Watch the overview
About 3 minutes. A narrated explainer; the same words are below.
Read the video text
- 0:00A team can do everything right, and still end up with a survey file that nobody is allowed to certify.
- 0:06The file just waits.
- 0:10Think of a payment that needs a second signature.
- 0:13Whoever prepared the work cannot also give the final approval.
- 0:17In TMH18 Validator, a reviewer co-signs first, then a final certifier issues the certificate.
- 0:26The final certifier must be a different person from the uploader, and from the co-signer.
- 0:31The uploader may co-sign their own file, if their role allows it. Only the last step has to be someone else.
- 0:39The certifier needs permission to issue certificates, an active account, and access to that file.
- 0:45A senior colleague without that permission does not count.
- 0:51The file page warns you early: No eligible final certifier in your organisation.
- 0:56Before you co-sign, you may see: Co-signing will leave no eligible final certifier.
- 1:04Both warnings are advisory. They do not stop you.
- 1:09Name the uploader, the co-signer and the certifier before you start.
- 1:13Check that the certifier can issue certificates and can see the file.
- 1:19If your role can invite users, the banner offers an Invite a teammate link. Invite someone who can issue certificates.
- 1:27If it cannot, ask your organisation administrator to invite a second person.
- 1:33Picture a small firm. Ana uploads and co-signs, and her only colleague cannot issue certificates.
- 1:40Ana sees the warning and asks the administrator to invite a principal engineer.
- 1:44Once that person is active and can see the file, they can issue the certificate.
- 1:50If co-signing has already happened, the file waits at Awaiting final approval, with the banner: Stuck, no eligible final certifier.
- 2:00It does not move on its own.
- 2:03An eligible certifier is not enough: the check run must be finished with no unresolved errors, and there must be enough credits.
- 2:11And a certificate records a review decision and a file fingerprint. It does not prove the measurements are right.
- 2:18So: plan the final certifier before you co-sign, read the banners, and invite a second person who can issue certificates early.
- 2:27The full guide is at TMH18 dot com, slash articles.
Who may issue the final certificate? The separation-of-duties rule
After the file is sent for review and co-sign, two approvals follow, as described in our overview of TMH 18 data validation. First a reviewer co-signs. Then someone issues the certificate. The person who issues it, the final certifier, must differ from both the uploader and the co-signer. The certificate records all three signatures.
The uploader is allowed to co-sign their own file. Only the final step has to be done by someone else. So a team of two can work: one person uploads and co-signs, and the other certifies. A team where one person holds every permission cannot finish the job alone.
The final certifier also needs permission to issue certificates and must be able to see the file. A colleague without that permission does not count, however senior they are. Neither does someone whose account is no longer active, or whose access does not cover the file.
What warnings does the file page show?
The file page tells you about a dead end before you reach it. While the file is under review and ready to send, or while co-sign is awaited, and nobody else in your organisation could certify it, the page shows "No eligible final certifier in your organisation". Under review it appears only to someone who may send the file for co-sign, once no unresolved errors block signing. While co-sign is awaited, a person who may co-sign sees the next banner instead.
If you hold the permission to co-sign, you see a second banner before you do: "Co-signing will leave no eligible final certifier". It explains that once you co-sign, nobody will be eligible to issue the certificate.
These banners are advisory. They do not stop you from sending the file for review or from co-signing. They exist so that you decide with the full picture.
How do you get a second certifier?
Each banner carries advice on the next step. If your role has permission to invite users, it includes an "Invite a teammate" link to the team page. Invite someone who has permission to issue certificates, for example a principal engineer.
If your role cannot invite users, there is no link. The banner tells you to ask your organisation administrator to invite a second person who can issue certificates.
Once that person is active in your organisation, has permission to issue certificates and can see your file, and is neither the uploader nor the co-signer, the warning clears and they can issue the certificate.
What if the file is already stuck?
If co-signing has already happened, the file waits at Awaiting final approval. The banner changes to "Stuck — no eligible final certifier". The file does not move on its own. It stays there until an eligible person exists.
Every signing step also needs a completed check run with no unresolved errors (each error corrected or covered by a recorded exception), and issuing the certificate needs enough credits. Having an eligible certifier does not remove those requirements. A certificate records a review decision and a file hash. It does not prove the measurements are right.
- Name the uploader, co-signer and certifier before you start.
- Check that the certifier has permission to issue certificates and can see the file.
- Read any banner on the file page before you co-sign.
- Ask an administrator to invite a second certifier if needed.
- Confirm the check run has finished with no unresolved errors, and that credits are available.
Put it into practice
Open your survey filesSign-in and the relevant account permissions are required.