Workflows

A "Contract" is the collective sum of the currently active legal obligations between two (or more) parties as outlined in all signed, non-expired, Documents between those parties, referencing that Contract. A Contract could be a single Master Services Agreement, or it could be the pieces of the original (now expired) Master Services Agreement.

In symplr Contract, contracts are created or amended through a workflow. Workflows facilitate the steps for reaching an activated contract, including gathering information and documents, negotiating, and signing the contract. This type of workflow is known as a generic workflow.

symplr Contract has special case workflows: Timesheet, Contract Request, Pulse Check, and Abstraction.

Generic Workflow Phases and User Roles

Most generic workflows have six phases, which occur in a particular order:
Initiation | Form | Document Source | Negotiation | Signature | Activation

Users can fulfill one or more than one role within a workflow.

• Admin

• Workflow Moderator

• Phase Owner

• Phase Mediator

• Approver

• Reviewer

• Signatory

• External Party

• Requestor

Action Types

Action types help define the purpose of a particular workflow. In particular, the action type determines the result of the workflow. New data, additional documents, new versions of existing documents, or updated contract status are examples of results.

A workflow initiated from a new contract is action type new. A workflow initiated from an existing contract can be action type amend, extend, renew, or terminate.

New: A new contract will be created.

Amend: A section or sections of a previously activated contract will be changed.

Extend: The contract will be extended.

Renew: The contract will be renewed.

Terminate: The contract status will change from active to terminated. The parties will not be obliged to follow the contract upon termination.

Amend Workflows

At the document level, there are two options for amendments:

• Option 1 is adding a legal document that is an "Amendment to the Agreement" or an "Exhibit A" that amends the terms of the overall relationship without updating the text of the original documents. The legal obligations outlined in the original document are updated by incorporating the text into the new, additional Document of Category Amendment or Category Exhibit. 

• Option 2 is editing or updating the original documents. The Document Category is not changed, and the changes are added to the history of changes made to that document. The Main Agreement is the latest version of the document, and it is the only version of the document that matters for the contract.

Workflow Page

• When a workflow is initiated, the page automatically redirects to the workflow page. To navigate to an in-progress workflow, click the workflow in the worklist.

• If you are a participant of an existing workflow but do not have access to the current phase, the workflow navigates you to the previous phase in which you were an active participant.

• The workflow name (which includes the Action Type, the name of the Primary Other Party, and the Workflow ID) appears above the phase tracker.

• The phase tracker shows all phases in the workflow. Completed phases are dark blue, the current phase is light blue, and upcoming phases are white. If you hover over a phase within the tracker, it displays phase information:

  • Current state of the phase (This field only displays if you hover over an in-progress or active phase.)

  • Phase Owner

  • Start and end dates (The start date displays for phases that are in-progress or complete. The end date displays for phases that are complete.)

• The workflow header displays workflow information, including the the organization, Contract Type, Contract Category, contract description, action type, Primary Other Party, and Contract Locations.

• The workflow panel appears on the right side of the workflow page. There are two tabs: Phase Info | Comments. By default, the panels are collapsed.

Actions that can be Performed from Workflow Page

In addition to phase-specific actions, several actions can be performed directly on the workflow page.

From the workflow header:

• Navigate to the contract’s contract summary page (by clicking the Contract Name in the workflow header)

• Add, edit, or delete the contract description

• Edit the Primary Other Party

• Add, edit, or delete the Secondary Other Party

From the Phase Info tab on the workflow panel:

• Manage participants

• Sequence participants

• Add or delete Other Party Signatories

• Add or delete Other Party Contacts

• Designate responsible parties

• View and sort document versions

• Upload an attachment

• Download an attachment or document

• Access and copy form data

• Access and copy approved language

• View workflow history

From the Comments tab on the workflow panel:

• Add, edit, or delete comments

• Tag users in comments