Can an Escalation Rule be used to handle this scenario?

Yes. An Escalation Rule is designed exactly for this type of certification/access-review handling. In IdentityIQ certifications, an escalation process can be configured so that when a reviewer does not complete required certification work within a defined period, the work item can be escalated, reassigned, or otherwise routed according to business logic. The proposed scenario says that if an access review remains incomplete after 7 days, it should be reassigned to the certifier’s manager. That is a valid escalation pattern because the triggering condition is time-based non-completion, and the action is reassignment to another responsible reviewer. The certifier’s manager can be resolved from the identity relationship and used as the new owner or recipient of the escalated work item. The key point is that escalation rules are not used to generate certifications; they are used to control what happens when review work is overdue or requires escalation. References/topics: IdentityIQ Engineer — certification lifecycle, access review work items, escalation rules, reviewer reassignment.