---
title: "Smart Flags"
description: "What are smart flags?"
canonical_url: "https://support.pave.com/articles/smart-flags-ktZGxIwjzN"
md_url: "https://support.pave.com/articles/smart-flags-ktZGxIwjzN.md"
---
# Smart Flags

## What are smart flags?

Smart Flags automatically surface critical compensation decisions by applying customizable visual indicators to employee records that meet defined criteria. Teams can configure color-coded flags with specific logic rules, attach hard or soft stop compensation controls, and provide clear guidance to planners on how to resolve flagged scenarios.

Smart Flags transform compensation planning from a reactive, manual process into a proactive, systematized approach that ensures consistent decision-making across your entire organization. By providing immediate visual feedback and clear resolution paths, Smart Flags reduce planning cycle time, minimize errors, and give compensation teams confidence that every dollar aligns with strategic priorities while empowering planners with the clarity they need to make informed decisions.

 ![](https://support.pave.com/api/attachments.redirect?id=d59517e3-809a-4049-a6a7-41b9ae5dc7e5)

## Smart flag components

Smart Flags include the following features:

* **Logic builder**: A logic builder that can create rules on any cycle column as flagging criteria
* **Color coding**: A color picker that allows compensation teams to choose their desired color per flag type
* **Comp controls**: Our current system for hard & soft stops, fully compatible with Smart Flags and enhanced with better visibility and validation flows for planners in the worksheet
* **Planner guidance**: A new input for comp teams to specify explicit instructions for how planners can resolve the specific hard or soft stop they’ve encountered


## Configuring smart flags

### 1. Create a new smart flag or duplicate an existing flag

Under the new Smart Flags config tab, select Create new to build a new flag from scratch. To build a flag that is similar to one that already exists, click Duplicate flag from the overflow next to a smart flag to make a copy of it.

 ![](https://support.pave.com/api/attachments.redirect?id=2ba64cc5-c17d-4e7a-bb6b-df4fca61c209)

### 2. Assign a name, description, and color

Customize the appearance of their Smart Flag at the top of the editing panel.

 ![](https://support.pave.com/api/attachments.redirect?id=c64b0799-5aff-465a-8e95-8bfa47f72f69 " =1216x270")

### 3. Add logic to your smart flag

Add the column rules that will apply to this smart flag.

 ![](https://support.pave.com/api/attachments.redirect?id=312e9546-9177-4e5c-b716-9358d82dce49)

### 4. (Optional step) Add a soft or hard stop to your smart flag. 

Any flag that includes compensation controls will also require the comp team to provide directions for how planners can resolve the comp control issue, in the Planner guidance text box shown in the screenshot.

* **Basic flag:** The flag is only a visual indicator and does not require any comp control action
* **Soft stop:** The flag will require planners to include a justification comment in order to submit their inputted value *(non-justified values will still be saved in the meantime)*
* **Hard stop**: The flag will prevent planners from submitting their worksheet until the value is brought within the accepted range (values will NOT be saved in the meantime)
   ![](https://support.pave.com/api/attachments.redirect?id=9f8005a2-a122-4846-8e0b-5b9f0fde7ac0)

### Comp planner worksheet UX

Hard & soft stops are made clearly visible yet un-intrusive to the planning process. Inputs that violate a hard or soft stop will result in the entire employee row being highlighted red or yellow, in addition to a colorful far-left border and Attention icon next to the employee’s name.

 ![](https://support.pave.com/api/attachments.redirect?id=a934ae26-39c4-44fe-96d0-3d5cd2b47106)

With Smart Flags, comp control alerts & justification windows will appear in the Employee column next to their name. This way, planners will always know if they’ve hit a comp control, while still being able to continue their work and return to the comp control for adjustment at a later time, before submitting their worksheet.

 ![](https://support.pave.com/api/attachments.redirect?id=415aae4c-b92e-4de9-8b08-16871d641db9 " =1216x931")

FAQ

* **Can I use the same color for multiple smart flags? Do the colors have any intrinsic meaning?**

  Yes you can repeat colors. No, colors do not hold any intrinsic meaning or make a difference to how the Smart Flag works.
* **What happens if an employee has multiple comp controls?**

  You’ll be able to see every Smart Flag that the employee has in the Smart Flags column. Comp Control reasons, guidance, and justification inputs are all consolidated under a single visual indicator next to the employee’s name. Only a single comment is needed to justify all active soft stops for the individual.
* **Are unjustified comp controls saved?**

  Soft stops are autosaved even if they don’t yet have a justification comment, but hard stops are not.
* **How does worksheet submission work if there are unjustified comp controls on the worksheet still?**

  All comp controls will need to be resolved before the planner is able to submit their worksheet.
* **Can I hide the Smart Flags column?**

  Yes, you may hide the column in planner worksheets if desired
* **Can I permission Smart Flag visibility by role?**

  This functionality is coming soon!