I thought some more about our conversation:

1. Most faculty are not savvy about when to be promoted to full. They don't see it as a matter of building credibility, and of building the credibility of their dean. It does you no good to come up and get turned down; it hurts the credibility of the department/school. So if a faculty member insists on being considered for promotion, it is up to the dean and colleagues to indicate the risks, and also not put the school's reputation on the line. The costs of being turned down are substantial, and need not be incurred. This does not mean you want to be overly conservative, but it is usually apparent to experienced colleagues when someone is pushing the envelope without good reason. On the other hand, if someone has done important work, received the right grants, published in the right venues, they ought be promoted as soon as that is achieved.

2. Junior faculty do not always know how to build their careers. They need to be told what to do, not as orders but as guidance to what is a strong record of achievement. Where to publish, what to publish, what is significant work. Eventually people learn, but sometimes it takes more than the probationary period. Again, it does no one any good to be turned down for tenure--hurts the person, hurts the school. So, when someone comes up they should have done what they ought to have done, and if not they should not count on the school to support them.

3. Of course, faculty members are free to follow their own notions, ignoring advice by mentors. If they succeed, wonderful. But if they do not, it makes no sense for a school to push for their promotion.

4. Deans, with concurrence of the Office of the Provost, may have idiosyncratic goals for a particular faculty member. It should all be in writing. Achievement of those goals, perhaps unusual as they are, would be warrants for promotion.

5. As for people who are given a chance to be reconsidered, the Faculty Handbook has specific language about what needs to be offered on the reconsideration. Usually it is substantial new work, important grants received, recognitions that are significant. It's often hard to do that in a year, but I have seen it done--with panache. Stuff that was in the pipeline spurts out, and it is clear this is not just a one time event but a sign of the future. The book is not only written, but now it is revised, much stronger, and has been finally accepted by a press. The R01 comes in.