Currently CMx supports below languages as part of internationalization and localization efforts, however, the goal is to support all available languages at some point.
if you think a language is missing in below list, let us know at support@sysintellects.com and we will gladly add the language in the next immediate release:
All the emails generated from CMx are by default with an email address named: “noreply@sysintellects.com”
As a CMx administrator who have access to Company Profile and Advanced Configurations, there is an option to change that “noreply@sysintellects.com” to your own company email by following below steps:
Step 1: Request your IT team to Create a new (or use existing email) SMTP email inbox for use by CMx . For example: contract-management@yourcompany.com . Make sure your IT team provides you the configuration description values especially the underlined ones.
Step 2: Add below configurations to Company Profile → Advanced Configurations
In Order to configure custom SMTP email - from address instead of using “noreply@sysintellects.com” , Go to Company Profile → Advanced Configuration and add below configurations with correct values.
How the Company's Communication Process Benefits the Client Throughout the Project
When you partner with our company, a robust communication process ensures you're involved every step of the way, from the initial consultation to the project's close. Here's how it benefits you:
- Initial Engagement: From the very first meeting, you'll experience open dialogues where your ideas shape the design discussion. We prioritize understanding your vision, ensuring your input lays the groundwork for the project.
- Ongoing Updates: Throughout the entire project lifecycle, we maintain consistent communication. You'll receive regular updates and have the opportunity to provide feedback, ensuring that the project aligns with your expectations.
- Tailored Decision Making: Your involvement in key decisions allows us to tailor the project to your specific needs, giving you control and ensuring satisfaction with the final outcome.
- Attention to Detail: We emphasize meticulous attention to detail. Our focused communication channels mean that quality and every intricate aspect receive the attention they deserve, ultimately benefiting you with a superior end product.
This seamless communication process not only keeps you informed but deeply integrates your needs and expectations into the project, resulting in a product that truly reflects your vision.
What is the Level of Communication Between the Builder and the Client During a Project?
The communication between the builder and the client is highly comprehensive and interactive. From the initial consultation and design discussions, every aspect of the project is openly reviewed and planned in collaboration with the client. This ensures that the client's vision is at the heart of the project.
- Initial Consultation: Right from the start, clients are engaged in thorough discussions to outline their needs and aspirations.
- Continuous Updates: Throughout the project's lifecycle, regular updates and evaluations are provided, ensuring that clients are never left in the dark about progress.
- Client-Driven Decisions: Every decision made during the project is directly influenced by the client's feedback and preferences, ensuring their satisfaction with the project's direction.
- Attention to Detail: A meticulous focus on every detail, quality, and aspect of the project highlights the builder's commitment to meeting client expectations.
This constant and detailed communication ensures that the client feels involved and valued throughout the entire process.
Goto Manage Configurations from Logout Menu and then Click on Create New Configuration.
Following account level configurations are supported by CMx.
Contract Stage and Status
Download URL: https://s3.amazonaws.com/cmx-downloads/CMxWordSetup.msi
How to install the Word Plugin
- Once the user logs into the application, by clicking on his username, a user will be able to see a menu option "Download Word Plugin". Clicking on "Download Word Plugin" will download the installer locally which can be installed.
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2. Double Click on the Installer Downloaded to proceed with the installation
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3. Click on the "Next" button.
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4. Click on the "Next" button.
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5. Click on the "Close" button and on opening MS Word, a user should be able to see the CMx plugin.
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6. The user can sign in by Clicking on "Sign-in" option from the menu. Once the user logs in by providing valid credentials, the menu options to search Clause Library, Contract, Templates etc.
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Search for Existing Clauses in the System.
Once the user has successfully signed in, Clicking on "Clause Library" will provide the user with an option to search for the Clauses created for the Organization, based on Clause text or based on Clause Category
By selecting the clause category and clicking on "Search", the application will display the clauses for the selected category
- Search by Clause Category
- Search by Clause Name
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A user can drag and drop the clause from the results to the document pane.
Search for all Existing Clauses list in the System.
Clicking on "Clause Library" will provide the user with an option to search for the Clauses created for the Organization, based on Clause text or based on Clause Category
By clicking on "Search", an application will display the list of all the clauses in the system.
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Search for existing Contracts in the system.
Clicking on "Contract Repository" will provide the user with an option to search for the Contract created for the Organization. The application provided the user to search by Contract Number, Contract Title, Contract Owners, Department, Location, Contracting Party, Contracting Party type etc.
Ex: Search by Contract Number:
Enter Contract Number in the Keyword field and select "Contract Number" and click on "Search".
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Ex: Search by Contract Title:
Enter Contract Title in the Keyword field and select "Contract Title" and click on "Search".
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Ex: Search by Contract Owners
Enter Contract Owners in the Keyword field and select "Contract Owners" and click on "Search".
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Ex: Search by Departments:
Enter Departments in the Keyword field and select "Departments" and click on "Search".
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Ex: Search by Locations
Enter Locations in the Keyword field and select "Locations" and click on "Search".
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Ex: Search by Contracting Party
Enter Contracting Party in the Keyword field and select "Contracting Party" and click on "Search".
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Ex: Search by Contracting Party Type:
Enter Contracting Party Type in the Keyword field and select "Contracting Party Type" and click on "Search".
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Ex: Search by Document Attachment Contents:
Select "Document Attachment Contents" and click on "Search".
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Ex: Search by Document Attachment File Name:
Enter Document name in a keyword, Select "Document Attachment File Name" and click on "Search".
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Search for existing Contract templates in the System
The application provides the user to search for existing Contract templates in the system, which are tied to a Contract type. The user can search for those templates, and modify those templates from the Authoring plugin
Clicking on the Templates, the menu option will provide the user with options to search for Contract types in the system.
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The user can double click on the template document attached and make modifications to the template and save the document.
CMx Word Plugin Screenshots:
Using Generate Contract function, you can generate word documents from MS Word template embedded with custom field values (When required) with the click of a button and share it internally or externally within CMx.
See Quick Demonstration Video here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VpirdthME1VcClqgOUYCiGRii0kPXrp8/view
Follow below setup for creating a word template and annotating the word template with replaceable values wherever required within the word document:
(1) Creating a Microsoft Word Template Document.
Download Here. (Note: This is a simple .docx file with annotations which is used as a master template document for generating further documents from it)
Note the annotations within ${}, these are the dynamic fields CMx replaces with actual values when generating the word contract document. For example ${ContractingParty} refers to the party name with whom the contractual obligation is being made.
Reserved Keywords (NOT to use in Custom Field Names)
Annotating Commonly Used Fields
Annotating using Default Main Fields
By default CMx adds below properties into the generated document when embedded within the word template document:
Annotating using Custom Fields
Use below steps to annotate MS Word document using Custom Fields.
- Create Custom Field Form in CMx without any white spaces.
- Use the same exact field name (case sensitive) to annotate similar to default main fields above
- For example, if the field name is: BillingRate, the annotated value in the template will be: ${BillingRate}
Note: Spaces and special characters are NOT allowed in custom field annotations, means no ' and ô or any other special characters.
Supported Additional Template Fields
CMx adds below properties into the generated document when embedded within the word template document:
(3) Generated Contract Document:
And the Contract Generated will have the data in tabular format once annotated correctly.
(2) Create Contract Template in CMx with the MS Word document annotated in Step 1.
Click on Contract Templates from the left navigation menu and then on Create Contract Template.
Enter a name and description for the contract template and browse for the MS Word document template created in Step1 and click on Create button.
Verify that the Contract Template is created successfully in the Manage Contract Template screen.
(3) Create Custom Field Form in CMx if there are any custom field values that are required in the generated Contract Word Document. (OPTIONAL STEP)
Click on Custom Field form on the left navigation menu.
Provide and name, description for the custom field form. Drag and drop required custom fields.
(NOTE: White spaces are not supported in custom field names for generate contract annotations. For example: "Billing Rate" is not supported. The correct field name is: "BillingRate")
Drag and drop a single line text from right to left section.
The new field will appear like above with label as "New text".
Click on the second icon pointed by the red arrow and it will bring up the Options dialog screen.
Provide Label name without numbers or special characters or white spaces as above and click on Okay button.
Provided Label name should be visible above the custom field text as similar to below.
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Add all the required single line text fields that you need following above steps.
Once done, Scroll all the way down and click on Create or Update button to save the custom field form.
(3) Create a Contract Type and attach the Contract Template and Custom Field Form created in step 1 and 2 above.
Click on Contract Types from the left navigation menu and click on create contract type.
Provide Name and description and select the contract template created in step 1 above and custom field form in step 2.
Click on Create/Update.
Verify in Manage Contract Types screen that a record exists with the details of updates that you made above.
Admin User can assign permissions to the newly created and existing roles. business users can Manage and Create Permission Schemes.
Manage Permission Schemes screen displays the list of all existing Permission Schemes. To view the manage screen, click on Permission Schemes link in the menu under Administration.
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In the Manage Permission Schemes screen, click on Create button to create a new Permission Schemes, click on Edit button to update an existing record, click on delete button to delete the record.
Click here: 3. Permission Schemes for knowing more on how to Manage Permission schemes...
CMx provides ample feature for specifying Roles to different users based on the tasks they need to perform.
Admin User can Manage details of each Role. In Role business, users can Manage and Create Role.
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Manage Role screen displays the list of all existing Role. To view the manage screen, click on Role link in the menu under Administration. In the Manage Role screen, click on Create button to create a new Role, click on Edit button to update an existing record, click on delete button to delete the record.
For more Information on how to do the Create/Update/Delete Role click here: 4. Role
Users are the inevitable part of any Contract Management systems.
Admin User can Manage User details. Business users can Manage and Create User.
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Manage User screen displays the list of all existing User. To view the manage screen, click on User link in the menu under Administration. In the Manage User screen, click on Create button to create a new User, click on Edit button to update an existing record, click on Reset Password button to reset the password for that particular record.
For more information on how to setup a user click here: 5. User
Admin User can Manage Company Location details.
In Location business, users can Manage and Create Location and these locations will be associated with different Departments.
Manage Location screen displays the list of all existing Location. To view the manage screen, click on Location link in the menu under Administration.
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Note: The Location associated with specific Department, if that Department is associated with particular Contract, then the Location cannot be deleted.
For information on how to do the Create/Update/Delete Location click here... 2. Location
Department is a specialized functional area within an organization or a division, such as accounting, marketing, planning, etc. where the admin user can manage company’s department details.
Admin user can manage Company department details. In Department, business users can Manage and Create departments.
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Each department is assigned to locations and Location cannot be deleted unless that department is used in any of contracts...
For more details click here....: 1. Department
Contract Clause Category concerns with specific clauses.
Clause Category conceptualize the idea of grouping clauses of specific category or buckets so that it makes organizing clauses easier.
For example, all the Legal clauses can be categorized into Legal Clause.
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Click here: 2. Clause Category to know more about how to Create/Edit/Delete actions are done in Clause Category.
Special Terms and Conditions for the Contracts are stored in Clause Library.
Clause Library is the central storage area where all of your organization's clause text's are stored so that they can be reused again in new or existing contracts.
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For knowing more about how to implement Create/Edit/Delete on Clause Library, click here: 1. Clause Library
These are Standard forms of contract which is usually a pre-printed contract containing set clauses.
This feature provides user to manage contract templates which can contain user-defined custom fields.
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Contract Template is the centralized area where all the template documents across the company can be stored and updated. A contract template is used in Generating Contract using CMx.
In this feature, the user can Manage and Create a Contract template.
Go to Contract Template from menu, Displays Manage contract Template page, where a user can see following columns in a grid.
1.Template Name
2. Description
3.Status
4.Action
For more details on how to work on Contract Template, click here: g. Contract Templates
Contracting Party type refers to the various types/buckets contracting party can be categorized.
This feature provides user to manage contracting party type.
For more details on how to Create/Update/Delete, Contracting Party clicks on the link : i. Contracting Party Type
Contracting Party is the business entity that enters into a legally binding contract with the current organization who creates the contract.
This feature provides user to manage contracting party details.
While creating Contracting Party user need to provide details of all the entities in the Contracting Party form along with Contact details.
Click: h. Contracting Party for more details on how to implement Contracting Party[Create/Update/Delete].
Custom Field Form is a user-defined form with multiple control definitions using a designer and a name.
Click on Custom Field Form from the menu, Manage Custom Field Form Page displays with following columns in the grid.
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Custom filed form feature helps the CMx user to customize the forms as per the user needs in an effective and easy manner.
For how to Process Custom Field Form details click here: f. Custom Field Form
Contract Types are used to classify a contract based on the functional context.
Manage contract type screen displays the list of all existing contract types. To view the manage screen, click on Contract Type link in the menu.
In the Manage contract type screen, click on Create Contract Type button to create a new contract type, click on Edit button to update an existing record, click on delete button to delete the record.
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For the step by step procedure to How to Create/Edit/Delete, Contract Type click here: e. Contract Types
Workflow is a Progression of steps /tasks that comprise a work process, involve two or more persons.
This Provides user to define a workflow for contract approvals.
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For more info on how to work with Approval Workflow, click on the link: k. Approval Workflow
Once a contract has been created in the system, contract owner can send the contract for Review as per the workflow configured for the contract
Pre-requisite: A workflow should be created in the system and the same should be assigned to Contract.
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For sending a contract for internal review click here to follow the steps involved: f. Sent For Internal Review
CMx provides options to restrict view and edit access at the contract level.
To access this feature goto Create or Edit Contract which you want to restrict access to and Click on the Lock Icon towards the top right of the Contract Screen.
This user action will bring up the Restrictions Pop Up where the user can select the user(s) and/or group(s) with whom the access of the contract is to be restricted.
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Once the User(s) and/or Group(s) are selected, click on Save Changes to finalize the changes. This action enables the contract to be visible or editable or both for the set of user(s) and/or Group(s).
CMx user can export the contracts that he has access to.
- Click on Export Contracts link from the left navigation menu and then again click on Export Contracts, page displays with existing contracts in the system
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- Choose the contracts by checking the checkbox, which has to be exported.
- On selecting the contracts, click on "Export" tab on the extreme right side of the export screen.
- All metadata goes in as a single excel file, with all contract details.
- Each individual folder named with contract number-contract title format.
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The extracted excel file :
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CMx provides a distinguished feature to Import external Contracts and Contracting Party into the system.
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There are two options to fulfill the Import actions.
a. Basic Import
b. Import by Contracting Party
While importing Contracts user needs to correct the errors in Pre-validation Grid and Click on Import button on right side corner to import the validated contracts.
The imported actions can be viewed in Import Status Tab.
For more details on how to import a Contract or Contracting Party, click on the Link: l. Import Contracts
CMx provides ample feature for searching any type of data in CMx both text type content in text documents and from image files as well.
Advanced Search facility can be utilized by users to accomplish all the searches in CMx by both Filtered Search and Full-Text Search, thereby searching any content in contracts of CMx.
The Advanced Search Menu is linked to the Contract Repository and user can select that option to do the searching in CMx
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For more details on How to do Advanced Search, click here: b. Advanced Search
Users who have permission to delete a contract already existed in manage contacts list can be purged by the user.
The Purge Contract option is attached to Contract Number submenu in manage contract as well as in Advance search Filtered Search- Contract Number link
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Click on the following link to get more information on How to Delete a contract: j. Purge Contract
Contract Creation is one of the most important activities in Contract Management system.
Any user who have to create permission assigned to creating a contract can create a new contract by adding documents, Clauses, Milestones, Notes, Restrictions etc...
For Creating a contract user can either click on the Create Contract Button in the Manage Contract Page or can choose the direct link in Contract Repository submenu.
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For Detailed information on how to Create a Contract, click here: d. Create Contract
Manage contracts screen displays the list of all existing contracts in a centralized Grid with many features added to it for accomplishing different purposes on each contract.
To view the manage screen, click on Manage Contracts link in the menu.
In the Manage contracts screen, the user can notice different options, one to Create contract button to create a new contract, click on Contract number drop-down, where you can see different actions and Contract Settings Button to set values on contracts while create/update.
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For more information on How does Manage Contract Works, click here: c. Manage Contracts
Getting Started
This session gives the User hints on how to accomplish each action on CMx.
a. How to work on Manage Contracts in CMx?
b. How to Create Contract in CMx?
d. How to do Advanced Search in CMx?
e. How to Import Contracts to CMx?
f. How to Export Contracts from CMx?
g. How to Restrict Access At Contract Level?
h. How to Sent a Contract for Internal Review?
i. How to Create/Update/Delete Approval Workflow?
j. How to Create/Edit/Delete Contract Types?
k. How to Create/Edit/Delete Custom Field Form?
l. How to Add/Edit/Delete Contracting Party?
m. How to set up Contracting Party Type in CMx?
n. How to Set up a Contract Template in CMx?
o.How to Access Clause Library?
p. How to work on Clause Category?
q. How to Create/Update/Delete a Department?
r. How To Create/Update/Delete Locations in CMx?
s. How to Setup a new user in CMx?
t. How to set Roles for Users?
u. How to Manage Permission Schemes in CMx?
Email notifications in CMx may be configured with custom email formats in html or plain text. Please use Manage Configurations to create configuration name and description described below for customizing various email template formats:
Approval and Sign notifications:
Configuration Name:
Mandatory variables in email template (Must be available):
Example:
Configuration description:
Contract Expire notification:
Configuration:
Mandatory variables in email template (Must be available):
Share Document notification:
Configuration:
Example:
Milestone Expired notification:
Configuration:
Possible variables:
Request Creation Successful:
Configuration:
Possible variables:
New User Invite notification:
Configuration:
Possible variables:
Sign Request notification:
Configuration:
Possible variables:
Sign Complete notification:
Configuration:
Possible variables:
The final signed PDF document will be attached to email message.
Send Contract to External Review notification:
Configuration:
Possible variables:
Send notification on complete the Manual signature:
Configuration:
Possible variables:
Contract Send for Approval notification:
Configuration:
Possible variables:
Contract Requested Changes notification:
Configuration:
Possible variables:
Workflow Step approval notification:
Configuration:
Possible variables:
Task Reminder notification:
Configuration:
Possible variables:
Report notification:
Configuration:
Possible variables:
HTML Sample
This section provides details about the various email notifications and other types of alerts generated by CMx.
Contract Expiry Email
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Contract Review Request Email
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Approval Workflow Step
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Shared Document Notification Mail
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Milestone Review Notification Email
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Contract Sign Request Email
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Signature Completed Email
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CMx Contract Experience product is available in two versions:
(1) Cloud Contract Management Software
(2) On-Premises/ In-Office Contract Management Software
CMx provides product support for all its features and users can ask queries and sent feedback to:
Email support@contractexperience.com
Thank You!
In order to configure custom email sender address, below steps needs to be done and confirmed by someone from your IT team so that CMx can use your preferred verified sender email:
(1) Create a new email address inbox, which will be used to send automatic notification emails from Contract Management System (CMx). We do not need access to this email inbox and only you will have access.
Examples:
contracts@yourdomain.com
notifications@yourdomain.com
cmx@yourdomain.com
This shall be a “noreply” kind of email. for which you can be the “owner” of this address.
(2) “n order to configure the sender email in CMx instance, there are few steps that need to be done by your IT or someone who can access to your domain (yourdomain.com) DNS records:
The steps include verification of the domain, DKIM and SPF settings of the sender domain which is explained in detail in below URL , so the person should have access to make additions (adding TXT records) to the existing DNS records.
Below is a sample of our current configuration for "noreply@sysintellects.com" for which you can see that it is verified (all green checks) , DKIM Valid and SPF Valid.
(3) Once above 2 steps are done please confirm back to us at : support@sysintellects.com and we will check and make sure it shows green and do the rest of the configuration.
For best user experience with CMx, enabling below browser setting is recommended:
- Add your CMx URL to trusted sites in your Browser.
For example if you are using Chrome or Fiefox or Safari or IE , follow below steps (Note: In different browsers , this setting will be usually in Browser Options or Browser Preferences)
In IE 11, Click on the Tools Settings icon → Internet Options → Security Tab → Trusted Sites → Click sites button
This section covers all best practices, standard operating procedures, and troubleshooting for specific issues in CMx Contract Experience Platform.
Contact: support@sysintellects.com in case if you are not able to find a resolution for your specific problem here.
Browser Support:
By default, CMx Supports all modern browsers such as Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Opera. However, due to the differences in browser implementations, there may be a need to change few settings in some of the browsers and this knowledge base captures them all.
Only Admin can View and update the company details in Company Profile page.
How to View and Update Company Profile page:
- Click on the Company profile link from menu under Organization Setting
2.Company Profile Page displays with the Following sections-
a. Organization Details
b. Primary Contact Details
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Organization Details:
Under organization detail we have following Default entry fields.
- Name
- Company Website
- Address Line 1
- Portal URL Short Name
- Address Line 2
- Select Industry Type
- Select the Country
- Select State
- Company Phone
- City
- Zip Code
- Primary Contact Details:
- Under primary Contact Details we have following Fields
- Primary Contact’s First Name
- Primary Contact’s Last Name
- Primary Phone
- Alternate Phone - This is not a mandatory field, however alternate phone and primary phone cannot be the same.
- Logo : There is a logo section in company profile, click on "Choose file" where company administrator can update the cropped company logo . This logo is visible in the custom account login page.
Company logo is saved .
All the above fields are default entries,you can view and update the changes and Click on "Submit" button.
If there are no changes,and get back to the Dashboard page click on "Cancel" button.
Admin User can Manage details of each Group.
Different Users can be assigned to groups for specific activities.
Manage Group
Manage Group screen displays the list of all existing available groups.
To view the manage screen, click on Group link in the menu under Organization Settings.
In the Manage Role screen, click on Create button to create a new Group, click on Edit button to update an existing record, click on delete button to delete the record.
Create Group
To Create a new Group
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- Enter the Name and Description
- Select Group Type.
- Check/Unchecked Is Active button.
- Click on Create button
- New Group is created in the system and navigates to the Manage screen, displaying the newly created Group.
Edit Group
To edit an existing Group:
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- Click on the Edit button in the manage screen
- Update Group screen is displayed
- Edit the Name, Description, or GroupType.
- Click on Update button
- Changes to the Group are updated in the system
Delete Group
To delete an existing Group:
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- Click on the Delete button in the manage screen
- A Message box is displayed for confirmation of delete action
- Click the OK button in the displayed message box
- Group record is deleted in the system.
Admin User can Manage User details.
Business users can Manage and Create User.
Manage User:
Manage User screen displays the list of all existing User. To view the manage screen, click on User link in the menu under Administration.
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In the Manage User screen, click on Create button to create a new User, click on Edit button to update an existing record, click on Reset Password to reset password.
Create User:
To create a new User:
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- Enter the First Name,Last Name,Email and Primary Contact Number.
- Select Location,Department and Role.
- Click on Create button
- New User is created in the system and navigates to the Manage screen, displaying the newly created User.
- Once user is created successfully in the system an email is sent to the user containing CMx URL and Email along with a temporary password.
- when the user clicks on the CMx URL and login using Email and temporary password ,“Terms Of Use” page and change password screen is displayed.
- On changing the password successfully , a message is displayed and the user is navigated to the Dashboard.
Edit User
To edit a existing User:
- Click on the Edit button in the manage screen
- User edit screen is displayed
- Edit the required field.
- Click on Update button
- Changes to the User are updated in the system
Reset Password
Admin can reset password for existent users.
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- Click on Reset Password button in Manage screen
- System generated user password will be reset and "Successful" alert will be displayed.
Admin User can Manage details of each Role.
In Role business users can Manage and Create Role.
Manage Role:
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Manage Role screen displays the list of all existing Role. To view the manage screen, click on Role link in the menu under Administration. In the Manage Role screen, click on Create button to create a new Role, click on Edit button to update an existing record, click on delete button to delete the record.
Create Role:
To create a new Role:
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- Enter the Name and Description
- Select Permission scheme.
- Click on Create button
- New Role is created in the system and navigates to the Manage screen, displaying the newly created Role.
Edit Role
To edit a existing Role:
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- Click on the Edit button in the manage screen
- Role edit screen is displayed
- Edit the Name, Description,or Permission scheme.
- Click on Update button
- Changes to the Role are updated in the system
Delete Role
To delete a existing Role:
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- Click on the Delete button in the manage screen
- A Message box is displayed for confirmation of delete action
- Click the OK button in the displayed message box
- Role record is deleted in the system.
Admin User can assign permissions to the newly created and existing roles. business users can Manage and Create Permission Schemes.
Manage Permission Schemes:
Manage Permission Schemes screen displays the list of all existing Permission Schemes. To view the manage screen, click on Permission Schemes link in the menu under Administration.
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In the Manage Permission Schemes screen, click on Create button to create a new Permission Schemes, click on Edit button to update an existing record, click on delete button to delete the record.
Create Permission Schemes:
To create a new Permission Schemes:
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- Enter the Name and Description
- Assign the permissions for each Scheme.
- Click on Create button
- New Permission Schemes is created in the system and navigates to the Manage screen, displaying the newly created Permission Schemes.
Edit Permission Schemes
To edit a existing Permission Schemes:
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- Click on the Edit button in the manage screen
- Permission Schemes edit screen is displayed
- Edit the Name, Description,or Permissions.
- Click on Update button
- Changes to the Permission Schemes are updated in the system
Delete Permission Schemes
To delete a existing Permission Schemes:
- Click on the Delete button in the manage screen
- A Message box is displayed for confirmation of delete action
- Click the OK button in the displayed message box
- Permission Schemes record is deleted in the system.
Admin User can Manage Company Location details.In Location business users can Manage and Create Location.
Manage Location:
Manage Location screen displays the list of all existing Location.
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To view the manage screen, click on Location link in the menu under Administration. In the Manage Location screen, click on Create button to create a new Location, click on Edit button to update an existing record, click on delete button to delete the record.
Create Location:
To create a new Location:
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- Enter the Name ,Description,Address 1(Mandatory),Address 2(Optional ).
- Select Country and State.
- Enter City and Zip code.
- Click on Create button
- New Location is created in the system and navigates to the Manage screen, displaying the newly created Location.
Edit Location
To edit a existing Location:
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- Click on the Edit button in the manage screen
- Location edit screen is displayed
- Edit the required field.
- Click on Update button
- Changes to the Location are updated in the system
Delete Location
To delete a existing Location:
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- Click on the Delete button in the manage screen
- A Message box is displayed for confirmation of delete action
- Click the OK button in the displayed message box
- Location record is deleted in the system.
Note:The Location associated with specific Department,if that Department is associated with particular Contract,then the Location cannot be deleted.
Admin User can Manage Company department details.In Department business users can Manage and Create departments.
Manage Department:
Manage Department screen displays the list of all existing Department.
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To view the manage screen, click on Department link in the menu under Administration. In the Manage Department screen, click on Create button to create a new Department, click on Edit button to update an existing record, click on delete button to delete the record.
Create Department:
To create a new Department:
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- Enter the Name and Description
- Select Location.
- Click on Create button
- New Department is created in the system and navigates to the Manage screen, displaying the newly created Department.
Edit Department
To edit a existing Department:
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- Click on the Edit button in the manage screen
- Department edit screen is displayed
- Edit the Name, Description,or Location.
- Click on Update button
- Changes to the Department are updated in the system
Delete Department
To delete a existing Department:
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- Click on the Delete button in the manage screen
- A Message box is displayed for confirmation of delete action
- Click the OK button in the displayed message box
- Department record is deleted in the system.
CMx ElectroSign provides inbuilt Signature support, follow the below process to send documents for signature:
Note: cmx.electrosign.sendsigneddoc = true in advanced configuration is required to send the final signed pdf to multiple recipients
Terminologies
Package: A Signature Package is a set of documents sent to one or more recipients for electronic signature.
Status: Prior to the signature, the status of a document is either created or pending. After Signature it becomes Signed or Executed.
Electronic Signature Security
By default CMx Electronic/Digital Signature offers below forms of security to make sure it's validity across different geographies and global laws. In United States, this process follows the e-sign act :
Pre-Signature Security Considerations
- In addition to sending links in emails for signature, there are many other multi-factor authentication mechanisms can be configured with CMx including below:
- Sending a unique code of very short validation prior to signing to make sure the signing code is retrieved from the user email ( whose email is secured by a password) and it is applied before signing.
- Requesting a unique code from MFA (Multi-factor authentication) mechanisms like Google Authenticator prior to signing.
- Text or SMS to the users mobile number prior to signature. This depends on which part of the world the user is located.
- Terms and conditions for each contract type can be customized and displayed to the user prior to using CMx electronic signature.(Default Behavior)
- Request a unique verification code from email prior to signing. So when first time if the user is external, the external user has to sign up first time, create an external user account with CMx providing basic details like useremail,password , validation of verification code and 2 security questions in case if the user forgets the password. After first time, the user can login to the CMx system every time they want to do electronic signature and every time when they sign a unique verification code needs to be entered after successful login and prior to the signing electronically..(Default Behavior)
Post-Signature Security Considerations
- CMx ElectroSign is based on public/private key pair of signatures based on PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) which ensures the signed document cannot be forged or changed after it is signed.
- Signed documents are sent to the emails of relevant parties and kept in safe records storage for future reference.
Manage Signature Packages
From the left navigation menu, click on Signature menu option to start the send signature process.
All the packages that have already sent for signature by the user are listed in this screen. This page also displays the status of each package, the date sent for signature and the recipients who are signers of the documents in the package.
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Starting Signature Process
From the top right section, click on New button to send a new PDF document for signature. In the first screen of prepare for signature, select the PDF document that should be sent for signature by clicking on the Choose button. Once the selection of the document is made, Click on Upload button so that the document is uploaded to the server. In the next step, add the recipients who should be signing the document.
You can add one or more recipients for signature process.
- Once both the document and the recipients are entered, click on Next button in the top right section of the screen.
- Next step is to prepare the document for the Signature process by marking the places where the signature should be placed.
- Drag and drop the icon with pen in the document where it should be signed by the recipient. (See below screenshot).
- You can navigate to any page in the document by clicking on the Previous or Next Button in the document bar and place the Sign Here tab.
Once the document is prepared for signature by placing the Sign Here tabs, click on the Send Button on the top right section. This completes the process of sending for Signature by CMx and all the recipients receive an email with a unique URL requesting for signature.
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A new signature package record is created and should be visible in the Manage Signature Packages screen:
Signing Ceremony by Recipients
Each recipient receives an email which looks similar to below:
The recipient clicks on the unique signature URL in the email which takes them to the Signing page in CMx:
On clicking Sign Here, the recipient can affix the electronic signature.
Finalize the Signature Process by clicking on the Save button, accepting the terms and conditions checkbox and clicking on the Complete Signature button.
Once the signature is finalized by the recipient, the document status is changed to Executed and the signing process is complete.
Exiting User can Change the password using Change Password Link.
How to Change the Password:
- Click on Change Password link from the menu.
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- Page displays with "Enter Old Password", "Enter New password", "Re-Enter New password" fields.
- Enter old Password, New password, Re-enter New Password.
- Click on "change password" button.
- The old password will be updated with a new password.
To delete and go back to Dashboard page click on "Cancel" button.
Audit Report -
- Displays all user activities that is done using CMx.
- Makes the life of auditors or users with audit role easier.
- All functionalities like User Login, Contract creation, Updation, Deletion and every detail of user activities are recorded in the Audit Trail List with time and date specified.
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CMx provides ability to combine or merge multiple word documents (Note: PDFs are not supported) and create an amended document as a result.
Follow below steps for creating an amendment:
From any contract which already has two word documents (docx files) ,from the contract number menu , click on : Create Amendment option and select any 2 documents:
Once the documents are merged , the combined document is generated and displayed in a window:
Export Metadata
All metadata from CMx contract records including custom field values can be exported from CMx from the Export page and clicking on the Export Metadata button.
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Export contracts
CMx user can export the contracts that he has access to.
- Click on Export Contracts link from the menu, page displays with existing contracts in the system.
- Choose the contracts by checking the checkbox, which has to be exported.
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- On selecting the contracts, click on "Export" tab on the extreme right side of the export screen.
- All metadata goes in as a single excel file, with all contract details.
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- Each individual folder named with contract number-contract title format.
Once the import is submitted, a message is displayed to the user stating "Import Job is successfully scheduled"
- Click on the import Status option from left side menu , "Import Status" screen is displayed to the user.with below columns:
- Import Job Number
- Import Date : (Date and Time Stamp) - Most recent first.
- Contract Metadata Excel File Name
- Successfully Import Record Count
Displays the number of records that was successfully imported. - Failed Import Record Count
Displays number of records that failed was failed in the import.
Import Status Tab
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CMx user can import the Contracting Party lists either bulk or single lists that he has access to.
- User clicks on Import contracts link from Menu and then click on Basic Import
- File drop zone area page displays.
- Drag and drop the excel file into the drop zone area or click on the arrow icon, select the file and open.
- Only one excel file can be dropped into drop zone on each import. Error displayed to the user If there are more than one excel file dropped.
- Also, the template of the excel file should be same as in download sample template and otherwise it will result in import error.
NOTE : When importing Contracting Party using metadata excel, keep only Contracting Party sheet in the metadata excel and remove/delete the Contracts sheet.
If this step is not completed, then an error will be displayed in Import pre-validation grid which will prevent the import of contracting parties.
Downloaded Import Sample Template
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- After clicking on Import button on right top of the page a confirmation alert message is displayed and the user can confirm "Start import Job" action button.
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- Once the contracting party list is imported successfully, the user can view the imported list in the Manage Contracting Party Grid.
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CMx user can import the contracts that he has access to.
- Click on Import contracts link from Menu,
- Download the sample template by clicking on the "click here" link and extract the contents to a new folder.
- Extracting to a new folder is important since we have found that without that and dragging and dropping directly from compressed zip file does not show the files in the import zone sometimes.
- Also, note that the metadata file has to be named: cmx-metadata.xlsx
- File drop zone area page displays.
- Drag and drop the excel file and all attachment documents into the drop zone area.
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- Wait for the pre-validation grid to show records
- correct all red cells.
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- click on Import button on the right corner to view the list of imported contracts in the Import Status page.
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- After Importing the imported contracts will be get displayed in the Import Status Tab
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- By clicking on the "+" link, the user can see the Contract Number, Contract Title, Attached documents name and Status of import.
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Workflow is the series of activities that are necessary to complete a task. Both Simple and Complex Workflows can be configured within CMx Approval Workflow:
Complex workflow approvals , for example like the one below between multiple departments and external reviewers can be automated using Approval Workflow.
Manage Workflow :
Manage Workflow screen displays the list of all existing Workflows .
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To view the manage screen, click on Workflow link in the menu. In the Manage contract type Workflow screen, click on Create button to create a new Workflow , click on Edit button to update an existing record, click on delete button to delete the record.
Create Workflow
To create a new Workflow :
- Enter the Name and Description
- Select Contract Approver name or Role and click on "Add Workflow Step".
- Add Approver steps with or without delegate option as needed.. Either User Step or Role Step can be added, if role step is added all users of that role with "Is Approver" option selected in User will be notified for review.
Department Review:
If Role Step is "Department" based , meaning if CMx has to automatically find the department based on Contract Record-> Department field value , Create a new Role with word "Department" in it and it as a Workflow Step wherever required. For example create a new Role with a permission scheme that provides no permissions and name that Role as "Department Reviewer" , add the "Department Review" as the Workflow Step.
External Review:
For External review workflow step, create a new Role with word "External" in it. For Example : "External Review". And if the Contract Record has Contracting Party added, CMx will send the contract for review to all the external party contacts for the selected contracting party.
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- Once the required workflow steps are added , click on create workflow button.
Note: The Roles with names "Department" or " External" are dynamic system roles. So these roles are special roles and MUST NOT be directly assigned to any user and their use is limited only in the workflow steps.
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- New Workflow is created in the system and navigates to the Manage screen, displaying the newly created Workflow.
Edit Workflow
To edit a existing Workflow :
- Click on the Edit button in the manage screen
- Workflow edit screen is displayed. Change Name and/or description as necessary.
- For Adding Workflow Steps, note down existing workflow steps and click on Clear Steps button, add the workflow steps back again before clicking update button.
- Add Approver steps with or without delegate option as needed.. Either User Step or Role Step can be added, if role step is added all users of that role with "Is Approver" option selected in User will be notified for review.
Department Review:
If Role Step is "Department" based , meaning if CMx has to automatically find the department based on Contract Record-> Department field value , Create a new Role with word "Department" in it and it as a Workflow Step wherever required. For example create a new Role with a permission scheme that provides no permissions and name that Role as "Department Reviewer" , add the "Department Review" as the Workflow Step.
External Review:
For External review workflow step, create a new Role with word "External" in it. For Example : "External Review". And if the Contract Record has Contracting Party added, CMx will send the contract for review to all the external party contacts for the selected contracting party.
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- Click on Update button
- Changes to the Workflow are updated in the syste
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Delete Workflow
To delete a existing Workflow :
- Click on the Delete button in the manage screen
- A Message box is displayed for confirmation of delete action
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- Click the OK button in the displayed message box
- Workflow record is deleted in the system
Contract clause category helps to group clauses into specific category or buckets so that it makes organising clauses easier.
For example: All Financial clauses can be grouped under clause category named "Finance".
Manage Clause Category:
Manage contract type screen displays the list of all existing contract types. To view the manage screen, click on Contract Type link in the menu.
In the Manage contract type screen, click on Create button to create a new contract type, click on Edit button to update an existing record, click on delete button to delete the record.
Create Clause Category
To create a new Clause Category:
- Enter the Name and Description
- Click on Create button
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New Clause Category is created in the system and navigates to the Manage screen, displaying the newly created Clause Category.
Edit Clause Category
To edit a existing Clause Category:
- Click on the Edit button in the manage screen
- Clause Category edit screen is displayed
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- Edit the Name or Description,
- Click on Update button
- Changes to the Clause Category are updated in the system
Delete Clause Category
To delete a existing Clause Category:
- Click on the Delete button in the manage screen
- A Message box is displayed for confirmation of delete action
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- Click the OK button in the displayed message box
- Clause Category record is deleted in the system
Clause Library is the central storage area where all of your organization's clause texts are stored so that they can be reused again in new or existing contracts. This tool not only organizes your clauses but also enhances the efficiency and accuracy of your contract management processes.
Manage Clause Library:
Manage Clause Library screen displays the list of all existing Clause Library. To view the manage screen, click on the Clause Library link in the menu.
In the Manage Clause Library screen:
- Click on the Create button to create a new Clause Library.
- Click on the Edit button to update an existing record.
- Click on the Delete button to delete the record.
How a Clause Library Enhances Contract Accuracy, Consistency, and Compliance
Streamlined Access to Preapproved Clauses
A clause library serves as a centralized repository of standardized contract clauses. This organized collection allows users to quickly search and retrieve specific clauses, ensuring that only pre-vetted language is used in contracts.
Improved Accuracy and Efficiency
By using a clause library, businesses can reduce errors related to manual clause composition. With access to a range of reliable templates, the risk of inaccuracies is significantly diminished, saving both time and resources.
Ensuring Consistency Across Documents
Standardized clauses mean every contract maintains uniform language and structure. This consistency helps in presenting a cohesive brand image and can also facilitate smoother collaboration with external partners who appreciate clarity and uniformity.
Enhancing Compliance
Preapproved clauses are typically vetted for legal compliance, which means using them increases the likelihood that contracts meet all necessary legal standards. This minimizes the risk of contractual disputes and potential legal setbacks.
Key Benefits
- Ease of Use: Quick search tools allow users to find and use clauses efficiently.
- Error Reduction: Standard language helps avoid common mistakes.
- Legal Safeguard: Preapproved clauses ensure regulatory compliance.
Utilizing a clause library transforms contract creation from a daunting task into a streamlined process, safeguarding your business’s legal and professional integrity.
Why Is a Clause Library Important for Optimizing a Contract Management System?
A clause library is a powerhouse tool for enhancing your contract management system's effectiveness. Here's how it brings accuracy, consistency, and compliance to your business:
Streamlined Efficiency
With a well-organized collection of preapproved clauses, you can accelerate the process of constructing contracts. This library allows users to easily search for and select the appropriate clauses to insert into various documents. The streamlined approach reduces the time spent on drafting and assembling contracts, enhancing overall productivity.
Improved Visibility and Communication
A clause library fosters transparency among all parties involved in the contract process. By providing easily accessible clauses, everyone gains a clear understanding of expectations, nurturing better communication. This increased visibility helps avert potential misunderstandings and ensures everyone is on the same page.
Legal Compliance Made Easy
Having pre-vetted clauses at your fingertips simplifies the task of maintaining legal compliance. Your contract management and legal teams can swiftly locate clauses that meet specific legal criteria, significantly reducing the risk of errors or omissions that could lead to legal issues.
Time-Saving Benefits
The efficiency brought by a clause library means your team can focus more on strategic tasks rather than mundane administrative duties. By cutting down on the time spent finding and inserting clauses, teams save considerable time, boosting overall productivity and allowing resources to be allocated to more critical activities.
Enhanced Professionalism and Uniformity
A clause library ensures that every contract is crafted with a consistent tone and structure. This uniformity reinforces a sophisticated and professional image to business partners, showcasing the integrity of your contract management process.
In conclusion, integrating a clause library into your contract management system is a strategic move toward optimizing operations. With benefits ranging from time efficiency to enhanced legal compliance, it's an invaluable asset that supports the seamless execution of contracts.
How Can a Clause Library Reduce Human Error in Contract Management?
Human error is an inevitable part of any business operation, but the key to success lies in how well you prepare for and mitigate it. In the realm of contract management, a clause library can be a powerful tool in reducing these errors.
Streamline Contract Creation
- Centralized Access: A clause library provides a centralized repository for all your contract clauses. This means your team can quickly access standardized and pre-approved clauses, vastly reducing the time spent scouring through documents to find what they need.
- Consistency Across Contracts: By using a clause library, your contract management team ensures that commonly used terms and conditions are consistent across all documents. This reduces the chance of deviations that can lead to misunderstandings or disputes.
Enhance Efficiency and Accuracy
- Quick Adaptation to Contract Types: When dealing with a variety of contract types, finding the right clause can be like searching for a needle in a haystack. A clause library allows for quick identification and insertion of clauses tailored to specific contract needs, minimizing omissions or mistakes.
- Minimized Risk of Oversight: Even the most experienced teams can overlook critical details under pressure. A clause library acts as a checklist, ensuring that no vital clauses are accidentally left out during the drafting process.
Safeguard Compliance and Reduce Errors
- Prevention of Legal Missteps: With pre-vetted clauses, legal compliance becomes more straightforward, reducing the likelihood of overlooking essential legal stipulations that can lead to costly errors.
- Simplified Modifications: Any updates or changes in legal requirements can be swiftly integrated into the clause library, ensuring that all future contracts adhere to the latest regulations without manual intervention.
In conclusion, a well-maintained clause library doesn't just reduce the occurrence of human error—it elevates the entire contract management process, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and compliance while saving valuable time and resources.
Accelerate Contract Creation with a Clause Library
Streamline Your Contract Process
A clause library can dramatically speed up your contract creation process by providing a repository of preapproved clauses that are ready to use. By having these clauses at your fingertips, you can seamlessly incorporate them into recurring contract types, eliminating the tedious chore of manual clause insertion.
Boost Efficiency
Forget the hassle of searching through document after document. A clause library simplifies the search and retrieval process, allowing your team to focus on adding value instead of hunting for the right text. This efficiency not only saves time but also ensures that your contracts are ready for review and approval at a faster rate.
Enhance Accuracy and Consistency
Incorporating preapproved clauses helps maintain uniformity and reduces errors in your contracts. Every contract you build will consistently reflect the professionalism of your business, presenting a coherent, well-rounded picture to clients and stakeholders.
Optimize Your Contract Management System
By using a clause library, your contract management system achieves a higher level of optimization. Your team can dedicate more time to strategic tasks, leading to a more efficient workflow and improved business relationships.
In essence, a clause library turns the often cumbersome task of contract generation into an efficient, error-free operation, ultimately allowing you to create more contracts in less time.
How a Clause Library Mitigates Risk in Contract Drafting
A clause library is a powerful tool for reducing risk in contract drafting. Here's how it works:
1. Standardization of Language:
By providing a set of preapproved clauses, a clause library ensures that language is consistent across all contracts. This consistency eliminates ambiguity, helping to avoid misunderstandings that can arise from vague or imprecise wording.
2. Quality Assurance:
Preapproved clauses are crafted with careful attention to detail, ensuring that all potential legal and operational pitfalls are addressed. This reduces the likelihood of errors that can lead to disputes or legal consequences, safeguarding both your company and your business relationships.
3. Efficiency in Drafting:
Having a repository of ready-to-use clauses streamlines the drafting process. This not only saves time but also ensures that all contracts are built on a foundation of legally sound language, further minimizing the risk of discrepancies.
4. Risk Mitigation:
When contracts consistently utilize vetted clauses, the potential for drafting errors diminishes. This standardization serves as an indirect risk management strategy, proactively reducing the chances of disputes and the subsequent damage they may cause.
By leveraging a contract clause library, businesses can focus on building strong, reliable agreements, knowing that their foundational elements are secure.
Understanding Preapproved Clauses in Contract Construction
Preapproved clauses serve as fundamental components in contract creation, providing essential legal terms and information. These clauses are stored in a contract clause library, where they can be tagged with specific attributes—such as terms, services, and other critical details—relevant to various contract types. This classification allows businesses to efficiently tailor contracts to their specific needs.
Advantages of Using a Clause Library
- Efficiency Boost: By having a library of preapproved clauses, your team can dramatically shorten contract creation time. Once standardized clauses are linked to particular contract types, contracts can be generated more swiftly.
- Consistency and Compliance: Standardizing clauses ensures that contracts remain consistent across different instances, helping maintain compliance with regulatory requirements and internal standards.
- Improved ROI: By focusing on frequently used contract types and embedding preapproved clauses, businesses can maximize their investment in contract management systems, producing more contracts efficiently.
In essence, preapproved clauses streamline the contract building process by reducing manual input, ensuring uniformity, and bolstering productivity across contract management workflows.
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In the Manage Clause Library screen, click on Create button to create a new Clause Library, click on Edit button to update an existing record, click on delete button to delete the record.
Create Clause
To create a new Clause:
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- Enter the Clause Name and Text.
- Select Clause Category.
- Click on the Create button.
- A new Clause Library is created in the system and navigates to the Manage screen, displaying the newly created Clause Library.
Edit Clause
To edit a existing Clause:
- Click on the Edit button in the manage screen.
- The Clause Library edit screen is displayed.
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- Edit the required field.
- Click on the Update button.
- Changes to the Clause Library are updated in the system.
Delete Clause
To delete a existing Clause
- Click on the Delete button in the manage screen.
- A message box is displayed for confirmation of the delete action.
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- Click the OK button in the displayed message box.
- The Clause Library record is deleted in the system.
By leveraging a clause library, your organization can achieve improved visibility for all parties involved, setting clearer expectations and enhancing communication. The library is enriched with preapproved and prebuilt clauses, ensuring that your contract management team and legal department can quickly find clauses that meet various criteria while maintaining legal compliance.
Enhanced Features
- Version Control: Keep track of changes and updates to clauses, ensuring you always have access to the most current and compliant versions.
- Automated Workflows: Streamline contract creation and approval processes with automated workflows, reducing manual input and potential errors.
- Metadata Features: Easily categorize and search for clauses using metadata, which simplifies the auditing process and helps the legal team to identify and manage risks efficiently.
By utilizing tagging features, the legal department can significantly streamline the auditing process. This allows for easy identification of risks, making it more manageable to address them effectively. In essence, a well-structured clause library is not just a repository of text but a powerful tool that enhances the overall speed, efficiency, and accuracy of your contract management system.
Electro Sign Terms and Conditions Conventions:
For signing with electronic signatures, Terms and conditions are displayed to the user who is signing. This terms and conditions can be customized for each contract type by following below conventions and CMx automatically displays the correct terms and conditions for each contract type.
"Contract Type" appended with text " Terms"
For example:
if the contract type is "Fixed Contract" , naming a clause as : "Fixed Price Terms" will set the electrosign terms and condition automatically.
Contracting Party type refers to the various types/ buckets contracting party can be categorized.
Manage Contracting Party type:
Manage the Contracting Party type screen displays the list of all existing Contracting Party type. To view the manage screen, click on Contracting Party type link in the menu. In the Manage Contracting Party type screen, click on Create button to create a new Contracting Party type, click on Edit button to update an existing record, click on delete button to delete the record.
Create Contracting Party type
To create a new Contracting Party type:
- Enter the Name and Description
- Click on Create button
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- New Contracting Party type is created in the system and navigates to the Manage screen, displaying the newly created Contracting Party type.
Edit Contracting Party type
To edit an existing Contracting Party type:
- Click on the Edit button in the manage screen
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- Contracting Party type edit screen is displayed
- Edit the Name or Description.
- Click on Update button
- Changes to the Contracting Party type are updated in the system.
Delete Contracting Party type
To delete an existing contract type:
- Click on the Delete button in the manage screen
- A Message box is displayed for confirmation of delete action
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- Click the OK button in the displayed message box
- Contracting Party type record is deleted in the system
Contracting party is the business entity that enters into a legally binding contract with the current organization who creates the contract. where the user can manage contracting party details.
Manage Contracting Party:
Manage the Contracting Party screen displays the list of all existing contracting Party. To view the manage screen, click on contracting Party link in the menu under External Parties.
In the Manage contracting Party screen, click on Create button to create a new contracting Party, click on Edit button to update an existing record, click on delete button to delete the record.
Create Contracting Party
To create a new Contracting Party enter the following fields.
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- Contracting Party Name*
- Select Contracting Party Type from the drop-down.
- Description*
- Address Line 1*
- Address Line 2
- Select Country from Dropdown.*
- Select State*from Dropdown.
- City*
- Zip Code*
- Primary Contact :
- Email ID*
- First Name*
- Last Name*
- Business Phone
- Mobile Phone
- Active (Y/N)
- Click on Create button
- New Contracting Party is created in the system and navigates to the Manage screen, displaying the newly created Contracting Party.
Edit Contracting Party
To edit an existing Contracting Party:
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- Click on the Edit button in the manage screen
- Contracting Party edit screen is displayed
- Edit the required field.
- Click on Update button
- Changes to the Contracting Party are updated in the system
Delete Contracting Party
To delete an existing Contracting Party
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- Click on the Delete button in the manage screen
- A Message box is displayed for confirmation of delete action
- Click the OK button in the displayed message box
- Contracting Party record is deleted in the system.
Contract Template is the centralized area where all the template documents across the company can be stored and updated. The contract template is used in Generating Contract using CMx.
In this feature, a user can Manage and Create a Contract template.
Go to Contract Template from menu, Displays Manage contract Template page, where a user can see the following columns in a grid.
1.Template Name
2. Description
3.Status
4.Action
The user can see a Live Editor Icon, Update Icon Button, Delete action Button in the Manage Contract Template Page.
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On click of "Create Contract Template" page displays with following fields, where the user must input values to create a new Contract template.
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1.Contract Template name
2.Description
3.Template Document attachment field
Input values in the above fields and click on "Create" button, Contract Template creates successfully and displays in Manage contract Template grid.
Example Contract Template Creation Steps
Click on Contract Templates from the left navigation menu and then on Create Contract Template.
Enter a name and description for the contract template and browse for the MS Word document template created in Step1 and click on Create button.
Verify that the Contract Template is created successfully in the Manage Contract Template screen.
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Custom Field Form is a user defined form with multiple control definitions using a designer and a name.
Click on Custom Field Form from menu,Manage Custom Field Form Page displays with following columns in the grid.
Manage Custom Field Form
Search Field and show entries drop down on top of grid where user can input the custom field name and search.
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- Custom field name
- Description
- Status
- Action(Edit/Delete)
In Manage custom Field Form admin users can view, edit, delete all the existing custom field form and also create new custom field forms.
Create Custom Field Form
Click on Create custom Field Form in the manage Custom Field Form page.Screen displays with following fields.
- Custom Field Form Name *
- Description
- Custom Schema- with below section with 3 tabs: Designer , View and Code .
Custom Field Form Designer with below Types in right most section
Number
Single line text or String
Multi line text
Drop Down Select
Check box
Radio Group Field
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To Create new Custom Field Form:
- User enters custom field form name
- Drags and drops and designs the required custom field form.
- Clicks on settings of each control for further control level functions such as required field or not required field , field name etc. Saving the custom field form generates the json schema and saves it in db.
- User selects the contract types, for those selected contract types,the custom field forms will be displayed in the contract create/edit screen
- On Submit, custom field form is created in the system and displayed in the Manage Custom Fields Form grid.
Edit Custom Fields Form
To edit a existing Custom Fields Form
- Click on the Edit button in the manage screen
- Custom Fields Form edit screen is displayed
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- Edit the required Filed
- Click on Update button
- Changes to the Custom Fields Form are updated in the system
Delete Custom Fields Form
To delete a existing Custom Fields Form:
- Click on the Delete button in the manage screen
- A Message box is displayed for confirmation of delete action
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- Click the OK button in the displayed message box
- Custom Fields Form record is deleted in the system
Example Custom Field Creation Steps
Click on Custom Field form on the left navigation menu.
Provide and name, description for the custom field form. Drag and drop required custom fields.
(NOTE: White spaces are not supported in custom field names for generate contract annotations. For example : "Billing Rate" is not supported. Correct field name is: "BillingRate")
Drag and drop a single line text from right to left section.
The new field will appear like above with label as "New text". Click on the second icon pointed by the red arrow and it will bring up the Options dialog screen.
Provide Label name without numbers or special characters or white spaces as above and click on Okay button.
Provided Label name should be visible above the custom field text as similar to below.
Add all the required single line text fields that you need following above steps.
Once done , Scroll all the way down and click on Create or Update button to save the custom field form.
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Contract Types are used to classify a contract based on the functional context.
Manage Contract Type:
Manage contract type screen displays the list of all existing contract types. To view the manage screen, click on Contract Type link in the menu. In the Manage contract type screen, click on Create button to create a new contract type, click on Edit button to update an existing record, click on delete button to delete the record.
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Create Contract Type
To create a new contract Type:
- Enter the Name and Description
- Select Contract Template and Custom Field Form
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- Click on Create button
- New Contract Type is created in the system and navigates to the Manage screen, displaying the newly created contract type
Edit Contract Type
To edit a existing contract type:
- Click on the Edit button in the manage screen
- Contract type edit screen is displayed
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- Edit the Description, Contract Template and Custom Fields Forms
- Click on Update button
- Changes to the Contract Type are updated in the system
Delete Contract Type
To delete a existing contract type:
- Click on the Delete button in the manage screen
- A Message box is displayed for confirmation of delete action
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- Click the OK button in the displayed message box
- Contract Type record is deleted in the system
Example Contract Type Create/Update Steps
Click on Contract Types from left navigation menu and click on create contract type.
Provide Name and description and select the contract template created in step 1 above and custom field form in step 2.
Click on Create/Update.
Verify in Manage Contract Types screen that a record exists with the details of updates that you made above.
To Create a Contract:
- Click on Create Contract link from menu,or go to Manage contract,click on Create contract Tab.
Create/edit contract screen is displayed with different tab sections as mentioned below.
(1) Main :
(2) Custom
(3) Documents:
(4) Clauses:
(5) Milestones :
(6) Notes:
(7) Access Restrictions:
(8) Enter Tags:
- Under "Main" Tab,create contract page displays.
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- Enter contract number and Title.
- Select Contract Type and Contracting Party
- Choose an effective date
- Enter the description
- Select the Risk level,Department and Contract owners.
- Choose an Expiry date(optional)
- Enter contract value and select the currency.(optional)
- Select Notification list and workflow (optional)
- Enter renewal term in days.(optional)
2. Click on Custom Tab displays Custom Tab with any custom fields configured for the contract type.
For example NDA (non disclosure agreement) may have different custom fields than HR Agreement.
Refer: Custom Field Form
3.Now Click on Documents tab.
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- Click on Choose files,select the file which has to be uploaded for the specific contract,enter file description if any .
- If there are more than 1 file,click on Add file,and attach the document .
- Click on "Create" button.
- Attached files are displayed in a grid in the same page.
4. Click on Clauses tab.
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- On click of Clauses tab,page displays with Contract clauses grid and Add clauses tab.
- Click on Add clauses tab,displays list of clauses which are pre loaded.
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- check the clauses which are to be added for the specific contract,click on Add.
- The selected clauses are added and displayed in the grid.
5. Click on Milestone tab.
- On click of Milestone tab,page displays with Milestone grid and Add Milestone tab.
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- Click on Add Milestone tab,displays Milestone entry field,end date and Milestone reminder check box.
- Enter the Milestone of a contract and end date.
- On Checking the Milestone Reminder check box,Alert Before Days filed pops up.
- Enter Alert before days and click on "Save" button.
- The created Milestone are displayed in the grid.
6.Click on Notes Tab
- On click of Notes tab,page displays with Notes grid and Add Notes tab.
- Click on Add Notes tab,displays Notes entry field.
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- Enter the Notes of a contract .
- Click on "Save" button.
- The created Notes are displayed in the grid.
7.Click on Access Restrictions Tab(Unlocked Icon in Right top Corner of Create Contract Page)
- Click on Unlocked icon and page displays with Access Restrictions tab.
- User can Specify both View Restrictions and Edit Restrictions for Particular Contracts
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8.Click on Enter Tags Tab(Text area at Right top Corner of Create Contract Page)
- User can enter different tags to attach with the contracts.
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After entering all these click on "Create" button.Contract creates successfully and displayed in the Manage contract Grid.
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Pre-requisite: cmx.create.amendment configuration is set to true in Manage Configurations
CMx provides Create Amendment feature to quickly clone a document and make edits to any existing document of a Contract Record. With this feature , user is able to identify the last modified contract document and then use the existing document of a contract to create a new document and, make changes.
(1) Click on Create Amendment option for a contract that has more than one document available.
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(2) Select an existing document in the contract
(3) Click on Submit button to generate a new document from existing document and make quick edits and amends. Optionally the file name can be changed to reflect the most accurate name for the amendment that is being made.
(4) The newly added/amended document is now part of the contract record and the changes made are automatically saved.
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- Purge Contract functionality is used to Delete a particular Contract ..
- For deleting a contract , find the contract that needs to be deleted by clicking on search button in Manage Contracts/ Global Search box in CMx.
- From the drop down menu , select Purge Contract to delete the contract and the contract will be deleted and no more get displayed in Manage Contracts.
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Cancel Contract action is done on contracts for making it to Inactive state and there by cancelling the contract.
After clicking on Cancel Contract the Particular contract will get cancelled or goes to Inactive state and "Success Message" will be displayed on Manage Contract page.
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User can see the Cancellation scenario in the Contract as Stage and Status changed to Closed/Discontinued and Inactive/On Hold respectively..
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CMx provides inbuilt Electronic Signature support, follow the below process to send a PDF OR DOC or DOCX files for signature one at a time.
Terminologies
Package: A Signature Package is a set of documents sent to one or more recipients for electronic signature.
Status: Prior to signature, the status of a document is either created or pending. After Signature it becomes Signed or Executed.
Sent For e-Signature
From the Manage Contracts, click on Sent For e-Signature menu option to start the send signature process.
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Starting Signature Process
From the top right section, click on New button to send a new PDF document for signature. In the first screen of prepare for signature, select the PDF document that should be sent for signature by clicking on the Choose button. Once the selection of the document is made, Click on Upload button so that the document is uploaded to the server. In the next step, add the recipients who should be signing the document.
You can add one or more recipients for signature process.
- Once both the document and the recipients are entered, click on Next button in the top right section of the screen.
- Next step is to prepare the document for the Signature process by marking the places where the signature should be placed.
- Drag and drop the icon with pen in the document where it should be signed by the recipient. (See below screenshot).
- You can navigate to any page in the document by clicking on the Previous or Next Button in the document bar and place the Sign Here tab.
Once the document is prepared for signature by placing the Sign Here tabs, click on the Send Button on the top right section. This completes the process of sending for Signature by CMx and all the recipients receive an email with a unique URL requesting for signature.
A new signature package record is created and should be visible in the Manage Signature Packages screen:
Signing Ceremony by Recipients
Each recipient receives an email which looks similar to below:
The recipient clicks on the unique signature URL in the email which takes them to the Signing page in CMx:
On clicking Sign Here, the recipient can affix the electronic signature.
Finalize the Signature Process by clicking on the Save button, accepting the terms and conditions checkbox and clicking on the Complete Signature button.
Once the signature is finalized by the recipient, the document status is changed to Executed and the signing process is complete.
To Send a contract for Manual Signature to the Contracting Party.
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After clicking on Sent for the Manual Signature button from options the following screen appears
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The user can enter details into Contracting Party Email and select a contracting party from the drop-down list which is associated with that particular contract.
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Once the documents are sent for manual signature and its processed successfully, an alert will be displayed in the Manage Contract Page.
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Once a contract has been created in the system, contract owner can send the contract for Review either Internally or Externally.
Pre-requisite: A workflow should be created in the system and the same should be assigned to Contract.
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- Navigate to Manage Contracts Page, and search for the Contract that needs to be sent for Internal Review.
- Click on Contract number and from the menu click “Send For Internal Review”.
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3. An email is sent to Contract Approver and the Contract is listed in “Pending Tasks” in the dashboard of the Contract Approver.
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4. Contract approver logs in and Clicks on the “Contract Id” from the Pending Tasks widget.
5. Reviewing the contract User clicks on “Approve Contract” button. (Assuming no changes are required )
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6. The status of the contract should become approved and the status of Workflow can be verified by clicking on “View Version History” for the contract observe the revision history for the Contract.
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Scenario 2:
One level Workflow – When the approver has requested for changes to the contract
- Navigate to Manage Contracts Page, and search for the Contract that needs to be sent for Internal Review.
Click on Contract number and from the menu click “Send For Internal Review”
2. An email is sent to Contract Approver and listed in “Pending Tasks” in the dashboard of the Contract Approver.
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3. User Enter the Review comments and clicks on “Request For Changes”
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4. An email is sent to Contract Owner to review task and Review Task is listed in Pending tasks when Contract Owner logs in.
5. Clicking on “View Version History” user can check the status of the workflow and also the status of the contract will not be approved.
Two level Workflow – Approve Contract:
Pre-requisite: Create a workflow which has 2 level of approvals and assigns the same to a Contract
Once the contract has been created, the contract can be sent for multiple levels of approvals by assigning the contract to a workflow which has multiple levels of approvers. In this contract will only go to an approved state, when both the approver's has approved the contract.
- Navigate to Manage Contracts Page, and search for the Contract that needs to be sent for Internal Review
2. Click on Contract number and from the menu click “Send For Internal Review”
3. An email is sent to Contract Approver1 and listed in “Pending Tasks” in the dashboard of the Contract Approver1.
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4. When Contract Approver1 clicks on “Approve Contract”, an email is sent to Contract Approver 2 and listed in “Pending Tasks” in the dashboard of the Contract Approver2.
5. Contract Approver2 clicks on “Approve Contract”, and the workflow status can be verified from the version history
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Edit Contract functionality is to update an existent contract in the Manage contract list.
After clicking on Edit Contract the Update Contract page will get loaded and user can Modify or Edit the contracts and click on Update Button on the right top corner of the contract page.
Once the Update action is successfully completed user can get an alert message on that in Manage Contract page.
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CMx provides users with Share File Option so that they can share the documents with other users in CMx in Live Editor.
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When the user clicks on Share File and select the particular document to be shared, the below screen gets displayed and the user can select users list to whom the file has to be shared.
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When the user clicks on the text box a drop-down list box appears and they can select the email_id of the users to whom the file has to be shared.
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The user can select the user's email id and share the documents.
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After selection, once the user clicks on Share button Success Alert will be displayed and the file gets shared to the recipient user.
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Edit File Online functionality help the CMx user to update the attached documents with contracts Online.
The user needs to click on the Edit File Online option from various sub menus in Manage contracts tab.
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After clicking on Edit File Online option the below screen appears and the user can edit the attached documents of any type.
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User Can do the editing in the editor sheet and save the changes
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After updating and saving the file user can close the document file. (user can close the document file by clicking on the red x icon on the top right corner.)
The updated content can be viewed in the document attached to the contract by downloading the file.
The particular file type will be opened outside the CMx and user can view it.
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- By clicking on Contract Number on Manage Contract Page grid, the user can view different submenus for different functionalities.
- To Create a new spreadsheet file to attach to the contract as document user can select Create New Spreadsheet from the sub-options.
- After clicking on Create New Spreadsheet option the following screen appears and the user can create a new spreadsheet file to add with existing contracts documents.
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- After entering the data into the spreadsheet, the user can save the file and close the spreadsheet file. (user can close the word file by clicking on the red x icon on the top right corner.)
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- Spreadsheet file will be added to the contract document list with ".xlxs" extension type file.
- Click on Manage Contracts from the left navigation menu bar and the user can view the particular contract where New spreadsheet file is added in the documents tab.
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- By clicking on Contract Number on Manage Contract Page grid, various sub-options appear.
- To Create a new word file to attach to the contract as document user can select Quick Create Document from the sub-options.
- To Create a new word file to attach to the contract as document user can select Quick Create Document from the sub-options.
- After clicking on the Quick Create Document option the following screen appears and the user can create a new word file to add with existing contracts documents.
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- User Can Select either create New Blank document for creating a new word document or can create a document from Template.
- After entering the data into the word file, the user can save the file and close the word file. (user can close the word file by clicking on the red x icon on the top right corner.)
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- word file will be added to the contract document list with ".docx" extension type file.
- Click on Manage Contracts from the left navigation menu bar and the user can view the particular contract where New Word file is added in the documents tab.
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Manage contracts screen displays the list of all existing contracts. To view the manage screen, click on Manage Contracts link in the menu.
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In the Manage contracts screen, click on Create contract button to create a new contract, click on Contract number drop-down, where you can see the following actions.
- Quick Create Document-To Create a new word file to attach to the contract as documents and create a document from Template.
- Create New Spreadsheet-To Create a new spreadsheet to attach to the contract as documents.
- Edit File Online-To edit the documents attached to the contracts online.
- Share File-To share the file with other users of CMx (both internal or external). For sharing to external users just add the new email similar to google document sharing.
- Edit Contract - To update an existing record.
- send For Internal review-To Send the contract for approval for a person within the organization.
- Send for Manual Signature-To send a contract for manual signature to the Contracting Party.
- Send For Signature-To send a contract for signature to the Contracting Party.
- Renew Contract-To send a contract for Renewal.
- Cancel Contract -To Cancel the Contract.
- Purge Contract - To Delete the particular contract.
- On Login to CMx product,Dashboard is displayed with menu on left hand side
- Click on "Advanced Search" from left menu.
- There are two sub-categories
a. Filtered Search
b. Full Text Search
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Filtered Search
- The Filtered Search page is displayed with a text box to enter keywords, Select Search filters drop-down box and a search button.
Search Filters:
a. Contract Number
b. Contract Title
c. Contract Owners (Users)-User Name
d. Departments-Name
e. Locations-Name
f. Contracting Party-Name
g. Contracting Party Type-Name
h. Contract Type-Name
i. Document Attachment Contents
j. Document Attachment Types (Example: PDF, MS Word etc)
k. Document Attachment File Name (Example : Filename* )
- User enters search name in the text box and chooses appropriate option from filter and then clicks on search button.
For example: user enters contract number in the search field and chooses "Contract Number" from filter and clicks on search button. - Results are retrieved and displayed in a search results page.
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- user can enter the keywords and select a particular category from the filters and click on search button for retrieving search results.
- Results are retrieved and displayed in a search results page.
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Full Text Search
- The Full text search also works similar to searching content texts in the CMx files and documents.
- Full text search is displayed with a text box for entering text to be searched and a Search button to accomplish the tasks.
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- when the user enters the search keyword and click on Search button ,then the searched text will be highlighted in yellow and displayed in the search window as follows.
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Manage Requests
All the requests in CMx is being tracked using this screen.
User is able to create new requests using "Create Request" , update existing requests using "Update Request" on edit mode and Delete existing Requests using "Delete Request" on Delete mode.
Create Manage Request
Click on Manage Request in the Manage Requests page.Screen displays with following fields.
- Request Id *
- Name*
- Quote ID
- Order Id
- Contracting Party
- Effective Date
- Description*
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- Enter the values in the field areas
- Click on Create button
- New Request is created in the system and navigates to the Manage Request screen, displaying the newly created Request.
Edit Manage Request
To edit a existing Request:
- Click on the Edit button in the manage screen
- Manage Request edit screen is displayed
- Edit the fields that needs to be updated
- Click on Update button
- Changes to the Requests are updated in the system
Delete Request
To delete a existing Request
- Click on the Delete button in the manage screen
- A Message box is displayed for confirmation of delete action
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- Click the OK button in the displayed message box
- Request record is deleted in the system.
Contract Repository Stores and Manages all contracts in CMx System
This feature provides businesses to manage contracts. Contract Repository is again Classified to different Submodules for performing unique functionalities of CMx.
Contract Repository Main Classification is as Follows:-
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Main Module in the Contract Repository is the Manage Contracts where all the Contract features are accessed and managed.
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CMx Dashboard has the following sections, different dashboard widgets are displayed to different users (Executive, Administrator, User) based on the user role and permission scheme that the user is assigned to. CMx Administrator by default has all access. :
1. Contract Analytics Widget -Contract Analytics Widget is a drill-down widget which represents pie charts based on the selection from drop down.
Dropdown values:
1. Contracts by Contracting Party: % Distribution of Number of contracts by contracting party(Pie Chart) (Default Selection), On click of the portion of the pie, re-directs the user to the specific contracts.
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2. Contracts by Contract Type: % Distribution of Number of Contracts by Contract Type
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3.Department: % Number of Contracts by Department (Pie Chart)
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4.Location: % Number of Contracts by Location (Pie Chart)
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5. Contracting Party Type: % Number of Contracts by Contracting Party Type (Pie Chart)
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6. Contract Risk Levels
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7.Contract Value
a.% Contract Values by Contracting Party Type (Pie Chart)
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b. % Contracts Value Per department
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when clicked on above values from drop down, it has to display actual numbers/values of the specified percentage value.
2. My Tasks Widget-User is able to view and work on the assigned tasks. My Tasks Widget in the dashboard is to retrieve all the tasks for the logged in user.
On clicking on the Task Name link, the user will be redirected to the associated entity, Task Name is linked with a contract number and. On clicking on the Task Name, the user is redirected to the review page for contracts.
1. Once the task is assigned, the task status displays" pending "by default in My Task widget grid.
2. On completion of review activity, task status changes to "Completed" by the system and same is updated and displayed in My Task widget grid.
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3. Audit Trail Widget- Audit Trail section displays the real-time of activities performed by the user and other users for whom the user has authority on are recorded. The administrator can see all the activities performed by all the users, whereas User can see only the contract related feeds if the user is part of the notification list for the contract.
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4.Expiring Contracts Widget -.This section displays all Expired/Expiring Contracts ( within 30,60, and 90 days) in descending order of the contract expiry date in the grid. when clicked Contract Number (hyperlink) show take to the edit view of the specific contract.
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Forgot Password allows existing user to retrieve their password,If a user has forgotten their password.
Pre-requisites
Navigate to the User Profile page and Set the Security Questions (Logout Menu -> User Profile ->Security Questions section)
Note: Please take a note of the Security Questions and Answers as these will be required while resetting the password using 'Forgot Password"
Forgot Password steps:
1.click the Forgot Password link on the sign in page.
2.Enter the Email ID and click on submit.
3.Email is validated and security question is displayed as text.
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4.Enter an answer for the displayed security question.click on submit.
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5. On Submit, If the information entered is valid then a message stating that” Your password is sent to your email” else “Please review your entries and provide all required fields”.
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6. The system will send you a recovery code so that user can change your password.
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7. Click on the Recovery Code hyperlink in the email.
8. Enter and confirm your new password.
Two steps are involved in MFA login.
Step 1:Provide user name and Password.
Step 2:On Successful Login,enter MFA 6 digit code .
MFA settings:
- Click on Manage Contract Link from Menu,Manage contract Screen displays with "Settings" Tab on top right hand side of the screen.
- Click on settings,Click on "Multi Factor Authentication settings" Tab.
- Admin can select the users from scroll box, for whom the MFA needs to be enabled and clicks on save.
To Set Google Authenticator Application:
- Download Google Authenticator Application in your mobile..
- Open Google Authenticator App , Select Menu Option Click on Setup Account.
- Now Scan a barcode and point to the above barcode in the screen till you hear a beep sound which indicates successful registration of bar code in Google Authenticator App.
- You can register barcode of more than one users in Google Authenticator App and it will display different 6 digit numeric codes for each user registered
- Once barcode is successfully registrated,
- enter the 6 digit numeric code for the user registered from google authenticator app to the input text box and click on send button.
To Login Using MFA:
- Hit the CMx URL,provide valid username and password in the login screen.
- On successful Login result in CMx prompting for the MFA 6 digit code in a second subsequent screen.
- where user needs to enter the correct MFA 6 digits code for the user from the mobile application Google Authenticator.
- On all subsequent login of the same user , no QR/bar code registration required in the Google Authenticator App. Only the 6 digit numeric code needs to be entered in for successful user login.
The user is able to successfully login to the CMx system using a valid username and password.
To Login CMx System:
- Goto your unique CMx Url in the browser and you will see the Login Page displayed with Email Id and Password Field.
- Enter the registered Email ID (Not Case Sensitive) and Password (Case Sensitive).
- Click on "Login" button.
- if the credentials provided are correct then the user is able to login to the CMx product, else an error message is displayed stating “Invalid Credentials”.
Note:
1. If the user keys in an incorrect password and tries to login for 3 consecutive times, then Simple Captcha is displayed.
2. If the user keys in an incorrect password and tries to login for 5 consecutive times, then the user account will be locked and displays a message stating “ The User Account is locked, Please contact the administrator”.
Contract lifecycle management (CLM) is the process of controlling, coordinating, and streamlining all stages in the life cycle of a contract. Contract life-cycle management (CLM) software helps firms create, manage, and achieve maximum value from business contracts with customers, suppliers, vendors and dealers.and is a key piece of the business technology agenda.
7 Stages of Contract Life Cycle Management
- Requesting contract - The contract management process begins by identifying contracts and appropriate documents to support the contract’s purpose, where user requests for initiating a contract to be executed with contracting party.
- Authoring - The “authoring” process is about setting up contract templates and clause libraries to empower business users and legal users, respectively, to create new contracts in a fast but controlled fashion. Writing a contract by hand is a time-consuming activity, but through the use of automated contract management systems, the process can become quite streamlined.
- Contract Negotiation - Upon completion of drafting the contract, employees should be able to compare versions of the contract and note any discrepancies to reduce negotiation time by half when contract processes are automated and streamlined.
- Approval Process - The instance in which most bottlenecks in contract processes, automated contract management allows users to preemptively strike by tailoring approval workflows, including parallel and serial approvals, and keep business clipping along at a rapid pace.
- Contract Execution - Automated contract execution allows users to control and shorten the signature process with eSignature and Manual Signature. Contracts executed are effectively managed from the effective date to expiry date.
- Auditing & Reporting - Automated contract management processes utilize a full range of valuable audit and reporting tools such as contract compliance alerts, audit tracking, on-demand report generation and easy integration with third-party reporting tools.
- Contract Renewal and Amendment - Using manual contract management methods can often result in missed renewal opportunities and business revenue lost. By automating contract management processes, a business can quickly identify contract renewal candidates, allowing plenty of time to act, and automatically create new contract drafts based on the previous contract. Automated systems provide a single, effective view of a business relationship across multiple contract amendments.
- Company Profile-Concise description of a firm,or details of a firm is stored where admin can view and update company profile
- Change Password-This feature allows existing user to change their password.
- Location -Location is a place where an organizational business operations occurs. This Provides admin user to manage company location details.
- Department-Department is a specialized functional area within an organization or a division, such as accounting, marketing, planning, etc where admin user can manage company’s department details.
- User -The people employed by a particular organization are so called User /Staff, where admin is able to view, edit, delete all the existing user details and also create new user.
- Role - Role is an expected behavior associated with a particular position in an organization, This feature provides admin user to manage and create new Role.
- Permission scheme- Users have permission to access the system through assigned permission schemes. Admin can Assign Permission Scheme to a Role , only one permission scheme can be assigned to a Role any point of time.
- Contract Type-A particular kind of Agreements between two entities like Incentive contract, Fixed Price contract, Purchase order etc. where in this feature provides users to view, edit all the existing contract type details and also create new contract type.
- Custom Field Form- Custom Field Form is a user defined form with multiple control definitions using a designer and a name. This feature provide admin user to create, update and manage the custom field form.
- Contract Templates-These are Standard forms of contract which is usually a preprinted contract containing set clauses. This feature provides user to manage contract templates which can contain user defined custom fields.
- Contracting Party - Contracting party is the business entity that enters into a legally binding contract with the current organization who creates the contract. This feature provides user to manage contracting party details.
- Contracting Party Type- Contracting Party type refers to the various types/buckets contracting party can be categorized. This feature provides user to manage contracting party type.
- Clause Category-Clause categories are grouped under Clause Library. This feature provides user to create new contact clause category which can be attached to a Clause Library by choosing from dropdown.
- Clause Library- A Clause Library is an online repository of pre-defined and approved legal clauses that can be inserted in to contracts. This feature provides user to create new contact clauses which can be attached to a contract type by default.
- Work Flow- Work flow is a Progression of steps /tasks that comprise a work process, involve two or more persons. This Provides user to define a workflow for contract approvals.
- User Profile- A user profile is a record of user-specific data that define the user's working environment. This feature allows existing user to view and update their profiles.
Introduction to Contract management
Contract management is the process of managing contract creation, execution and analysis to maximize operational and financial performance at an organization, all while reducing financial risk. Organizations encounter an ever-increasing amount of pressure to reduce costs and improve company performance. Contract management proves to be a very time-consuming element of business, which facilitates the need for effective and automated contract management system.
Contract Management Software
While the tradition is normally to manage contracts manually through folder and file cabinet storage, the practice is riddled with inefficiencies that can only detract from an organization’s overall efficiency. Integrating with an automated contract management service will help free up countless man hours and automate countless processes associated with managing a contract, thus creating more value for a company.
High-level features of CMx - Contract Management Software
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Simplify your enterprise Contract Life Cycle Management (ECLM) Process with below features:
1. Enterprise Level Configurations
a. Organization Provisioning
i. Company Profile
ii. Location Provisioning
iii. Department Provisioning
iv. Staff Provisioning
v. Role & Permission Provisioning
vi. User Groups Provisioning
2. Contracts Configuration & Extensibility
a. Contracts Settings
b. Contract Level Security Permission
3. Contract Repository
a. Central Contract Respository for Managing Contracts and Document Attachments
b. Search & Advanced Search
i. Sub-second Response with Millions of Contract Records and Content types of files attached with contracts.
c. User Defined Custom Fields
d. Configurable Custom Workflow
e. Internal & External Reviews
f. e-Signature
g. Contract Types
h. Custom Contract Templates
4. Collaboration Features
a. Collaborate and author contracts
b. Internal Review with Team Members
c. External Review with Subject Matter Experts (SME) and Lawyers, keeping track of every change on the go.
5. Analytics & Reports
a. Audit Trail
b. Contract Analytics
c. User Task Board
d. Recommended Contracts for Review
6. Enterprise Scalability & Cost Effectiveness
a. Leverages strengths of Open Source Stack combined with powerful document authoring and collaboration features
b. Scalable Design with the latest and greatest technology stacks to provide you the best possible User Experience (UX)
7. Security
a. SSL
b. HMAC Request Level Security
8. Import & Export
a. Self Service Import of Existing Contracts using Excel Template
b. Export Existing Contracts - Administrator
9. On-Premise Vs Cloud SAAS Version
10. World Class Support
CMx is a complete end-to-end Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) solution which can be deployed across all departments/locations/subsidiary (child companies) within an organization. CMx is designed based on below diagram which represents the true CLM stages.
More details on these stages can be found here: https://www.contractexperience.com/resources/resources-main.html
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What is Legal Operations Software
The legal team is faced with many challenges. They must handle the involvement of third parties while also maintaining control over their department's organization and workflow; this can be difficult when there isn't enough time or resources. The risk that litigation may sink your company—especially if it goes on too long without proper management—has severe penalties, including fines and imprisonment, which could put anyone at risk: from board members down to employees who aren't informed about these matters beforehand.
Comprehensive Contract Lifecycle Management and Record-Keeping and Management
A robust legal operations platform serves as the system of record for in-house legal teams. It provides a centralized repository of all legal matters, where everything your legal team and outside counsel are working on is meticulously documented. This ensures that all activities are logged and accessible, streamlining communication and enhancing oversight.
Customizable Workflows and Resource Allocation
Customize matter intake workflows for different types of legal work to ensure your lawyers collect the information they need efficiently. Assigning matter leads gives you a clear picture of which matters you're resourcing with outside counsel and which are handled in-house. This level of organization helps manage resources effectively and keeps your legal operations running smoothly.
Integrated Project Management Tools
Help your corporate legal operations team more effectively project manage legal work with documents, status updates, and project plans all in one place. This integration facilitates seamless collaboration and ensures that all stakeholders are on the same page, reducing the risk of oversight and enhancing strategic decision-making.
CMx Contract Management Software : A Dynamic CLM Solution
"CMx, the dynamic contract management software solution, is a corporate legal solution that strives to provide comprehensive and timely reporting so you can take care of your company's business without worrying about lawsuits or other problems.
With CMx, you gain access to a suite of in-depth reporting tools that offer insights into every facet of your legal operations. Imagine having a dashboard that not only tracks spending by month but also provides detailed pricing analysis. You can dive deeper by comparing your legal team's performance metrics or custom-build reports to address unique business challenges.
This powerful software ensures that every decision you make is data-driven, from optimizing legal processes to allocating resources efficiently. By harnessing the insights provided, your legal department is empowered to improve operational workflows, ensuring your strategic decisions are both informed and effective." The software also helps distribute responsibility for specific tasks, making it more accessible than ever to stay up-to-date on all cases related to litigation within the organization.
CMx has features like automation tools to make this process as seamless as possible, giving both employees peace of mind knowing their work isn't being blocked by complicated procedures whenever there's news regarding any lawsuit filed against them—or anyone else involved at any level, including counsels who may represent companies during mergers & acquisitions negotiations.
A Unified Platform for Legal Needs
CMx is the answer to all of your company's legal needs. It provides a single, secure window where you can collaborate on data and strategic decisions. You'll never have to worry about losing information because it syncs across devices—no matter where they are or what device you're using, it will always be accessible in one place with CMx. This tool can be used for strategic decision-making, contract management, and preventive measures like risk assessment or legal research.
This software ensures that nothing gets left out, whether it's preventive management meetings/decisions or contact details at closure time—everything comes complete thanks solely to this tool, ensuring 24/7 availability so nobody misses any crucial interactions.
What is “ Legal Operations”?
For a successful law firm, it is necessary to have efficient legal operations. Legal software and automation tools can help with this goal by making contract workflows more effective as well as providing other advantages like machine learning or e-signatures for signature capture on documents filed electronically through secure portals where appropriate under certain circumstances depending upon what type of case you're working on at any given time.
Efficient means using every available minute wisely so there isn't wasted effort but instead put into uses that yield results quickly without wasting too many precious resources such as talent, time, and money.
What Contract Workflow Automation does for Legal Operations ?
Contracting can be challenging when dealing with many internal and external stakeholders. For instance, requesting a senior legal operations resource to review an obligation milestone or risk factor could cause workflow inefficiencies and decrease morale within the company's paralegals/ junior staff members who have been involved from the beginning stages of contract negotiation due to their proximity as opposed those directly impacted by said contracts In addition- if the need arises for renewal after award phase has begun, but before all Conditions precedent (CORE) obligations under current agreement have terminated then it becomes difficult at best because there may not always know whom these individuals report too - it could be the business unit or the project management office.
Legal operations resources can be assigned to specific tasks and receive notifications for completion. Once completed, the designated stakeholders will be notified within pre-configured workflows so they may satisfy any remaining obligations under these contracts. Contractors should always keep their eyes peeled when it comes time to ensure everything has been fulfilled or updated per new agreements.
Using Data for Informed Decisions
In today's fast-paced legal environment, understanding how your team works is crucial. Data-driven insights provide a comprehensive view of operational efficiency, ensuring that each decision to improve processes or allocate resources is backed by solid data. This deep understanding allows legal teams to refine workflows and optimize resource distribution effectively, making sure every party involved has access to reliable information throughout each phase of contract negotiations.
Partnering up is vital here since every party involved needs reliable information about what's going down throughout each phase of contract negotiations. By leveraging data, legal teams can ensure that all stakeholders are aligned and informed, paving the way for smoother negotiations and better outcomes.
Centralized Platform for Effective Management
In addition to task assignments, a legal operations platform brings all essential components—documents, status updates, and project plans—into one centralized location. This holistic approach enables corporate legal teams to manage projects more effectively, ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.
Streamlined Workflow and Communication
- Document Management: Keep all legal documents organized and accessible.
- Real-Time Status Updates: Track progress and make informed decisions quickly.
- Project Plans: Outline and adjust plans as necessary, maintaining focus and direction.
By integrating these elements, the platform not only simplifies project management but also enhances collaboration and transparency. With everyone on the same page, corporate legal teams can navigate complex projects with greater efficiency and confidence.
By leveraging data, legal teams can ensure that all stakeholders are aligned and informed, paving the way for smoother negotiations and better outcomes.
Build smarter contracts with simple or advanced Workflows alike
Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) is a win for your organization and its clients. You can expand the reach of contracts with minimal effort, reduce time spent on repeatable tasks like signing or faxing paper-based documents, and ensure that all parties involved have access to current versions at any given moment without having them stored in an inbox where they are vulnerable potentially being lost forever if not checked regularly—all while saving money by automating costly human processes.
With TAP, you can execute cost-effective contract lifecycle management by digitally centralizing documents and tracking the progression of all workflows. Automated notifications ensure participants engage in timely action, while an easy-to-use drag & drop interface makes routing through multiple gatekeepers quick for anyone who needs them.
Tossing away paper contracts and signed documents is not only a thing of yesteryear but an unnecessary burden in today's world. Why go through all the trouble when you can sign on to your computer or phone? Our form-building tools let you embed customized fields and pre-defined data into standardized templates so that signing becomes as simple as possible. With TAP - automatically archiving workflows along with every contract signature ensures transparency for audits, too, thus increasing collaboration among those involved while still maintaining productivity levels high enough to keep up with demand.
Speedy and secure E- Signatures for smarter contracting
When we signed our contract, we were all smiles because it was so easy. There's no need for prolonged waiting in line or complicated notary procedures. Instead of chasing around one person who needs signatures right now (or trying twice as many people), every single person could do their own thing on the fly and still have access to whatever information they needed without hassle whatsoever - which made this part of legal operations go much smoother overall.
Signing documents online has never been easier with modern technology and software. Nowadays, you can sign your name electronically - cutting down on the time that would have previously gone into meeting physical signatures from people who are not present when making deals or agreements between two parties. You also don't need a Notary Public since digital signs provide guarantees regarding date/time-stamps as well verified identities via fingerprints taken right then at signing; this ensures honesty because nobody else gets involved other than those authorized by both sides for things go smoothly without any chance whatsoever fraudulently altered records being created later after they've happened, so all information remains accurate even if it's attributed numerous times over various sessions.
Benefits of Legal Operations Software
Automating tasks and improving efficiency is an excellent way for law firms, in-house counsel, and Legal Operations staff members to save time. The following benefits of automation are some top reasons why you should consider adopting this practice:
Increase ROI and Efficiency
Legal teams can now automate a large portion of the manual work they do by using customizable workflow templates created in minutes and replicated across departments. This change helps them focus on more complex tasks with greater efficiency while freeing up time for other vital projects within an organization's scope. Service Automation lets lawyers create their custom programs, making it easy enough that even someone without programming knowledge does all the coding. Plus, there'll never be long waiting periods between updates since we're going straight from idea generation into production here at The Law Department LLC.
Implement Efficient Processes: Take manual processes out of daily routines and let smart A.I. Technology do the heavy lifting. This shift means no more manual invoice reviews, and instead of sending emails, put in place approval processes and notifications to streamline operations.
Reduce Total Ownership Cost
Legal automation tools provide a wealth of advantages, from cutting costs to onboarding and supporting legal staff. They create more space for highly paid experts who can focus on high-impact work rather than wasting time with important but manual tasks that take up so many productive hours every week. With most such software providing mapping capabilities and continuous updates at no additional cost or hassle, you will continuously optimize your budget by simply making weekly changes based on these maps created automatically by the program itself.
Control External Legal Spend: Automate the enforcement of billing guidelines and track savings on external legal spend. Use A.I.-powered legal bill review to compare invoices against guidelines, providing visibility and greater control over expenditure.
Dwindle Errors and Cut Compliance Costs
Legal automation tools help you save time and money by creating standardized workflows for your contracts. For instance, instead of having to copy/paste parts from existing agreements each time you make a new vendor contract - all it takes is one template with key clauses which can be altered automatically based on criteria such as jurisdiction! When there's an opportunity at hand where things may get complicated (like partnerships), these fantastic little programs come into play because they let us do most if not all aspects involved in setting them up quickly & easily without any human involvement whatsoever; reducing errors while speeding up deal signing times even more than before so penalties aren't incurred.
In-Depth Reporting: Build dashboards and reports to analyze everything from monthly spending to pricing analysis. This capability allows legal teams to make informed decisions backed by data, ensuring every process improvement is supported by insights.
By leveraging these robust features, legal operations software can significantly elevate a legal team's performance, transforming it into a best-in-class operation.
AI and Machine Learning are shaping Legal Strategy
AI tools are being developed to automate simple tasks like timekeeping and validating billing entries. There's also AI software that can help legal professionals accomplish some of their work faster, more accurately, or both. One type is machine learning - it finds patterns in large amounts of data, while another kind could be used for litigation support by helping lawyers prepare before they go into court with confidence; an example would involve checking documents remotely so they'd only need minimal person-time spent doing revisions when something has been changed incorrectly somewhere else.
In recent years, AI has been used to automate the tedious document review process in e-discovery. With a database compiled from past negotiations or verdicts on their behalf and using new insights gained through these findings - attorneys can utilize machine learning classification algorithms that identify missing precedents while also identifying what might happen if certain factors are present at the trial; this allows them to make more informed decisions about how best represent their clients during legal proceedings.
As opposed to just looking up cases remotely, so it is possible someone else
has already looked it up, e-discovery with AI can quickly and easily identify new possibilities and create a database that can help attorneys make more informed decisions about their cases. E-discovery uses classification AI solutions that automate the review of legal research allowing judges to check submissions and identify missing precedents. Similarly, attorneys can also benefit from these tools.
Risk Assessment Mapping
Assessing contract management risk within a myriad of contracts can be challenging without visualization and prioritization. Whether dealing with ten or ten thousand contracts, identifying and prioritizing risk factors can prove challenging when sifting through words and other data variables within pages of documents. Additionally, identifying risk can be arduous without a centralized and graphical opportunity assessment tool.
Luckily, leading legal operations software offers risk assessment and Office Of The Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) search mapping tools to graphically visualize risk within your documents for comprehensive risk contract management. Rather than manually sifting through your contract records for risk variables, you can leverage a visualized graph that can plot contracts based on their identified risk score – yielding a holistically envisioned risk analysis of active agreements that can help you effectively prioritize contracts risk mitigation decision-making.
Additionally, many of these solutions offer an OFAC search tool that can help you ensure compliance with Office of Foreign Assets Control regulations. For example, when searching for high-risk third-party names, the device will automatically compare the provided data against the OFAC list and highlight any possible matches – giving you a quick way to ensure that your business is not transacting with any sanctioned entities.
Regarding contract risk management, visualization and prioritization are critical to effectively mitigating risk. Leveraging legal operations software with risk assessment and OFAC search mapping tools can help you quickly and easily identify risk factors within your contracts, making informed decisions about how to mitigate that risk best.
When looking to take your company's contract management from good to great, look no further than CMx Contract Software. With our dynamic software solution that seamlessly connects with external applications like Microsoft Word and internal systems, we've got all the tools necessary in one easy place.
How Legal Departments Can Leverage Reporting Features to Analyze Spend and Firm Performance
Legal departments today are empowered with advanced reporting tools that offer comprehensive insights into financial and operational metrics. These features enable teams to make informed decisions based on concrete data rather than intuition.
Key Reporting Features
- Dashboard Creation: Legal departments can customize dashboards that display a range of vital metrics, from monthly expenditure trends to cost evaluations. These dashboards serve as a centralized hub for tracking financial performance and efficiency.
- In-Depth Rate Analysis: Legal teams can delve deeper by examining their law firms’ blended rates. This allows a side-by-side comparison of billing structures, helping departments choose the most cost-effective partnerships.
- Custom Report Building: For those requiring more tailored information, custom reports can be generated. This flexibility is crucial for analyzing specific aspects unique to your organization, whether that’s focusing on a particular legal service or scrutinizing a specific firm's performance over time.
Utilizing Data for Strategic Decisions
- Data-Backed Decision Making: Armed with these analytics, legal departments can confidently pinpoint areas for process improvement or make informed decisions about resource allocation. Evaluating past performance data helps align future strategies with business objectives.
- Benchmarking and Performance Measurement: By consistently monitoring these metrics, departments can benchmark firm performance over time, ensuring ongoing value and alignment with organizational goals.
Conclusion
Through the strategic use of these reporting features, legal departments are able to gain a comprehensive understanding of their financial outlay and service provider efficiency. This not only aids in optimizing spending but also enhances the overall efficacy of legal partnerships.
How Legal Operations Software Can Help Control and Reduce External Legal Spend
Legal operations software is transforming the way organizations manage their legal expenses, offering innovative solutions to control and reduce external legal spend effectively. Here's how:
Automated Billing Enforcement
One of the standout features of advanced legal software is the automation of billing guideline enforcement. With AI-driven technology, invoices from law firms are meticulously analyzed against predefined billing criteria. This ensures compliance and immediately highlights potential savings opportunities, thereby keeping legal expenses in check.
Customizable Billing Guidelines
Organizations can tailor their billing guidelines to fit the specific demands of different types of legal work. By setting unique parameters for varying legal matters, companies can ensure that each type of service is billed appropriately. This customization aids in optimizing legal expenses and ensuring that no unnecessary costs slip through the cracks.
Advanced Forecasting and Accruals
Accurate forecasting is vital to managing legal budgets efficiently. Legal operations software provides the tools to anticipate future spend by offering insights into unbilled work. This visibility into pending invoices allows companies to better forecast their legal expenses, leading to more informed budgeting and financial planning.
Enhanced Spend Visibility and Control
Having a clear overview of where and how money is being spent is crucial for financial management. Legal operations software grants full visibility into legal expenditures, empowering companies to make data-driven decisions. This enhanced control supports strategic cost management, ensuring legal spend remains within budgetary limits.
By implementing a comprehensive legal operations tool, businesses gain not only financial oversight but also strategic advantages in managing their legal portfolios. This leads to reduced costs and optimized resource allocation.
The Role of AI in Legal Bill Review and Spend Management
Navigating the complexities of legal billing can be a daunting task. However, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing how organizations handle these challenges with greater efficiency and precision.
Streamlining Invoice Review
Forget the hassles of manual invoice scrutiny. AI technology takes the reins, ensuring that the entire process is seamless and error-free. Instead of relying on traditional methods such as email communication, AI-enabled platforms establish automated approval processes. They promptly notify relevant parties, such as external legal teams, while communicating essential financial information to your accounts department.
Enforcing Billing Guidelines
One of the standout features of AI in this domain is its capability to automate the enforcement of billing guidelines. By leveraging AI, companies can track their savings on external legal expenses effortlessly. The system meticulously compares law firm invoices against predefined billing protocols, pinpointing areas for cost reduction. This ensures that spending is minimized and individual cases remain within budgetary constraints.
Customized Legal Work Reviews
AI platforms offer the flexibility to develop tailored sets of billing guidelines suited to various types of legal tasks. This customization ensures that each category of work receives the appropriate level of review, further enhancing accuracy and control over legal expenditures.
Enhanced Forecasting and Visibility
With AI-driven insights, forecasting legal expenditures becomes more reliable. Accruals capabilities provide transparency into the work completed by external counsel that hasn’t yet been billed. This forward-looking approach affords organizations unprecedented visibility and command over their external legal budgets.
In essence, AI not only simplifies the intricacies of legal bill review but also empowers organizations to manage their legal spend with unparalleled efficiency and control.
How AI Technology Enhances Invoice Review in Legal Operations
In the realm of legal operations, the invoice review process can often be tedious and time-consuming. However, integrating artificial intelligence (AI) presents a transformative solution. Here's how:
- Automated Accuracy Checks
AI technology swiftly scans invoices, ensuring compliance with predetermined billing guidelines. This minimizes human errors and ensures consistency in the review process. - Streamlined Approval Workflows
With AI, you can establish automated approval workflows. This system eliminates bottlenecks by routing invoices to the right decision-makers at the right time, drastically cutting down on the delays associated with manual interventions. - Efficient Communication Channels
Instead of cumbersome back-and-forth email exchanges, AI facilitates automated notifications and updates. This allows for real-time communication with external legal teams, keeping everyone informed and up-to-date without unnecessary delays. - Data Integration and Reporting
AI seamlessly integrates with existing accounting systems, transferring necessary data effortlessly. This integration not only saves time but also ensures that financial records are accurate and up-to-date. - Insights and Forecasting
By analyzing historical billing data, AI can offer valuable insights and predictive analysis, aiding legal operations in budgeting and resource allocation with greater precision.
In summary, AI technology acts as a powerful tool in making invoice reviews in legal operations more efficient, accurate, and streamlined. It allows legal teams to focus on strategic tasks rather than getting bogged down by administrative duties.
Managing Relationships with Outside Counsel: Essential Tools in Legal Operations Software
When it comes to effectively managing relationships with outside counsel, legal operations software provides a robust suite of tools designed to streamline communication and enhance collaboration. Here's how these tools can make a difference:
- Centralized Document Management: Keep all necessary documents, like accruals and spend reports, organized and easily accessible in a single platform. This ensures that all parties have real-time access to critical information, eliminating delays and confusion.
- Customizable Compliance Guidelines: Tailor outside counsel guidelines to meet specific organizational needs. This customization ensures that both in-house teams and external partners are aligned, promoting smooth working relationships.
- Rate and Budget Management: Implement a system for submitting and approving rate requests from external timekeepers. This feature helps maintain financial oversight and ensures transparency in billing practices.
- Dedicated Communication Portals: Use secure portals for enhanced collaboration with outside counsel. These portals allow for efficient communication, document sharing, and task management, keeping all parties informed and engaged.
By leveraging these tools, your legal operations team can foster stronger partnerships with legal service providers, improving efficiency and outcomes.
How Legal Teams Can Customize Matter Intake Workflows
Customizing matter intake workflows is vital for legal teams aiming to efficiently gather the necessary information for various types of legal work. Here's how this can be achieved:
1. Understand the Specific Needs
- Identify Key Information: Start by determining what information is crucial for each type of legal matter. This may vary significantly between areas like intellectual property, litigation, and corporate law.
- Stakeholder Input: Engage team members and relevant stakeholders to gather insights on what data points are essential and what can be streamlined.
2. Implement Technology Solutions
- Use Legal Software Platforms: Utilize platforms like Clio, MyCase, or PracticePanther, which offer customizable templates to tailor data fields according to different legal requirements.
- Automation Tools: Leverage automation features to ensure that repetitive tasks are efficiently handled, reducing manual input errors and speeding up the intake process.
3. Develop Tailored Templates
- Create Specific Forms: Develop intake forms that cater to the peculiarities of each legal domain. This allows for more precise, relevant data collection.
- Dynamic Questioning: Incorporate conditional logic in your forms so that responses trigger additional questions, ensuring comprehensive data collection.
4. Foster Communication and Feedback
- Regular Team Meetings: Hold regular meetings to discuss the effectiveness of current workflows and explore potential enhancements.
- Client Feedback: Solicit feedback from clients about their intake experience to identify areas for improvement and make the process more client-focused.
5. Training and Adaptation
- Continuous Training: Ensure your legal team is well-trained in the use of new tools and workflows.
- Iterative Improvements: Regularly update and revise workflows based on legal changes and evolving client needs.
Customizing matter intake workflows effectively requires a blend of strategic planning, technology adoption, and consistent refinement. By adapting these practices, legal teams can enhance efficiency, accuracy, and client satisfaction.
Benefits of Assigning Matter Leads in Legal Operations
Assigning matter leads offers several advantages that can streamline and enhance legal operations.
Clear Allocation of Resources
By designating matter leads, you gain a detailed understanding of how your legal matters are divided between in-house teams and external legal counsel. This clarity helps in optimizing resource allocation by ensuring the right tasks are managed by the most suitable teams.
Improved Accountability and Efficiency
Matter leads serve as the main point of contact, making it easier to track progress and ensuring accountability. This centralized responsibility fosters efficient workflow management, as matter leads can oversee all aspects of a case or project, swiftly addressing issues and making informed decisions.
Enhanced Communication
With clear leads in place, communication channels are simplified. Internal teams and outside counsel know exactly who to contact for updates or discussions, reducing misunderstandings and delays that often arise from ambiguous reporting structures.
Better Financial Oversight
Having a lead on each matter facilitates thorough financial tracking and management. The matter leads can monitor expenses, compare them with budgets, and ensure cost-effectiveness, enhancing overall financial oversight.
Consistent Strategy Implementation
A designated matter lead ensures that strategic goals are consistently pursued across all phases of a case. This consistency helps in aligning the day-to-day activities with the broader objectives of the legal department, ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks.
Assigning matter leads in legal operations is a strategic move that enhances clarity, accountability, communication, financial management, and strategy implementation. These benefits collectively contribute to more effective and efficient legal management.
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