---
title: Locking Reviews & Consensus
collection: Hub User Guide
path: Hub User Guide/Admin Guide/Locking Reviews & Consensus
parentDocument: Admin Guide
outlineId: 4447e500-7cb5-4d0b-8575-d397454af22f
updatedAt: '2026-03-16T10:37:00.182Z'
createdBy: Jennie R.F.
---
Locking is the mechanism that finalizes review scores for a stage and prepares an application for advancement or decision-making. Consensus data gives you a summary of how reviewers scored and what they recommended.

## Prerequisites

You need cohort admin or higher access. Reviews must be completed before locking.

## When to Lock

Lock a stage when the minimum number of reviewers have submitted their scores. The minimum is configured per stage (default: 2). You can see review progress in the **Reviews** column on the **Applications** tab -- it shows completed/assigned counts.

The lock icon in the **Pipeline** column indicates readiness:

* **Open lock (dimmed)** -- Not enough reviews completed yet. Hover to see how many more are needed.
* **Open lock (visible)** -- Minimum reviewers met. Ready to lock.
* **Closed lock** -- Stage is locked.

## How to Lock

### Single Application

Click the lock icon in the **Pipeline** column, or click **Lock** in the **Actions** column. A confirmation modal appears. Click **Confirm** to lock.

### Bulk Locking

Select multiple applications using the checkboxes, then choose **Lock Stages** from the **Bulk Actions** dropdown. Only applications that meet the minimum reviewer threshold will be locked. The dropdown shows how many are eligible.

## What Locking Does

* Prevents reviewers from editing their scores for this stage.
* Records who locked the stage and when.
* Automatically transitions the application status:
  * Locking the final stage sets the status to `needs_final_decision`.
  * Locking the first-round stage sets the status to `needs_first_decision`.

## Viewing Consensus

Once reviews are completed, you can view consensus data for any application. The **Consensus** column on the **Applications** tab shows recommendation tallies (e.g., "2x Advance, 1x Hold"). Hover over the consensus cell to see a popover with each reviewer's name, recommendation, and score percentage.

For detailed consensus, open an application and view its review consensus page. This shows:

* **Per-reviewer breakdown** -- Each reviewer's total score, percentage, recommendation, and notes. In blind review mode, reviewer identities are hidden from other reviewers (admins always see names).
* **Per-criterion comparison** -- Average, min, max, and spread for each scoring criterion across all reviewers. Criteria with high spread (disagreement) are flagged.
* **Aggregate stats** -- Average score, average percentage, recommendation counts, and whether all reviews are complete and locked.

## Unlocking

If you need to allow a reviewer to make changes after locking, click the closed lock icon on a locked application. A confirmation modal appears. Click **Confirm** to unlock. This reverts the stage to its pre-locked state.

You can also unlock in bulk via the **Bulk Actions** dropdown.


:::warning
Unlocking a stage allows reviewers to edit their scores again. The application status does not automatically revert -- you may need to manage status transitions manually.

:::