Private Comments allow moderators, administrators, and evaluators to exchange sensitive information that should not be visible to all users.
However, visibility depends on four factors:
Step configuration (whether Allow Assignees to View Private Comments is turned On or Off)
This option is available for Development steps. Other step types allow private comment visibility by default.
Evaluator permissions
Whether the evaluator is assigned to that step
Action Item status (Open, Completed, Cancelled, or Deleted)
This article outlines all scenarios to help you understand when evaluators can or cannot view Private Comments.
1. Ideas In a Step with “Allow Assignees to View Private Comments” = ON
1A. Visibility by Action Item Status
| Action Item Status | Can Assigned Evaluators See Private Comments? |
|---|---|
| Open | ✔ Yes |
| Completed | ✔ Yes |
| Cancelled | ✔ Yes |
| Deleted | ✘ No |
1B. Visibility by Evaluator Permission
When the evaluator is assigned to the idea in this step, the following roles CAN see private comments:
Process Administrator
Moderator
Analyst
System Administrator
End User Evaluator
Submitter Evaluator
Evaluators assigned in multi-step processes
Removed evaluators (still retain visibility for this scenario)
Summary:
If the toggle is On, all assigned evaluators can see private comments (unless the idea has been deleted).
2. Ideas In a Step with “Allow Assignees to View Private Comments” = OFF
2A. Visibility by Action Item Status
| Action Item Status | Can Assigned Evaluators See Private Comments? |
|---|---|
| Open | ✘ No |
| Completed | ✘ No |
| Cancelled | ✘ No |
| Deleted | ✘ No |
2B. Visibility by Evaluator Permission
When the toggle is Off, only administrative-level users retain visibility.
Roles that CAN see private comments
Process Administrator
Moderator
Analyst
System Administrator
Roles that CANNOT see private comments
End User Evaluator
Submitter Evaluator
Evaluators in multi-step processes when any assigned step has the toggle Off
Summary:
If the toggle is Off, end users and submitters can never view private comments.
3. Ideas Outside the Step That Contains the Private Comment
When the idea has moved to another step, visibility is based on the toggle setting of the original step and user permissions.
3A. Visibility by Action Item Status
When the original step’s toggle is ON
| Action Item Status | Can Evaluators See Private Comments? |
|---|---|
| Open | ✔ Yes |
| Completed | ✔ Yes |
| Cancelled | ✔ Yes |
| Deleted | ✘ No |
When the original step’s toggle is OFF
| Action Item Status | Can Evaluators See Private Comments? |
|---|---|
| Open | ✘ No |
| Completed | ✘ No |
| Cancelled | ✘ No |
| Deleted | ✘ No |
3B. Visibility by Evaluator Permission
If the toggle is ON (even if the idea is now in another step):
The following roles CAN see private comments:
Process Administrator
Moderator
Analyst
System Administrator
End User Evaluator
Submitter Evaluator
If the toggle is OFF:
The following roles CAN see private comments:
Process Administrator
Moderator
Analyst
System Administrator
The following roles CANNOT see private comments:
End User Evaluator
Submitter Evaluator
4. Summary Table
Evaluator Visibility Rules
| Scenario | Admin Roles (PA/Mod/Analyst/SA) | End User / Submitter Evaluators |
|---|---|---|
| In Step — Toggle ON | ✔ Can see | ✔ Can see |
| In Step — Toggle OFF | ✔ Can see | ✘ Cannot see |
| Outside Step — Toggle ON | ✔ Can see | ✔ Can see |
| Outside Step — Toggle OFF | ✔ Can see | ✘ Cannot see |
| Idea Deleted | ✘ Cannot see | ✘ Cannot see |
Key Takeaways
The step toggle controls non-admin visibility.
Admin roles always retain access to private comments.
End users and submitters can only see private comments when the toggle is On.
Deleted ideas never display private comments to evaluators.
In multi-step workflows, any step with the toggle Off removes visibility for non-admin evaluators.
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