Once accepted, an assignment typically stays that way until game day. However, there are a few ways the status can change:

• You revoke it → Status becomes Revoked
• Match details change (date, time, or site) → If your schedule requires reacceptance for changes, the status returns to Assigned. The official can then accept or decline based on the new details.
• Turnback → If your schedule allows turnbacks, officials may decline within the configured timeframe after accepting. Status becomes Declined.

Coming Back from Declined

If your schedule settings include a grace period, officials can accept an assignment within the configured timeframe after declining it. The status returns to Accepted.

4. Who Can Do What

Key point: Only assignors can revoke assignments. Officials cannot revoke.

5. Current vs. Non-Current Assignments

What does "current" mean?

When an official holds a position, their assignment is marked as current. Only one assignment can be current for a given position at a time.

When does this matter?

When you replace an official:

1. The original official's assignment becomes non-current
2. The new official's assignment becomes current

The system preserves all assignment history. Non-current assignments aren't deleted—they're just no longer the active assignment for that position.

Resurrecting assignments

If you need to bring back a previous official and there's no current assignment for the position, you can resurrect their non-current assignment by clicking the magnifying glass next to Assignment Focus and clicking the "Back to Assigned" button. It will become current again and follow the normal status flow.

6. Managing Your Workspace

What shows in the assigning workspace?

The workspace displays all current assignments, with two exceptions:

• Removed assignments (they were never released, so there's nothing to show)
• Hidden declined or revoked assignments (you've chosen to hide them)

Using the Hide button

To access the Hide button, click the magnifying glass next to Assignment Focus, then click "View Assignment." The Hide button is useful when you have a declined or revoked assignment cluttering your workspace and you want to see the position as open in your workspace instead.

When you hide an assignment:

• It becomes non-current
• The position appears as open in your workspace
• The assignment history is preserved (nothing is deleted)

When to use it: You have a declined or revoked assignment with no replacement official, and you want the position to show as open rather than showing the old assignment.

Quick Reference: Status Transitions

Questions?

Contact us at support@refinsight.com