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Set up Contract Workflow

 

How to Automate Contract Request Workflows

The Automations feature streamlines contract operations by automatically routing requests and managing approvals based on predefined rules. Admin users can set up workflows that assign contracts to the right people and configure approval processes to ensure efficient stakeholder review.

 

Understanding the Two Automations Tabs

The Automations feature streamlines contract operations by automatically routing requests and managing approvals based on predefined rules. Admin users can set up workflows that assign contracts to the right people and configure approval processes to ensure efficient stakeholder review.

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Tab Purpose When to Use Example Use Cases
Auto Assignment Automatically routes contracts to specific people and can require approvals before assignment When you want to control WHO gets assigned contracts and WHETHER approval is needed before work begins
  • Route all European contracts to European counsel
  • Require CFO approval before high-value contracts reach Legal
  • Set a default Assignee for all Contract Requests
Approval Templates Pre-fills approver information when someone clicks "Send for Approval" When you want to standardize the approval process after work has already been assigned
  • Pre-populate CEO, CTO, and CFO as approvers if a contract is over $1M
  • Pre-populate Info Security team as approver if Contract Request is for a Vendor contract

 

Auto Assignment Tab

Set up Default Assignee

A Default Assignee can be selected, when the predefined rules cannot be applied and needs more flexibility in the contract request process. This will ensure that the contracts are assigned in a timely manner.

In the Auto Assignment tab, locate the Default Assignee drop-down list and select a Legal personnel.

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Creating a New Rule

As an Admin user, you can build rules that automatically route contracts for assignment and, optionally, for approval based on predefined criteria.

Note: Rules can be set on standard form fields of type, textarea", "textfield", "number", "checkbox", "radio", "currency", "select".

To create a new auto assignment rule

  1. Navigate to the Automations > Auto Assignment tab.

  2. Click New Rule.

  3. In the Create New Automation Rule form, update the following fields:

    1. Rule Name: Type a unique name for this rule

    2. In the Criteria section, select the following options to create a rule:

      1. Field - Select from the list of standard components.

      2. Operator - Select from Equal or Not Equal.

      3. Value - Type or select a value for the selected field. You also have the option to multi-select values for setting criteria.

      4. To add more Criteria's, click the + icon and repeat step 3.

    3. In the Automation Configuration section, you can do either or both configurations:
      • Requires approval before assignment: Check this box if you want to enable the approval workflow.
      • Assignee for Request: Select who will be assigned the contract request.
    4. If you select the Requires approval before assignment check box, enter the following details: 
      • Approver(s) - Select one or more users who need to approve the Contract Request
        • If contract requires sign-off from one approver - Select Approver.
        • If contract requires sign-off from more than one approver - Add the required Approvers to your list and choose between two options:
          • Parallel (Send All at Once): Requests are sent to all approvers simultaneously. You can then set the Completion Requirement:
            • All Must Approve: Every approver must approve before the request moves forward.
            • Any One Can Approve: The first approver to respond moves the request forward. The remaining approvers are automatically notified that no action is required.
          • Sequential (Send One After the Other): Requests are sent to approvers in a specific order. If anyone along the way rejects, then the next person in the chain does not receive the approval request and the request moves to “Contract Rejected” status.
      • Comments - Add any default comments or instructions for the approval process.
      • Assignee - Select who the request will it be assigned to after Approval.
      • Click Create Rule.
        If conflicts are found, the system displays a list of rules with either or both conflicts:
        • Potential Conflicts - Rules with similar conditions but differences in operators or values
        • Overlapping Rules - Rules where at least one criterion overlaps with your new rule
          You can choose to: Click Continue Anyway to create the rule despite the conflicts or Go back and make changes to eliminate the conflicts

Note: When you create a new rule, it is always added as the last one in the rule order. You may need to reorder it if you want it to take precedence over existing rules.

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Reordering Rules

You can establish priority among rules by reordering them using simple drag and drop. Rules higher in the order are evaluated and applied before rules lower in the order, ensuring the most important rules are executed first.

To reorder rules:

  1. In the Automations tab, locate the rule you want to reposition.
  2. Drag and drop the rule to its new position in the list.

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Editing a Rule

To modify a Rule

  1. In the table, click the Edit icon against the Rule name.

  2. Update the Rule details in the form and click Save Rule.

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Deleting a Rule

To delete a rule, in the table, click the Delete icon against the Rule name. In the confirmation screen, click Yes.

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Detecting Rule Conflicts

The system provides a built-in mechanism to identify potential conflicts between automation rules, helping you maintain a clean and efficient ruleset.

Using the Rule Conflict Detection Feature

  1. In the Automations tab, locate the rule you want to check for conflicts
  2. Click the View Rule Conflicts icon.
  3. The system will analyze the selected rule against all other existing rules.
  4. If conflicts are found, the system displays a list of rules with overlapping or potential conflicts, or both.
  5. Review the conflicting rules to determine if adjustments are needed.

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Types of Rule Conflicts

The system identifies three main types of rule conflicts:

Identical Rules - These occur when you try to create a rule that is exactly the same as an existing rule. The system will prevent you from creating duplicate rules.

Potential Conflicts - These occur when rules have similar conditions but with differences in operators or values. When requests match multiple rules, the order of the rule determines which one is applied.

Example of Potential Conflicts:

Rule 1: "If Request Type = NDA AND Priority = High"

Rule 2: "If Request Type = NDA AND Priority not equal to Low"

In this example, both rules involve NDA requests with different priority criteria. A high-priority NDA request would match both rules since "High" is not equal to "Low." The system would apply whichever rule appears first in the rule order.

Overlapping Rules - These occur when at least one criterion in a rule overlaps with another rule.

Example of Overlapping Rules:

Rule 1: "If Request Type = NDA AND Department = Legal"

Rule 2: "If Request Type = NDA AND Department = Legal AND Value > $10,000"

In this example, the rules overlap for NDA requests from the Legal department. Any NDA from Legal worth more than $10,000 would match both rules. Rule 1 is broader and would catch all Legal NDAs regardless of value, while Rule 2 specifically targets high-value Legal NDAs.

 

Approval Templates Tab

The Approval Templates tab allows you to create and manage reusable approval templates that can be automatically applied to Contract Requests based on predefined criteria. The tab is to pre-populate approvers when the Assignee clicks "Send for Approval" based on predefined criteria.

Creating a New Approval Template

To create a new approval template:

  1. Navigate to the Automations > Approval Templates tab.
  2. Click Add New Template.
  3. In the Create New Approval Template form, complete the following fields:
    • Template Name: Enter a unique name for the template
    • Criteria Section:

      • Field: Select from the list of standard components

      • Operator: Choose between Equals or Not Equals

      • Value: Type or select a value for the selected field

      • To add more criteria, click the + icon and repeat

    • Approval Configuration:
      • Approvers: Select one or more users who need to approve requests matching this template
      • Approval Order: Choose between:

        • Send All at Once: All approvers receive the request simultaneously. You can then set the Completion Requirement:

          • All Must Approve
          • Any One Can Approve

        • Send One After the Other: Approvers receive requests in order

      • Comments: Add any default comments or instructions for the approval process
  4. Click Create Template.

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How Approval Templates Work

When a user clicks "Send for Approval" on a contract request, the system:

  1. Checks Criteria: Evaluates the request against all approval templates in order

  2. Matches Template: Finds the first template whose criteria match the request

  3. Auto-populates Fields: Automatically fills in:

    • Approver(s)

    • Approval Order (Send All at Once or Send One After the Other)

    • Comments

  4. Allows Override: The auto-filled approvers and instructions can be edited by the assignee before sending for approval.

Managing Approval Templates

Reordering Templates:

  • Use drag and drop to change template priority
  • Templates higher in the order are evaluated first

Editing Templates:

  • Click the template name or Edit icon to modify
  • Update any field and save changes

Deleting Templates: Click the Delete icon and confirm removal.

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Best Practices for Automation Rules

  • Use descriptive names for your rules and templates that indicate their purpose

  • Maintain rule order carefully to ensure the most important rules are evaluated first

  • Regularly review rules for conflicts and overlaps

  • Test new rules and templates thoroughly before relying on them in production

  • Document your ruleset for other administrators

  • Delete obsolete rules to keep your ruleset clean and efficient

  • Use approval templates to standardize common approval workflows

  • Consider the interaction between auto-assignment rules and approval templates when designing your automation strategy

 

How to Configure a Workflow

A workflow guides stakeholders through the contract process, showing current status and remaining steps. Legal Admin users can assist Requestors in determining necessary status updates, keeping everyone informed, and ensuring timely contract progression.

The Workflow Configuration tab allows you to :

  • Customize contract processes for specific organizational needs
  • Create multiple tailored workflows

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Initially, only the Default workflow is available. For information on the Default Workflow and standard/non-standard statuses, refer here.

Workflow Configuration Tab: Available Actions

The following actions are available in the Workflow Configuration tab.

  • View or edit a workflow: Click the Edit Workflow icon against the Workflow. Learn more on managing workflow statuses here.
  • Create a workflow: Click the Clone Workflow icon next to to create a copy of an existing workflow and follow the steps mentioned here to create a workflow. 
  • Delete a workflow: Click the Delete Workflow icon next to the workflow (only enabled if no contract request types are linked to it).
  • View Workflow Audit Logs: Click the View Workflow Audit Logs icon to see changes made to the workflow.

Default Workflow that Comes Out of the Box

The default workflow typically involves several stages to manage the creation, review, and approval of contracts.

Legal Admins can use the Workflow Configuration tab to manage the statuses and do the following actions:

  • Configure up to 12 new statuses.

  • Edit names of all statuses.

  • Delete non standard statuses. (status can be deleted only if it is not set as the Default Status for Auto-Generated Contracts and there is no open requests associated with it)

  • Reorder statuses by deleting and adding a new status.

  • Include / Exclude Legal Turnaround Time for each status to precisely measure the time spent by the legal team on contract requests.
  • Enable/disable the approval process in the workflow.

The table shows the default workflow and the corresponding status types that comes out of the box:

Workflow Status Type
New Standard
Under Review Non Standard
Drafting Non Standard
Waiting for Approval Standard
Contract Accepted Standard
Contract Rejected Standard
With Counterparty Non Standard
Waiting for Signature(s) Non Standard
Closed Standard

 

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Remove Approval Process Feature

The system now allows you to remove approval steps from a workflow:

  • A toggle "Remove Approval Process" has been introduced which is disabled by default.
  • When enabled, approval steps (Waiting for Approval, Contract Approved, Contract Rejected) are removed from the workflow.

Important Notes

  • If enabled, this change applies to all newly created contract requests using this workflow.
  • If a contract request belonging to this workflow is currently in an approval status, the change will not affect that specific request, and it must complete the approval steps.
  • If a contract request belonging to this workflow is in a drafting status when the toggle is enabled, the approval statuses will not be available in the flow (Send for Approval link is not visible anymore).
  • Once approvals are removed, users have the ability to add additional statuses to the workflow to replace the approval steps.

 

System Driven Statuses

System driven statuses are not visible for selection in Status drop-down list and cannot be updated manually. These are system driven statuses and have associated functionality.

  • Waiting for Approval - Automatically changes when an approval is sent.
  • Contract Approved- Automatically changes on approving a request.
  • Contract Rejected - Automatically changes on rejecting an approval request.

 

Creating a New Workflow

To create a distinct contract workflow, and customize status progression for different contract types or divisions, follow the steps below:

  1. Navigate to Contract Request > Settings and select the Workflow Configuration tab.
  2. Locate the workflow you want to clone and click the Clone Workflow icon next to it.
  3. In the pop-up window, enter the following details:
    1. In the Name box, enter a unique Workflow name.
    2. In the Default Status for Auto-Generated Contracts dropdown, select the status for auto-generated contracts. Note that "Waiting for Signature" is selected by default. 
    3. Set the Remove Approval Process toggle if you want to remove approval steps from this workflow.
    4. Review the status workflow, remove or modify statuses as needed. Learn more on managing workflow statuses here.
    5. Include / exclude Legal Turnaround Time for each status to precisely measure the time spent by the legal team on contract requests. Lean more on how Legal Turnaround Time works here.
  4. Once a workflow is added, it will be available in the Workflow Configuration tab and can be linked to a contract request type. Learn how to link workflow to a contract request type here.

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Manage Workflow Statuses

In the Workflow Configuration tab, when you click View / Edit a workflow, you have the option to manage the statuses with the following actions:

Adding New Status

If you have specific requirements or needs that are not met by the standard status options provided by the system, you can add more statuses to the the standard statuses in the flow.

To add a status

  1. Click the + symbol in between two statuses.

  2. In the box, type a name of the new status and select the check mark.

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Editing or Deleting Status

All non standard statuses will have an edit and delete button against them and all standard statuses will have an edit button against them. Based on the necessary action, select the appropriate symbol.

Note that, you cannot delete a status if it is assigned to a contract.

Editing a Status

edit

 

Deleting a Status

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Legal Turnaround Time

In Workflow Configuration, as an Administrators you can select which statuses should get included / excluded from Legal Turnaround Time calculation.

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How it Works

  1. In a Workflow, select which statuses should get included / excluded from Legal Turnaround Time calculation.
  2. Based on the statuses that are checked for inclusion for Legal Turnaround Time calculation, the system calculates the time spent in those selected statuses. Time spent in unchecked statuses is excluded from the calculation.
  3. When a request enters a status marked for Legal Turnaround Time calculation, the timer starts. If it moves to an excluded status, the timer pauses. Upon returning to any included status, the timer resumes. This process repeats throughout the request's lifecycle, accumulating time only when in included statuses, regardless of how often it moves between them.
  4. This metric is only calculated for “Closed” requests. You will be able to find the calculated Legal Turnaround Time in the Closed Request tab as a column. Additionally, it can also be viewed as a chart under the KPI / Metrics section.
  5. The system allows users to modify which statuses are included in turnaround time calculations at any time. When changes are made, such as reducing the number of counted statuses from five to four, the system automatically recalculates the turnaround time for all closed requests based on the new selection. This ensures that all historical data reflects the current turnaround time calculation preferences.

Turnaround Time Reporting – Days or Hours

Legal Turnaround Time and Total Request Time can be displayed in either Days or Hours, giving Legal Teams the flexibility to align reporting with how they measure performance internally.

To configure:

  1. Navigate to Settings and locate the Turnaround Time display preference.
  2. Select your preferred unit — Days or Hours.
  3. Save your changes. The selected unit is reflected across both the Closed Requests view and KPI charts.

Note: This setting applies globally and will update all existing Turnaround Time and Total Request Time displays to use the configured unit.

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How to Configure Contract Request Type

The Contract Request Type feature allows you to fully customize the dropdown options for contract request types, which appear as the initial question in your Contract Request form. In the Settings menu, you'll find a dedicated "Contract Request Type" tab, this feature allows you to add, edit, delete, and reorder request types, as well as map specific workflows to each type. The tab's label corresponds to the first question in your request form, centralizing all related modifications in one location.

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Contract Request Type Tab: Available Actions

  • Add a Contract Request Type: Click the +Add New link. In the new row, enter the contract request type name and assign a specific workflow (Default is pre selected) and click Save.
  • Delete a Contract Request Type: Click the 'Delete' icon next to the contract request type (only if there are no requests with this Contract Request Type).
  • Rearrange Contract Request Types: Drag and drop the rows to set the dropdown menu order.
  • Edit Existing Types: Modify the name or associated workflow as needed, then Save changes.
    Note: When updating the workflow from Default to any new workflow, the system will ask you to map requests that are currently in the system to a corresponding Status if that Status does not exist in your new Workflow.
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  • Hide Obsolete Request Type: Mark Contract Request Types that you do not want to use any longer by selecting the 'Hide in Form' option. This removes those Request Types from active use on any form, but you still retain those values for historical requests and reporting purposes.
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How to Configure E Signature URL & Group Email Address

As part of the contract workflow, in the General tab of the 'Settings' menu, Admin users can configure the following:

  • E Signature URL - Add an E-Signature Platform URL. This URL will be used to initiate E-signature in the Contract Request Details page.
  • Group Email - Add a Group Email Address. The only notification that this Group Email address receives is for a new request submission. 

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Maintaining Requestor Permissions

Admins can choose to allow Requestors to be assigned to their own contract requests. When enabled, Requestors can become Assignees on their own contract requests and gain full request management capabilities.

Configuring Requestor Permissions

  1. Go to: Settings > General
  2. Locate the checkbox: Allow Requestor to Act as Assignee
  3. This setting is enabled by default - disable if you want to prevent Requestors from being assigned to their own requests.

  4. When enabled, Requestors can become Assignees on their own contract requests through either:

    • Automatic assignment via Auto Assignment rules

    • Manual assignment by a Legal Admin

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Assignment Methods

Requestor assignment can be configured in two ways:

  1. Automatic Assignment
    • Create Auto Assignment rules that automatically assign requests to Requestors when specific criteria are met.
    • Ideal for routine, low-complexity contracts that don't require legal review.
      assignment rules.png
  2. Manual Assignment
    • Legal Admins can manually reassign requests to Requestors on a case-by-case basis.
    • Provides flexibility for managing different types of requests.

 

Setup Automated Approval Reminders

As part of the contract workflow, in the General tab of the 'Settings' menu, Admin users can enable an automatic reminder for Approval Requests. The default setting is configured to send a reminder after one day. With this new feature, you have the flexibility to customize auto reminders by choosing between one to five days or even disabling reminders entirely to suit your workflow preferences.

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Note that,

  • These reminders will be triggered if an approval remains unacknowledged for 24 hours after the initial request.

  • To maintain clear and consistent communication, reminder emails will be dispatched under the name "Pramata Notification”.

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How to Customize Columns in Contract Request Queues

Admin users can enhance transparency for Requestors by incorporating crucial data into the Contract Request Queues, providing a comprehensive view of all requests. Requestors can choose to add additional fields to the Open and Closed Request Queues, ensuring they have all the necessary information at their fingertips for efficient contract request management. By customizing these columns, requestors can streamline their workflow, minimize oversight, and ensure timely processing of contract requests.

During the Contract Request Form setup, navigate to Settings > Request Forms. Utilize the available form components and drag-and-drop them onto the form. After adding the desired components, remember to save the form. These components will automatically appear as customizable columns in the Open and Closed Request Queues for requestors.

Important Notes:

  • Requestors can only add additional columns for fields that are configured on the contract request page.
  • Fields for Uploads and other layout elements cannot be configured as additional columns.

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