Workflow: Contract Approval + Digital Signature

Modules involved: Contracts · Document Management · Workflow Automation · Proposals
Who uses it: Legal, Account manager, Sales manager, Clients
Typical duration: 1 day – 2 weeks (depends on number of approvers)

Overview

The complete signing flow for a contractual document: from drafting from a template, through multi-level internal approval, to sending for the client's digital signature and archiving the signed contract. Unsigned or expired contracts generate automatic reminders.

Flow Diagram

[CONTRACT TEMPLATE]
  │  template library with merge fields
  │  ↓ Create contract (manual / from proposal / from opportunity)
  │
[CONTRACT — Draft]
  │  fields: subject, client, type, value, start/end date
  │  content: HTML with automatically populated merge fields
  │
  ├── [INTERNAL APPROVAL — optional]
  │     │  multi-level flow configured in Document Management
  │     │  wh_approval_setting → approvers notified
  │     │  approval status: pending → approved / rejected
  │     │  ↓ Internally approved → sent to client
  │
  ├── [SENT TO CLIENT]
  │     │  email with unique link (hash URL) + PDF attached
  │     │  client accesses portal with the received link
  │
  └── [CLIENT SIGNATURE]
        │  Method A: Digital signature in portal
        │            → signed = 1, signature = PNG file
        │            → dmg_approval_detail_eids: IP, timestamp, name
        │  Method B: Manual marking by agent
        │            → marked_as_signed = 1
        │
        ↓
[CONTRACT SIGNED ✓]
  │  locked for editing
  │  expiry alerts: isexpirynotified → email reminder
  │
[EXPIRY / RENEWAL]
  │  renew() → new contract with same clauses
  │  signature: retained (renew_keep_signature) or reset

Step by Step

1. Templates and Contract Types

Where: /admin/contracts/templates and /admin/contracts/types

Contract Types (`/admin/contracts/types`)

Classify contracts organizationally: NDA, Master Agreement, Service Agreement, Addendum, etc.
Each type can have a default content template.

Templates (`/admin/contracts/templates`)

Pre-drafted HTML documents with merge fields that are automatically populated when the contract is created:

2. Creating the Contract

Where: /admin/contracts

Creation sources:

• From accepted proposal → Create Contract button carries over the client and value
• From opportunity → via Contracts_opportunity_model
• Directly → /admin/contracts → Add Contract
• Vendor Documents → /admin/contracts_vendor (separate flow for vendors)

Key fields (tblcontracts):

At creation: signed = 0, marked_as_signed = 0, isexpirynotified = 0

3. Internal Approval (optional, via Document Management)

Where: /admin/document_management

If the organization requires internal review before sending to the client, the contract can be submitted to an approval flow configured in Document Management.

Flow configuration (dmg_approval_setting):

Approval process (dmg_approval_details):

Outcomes:

• Approved → contract is ready to send to the client
• Rejected → returned to the drafter with a note; edit + resubmit

4. Sending to the Client

Where: From the open contract → Send button

What happens:

1. Email generated from the contract_send_to_customer template with populated merge fields
2. If document_attachment_on_email = 1 → the contract PDF is attached to the email
3. Email contains a unique link: https://company.com/contract/{hash} — each contract has a distinct hash
4. Client accesses the link without authentication (hash = implicit authentication)

5. Client's Digital Signature

Where: Client portal (URL with unique hash)

Method A — Digital Signature:

1. Client reads the contract in the browser (HTML or PDF)
2. Draws their signature in the dedicated field (touchscreen/mouse canvas)
3. Clicks Accept & Sign
4. The system records in dmg_approval_detail_eids:

5. On the contract in the CRM: signed = 1, signature = {filename.png} (signature image)
6. Automatic notification sent to the responsible agent: "Contract X has been signed by the client"

Method B — Manual Marking:

The agent marks the contract as manually signed (e.g. received the physically signed contract):

• Mark as Signed button → marked_as_signed = 1
• Does not generate a digital signature file

Editing lock after signing:
If signed = 1 OR marked_as_signed = 1 → contract fields are locked and can no longer be modified. Any changes require an addendum (new contract or amendment).

6. Monitoring and Contract Expiry

Expiry reminders:

The system checks dateend daily on active contracts:

• If the deadline is approaching → email contract_expiration_reminder_to_customer sent to the client
• isexpirynotified = 1 set after sending (to avoid re-sending)

Renewal (renew()):

• A new contract is created with the same clauses, start date = current day
• The renew_keep_signature option:
  • 1 → signature is retained on the new contract
  • 0 → signature is reset: signed = 0, marked_as_signed = 0, signature = null

Client portal visibility:

• If not_visible_to_client = 0 → the client sees the contract in the portal
• The client can download the PDF and view the signing status

Contract Types in CRMConnect

Each type has its own model but the signing structure is identical.

Workflow Automation — Useful Automations

Combined with the Workflow Automation module, you can automate:

Trigger: Contract signed (signed = 1)
  → Action: Create implementation Project
  → Action: Send welcome email to client
  → Action: Notify delivery team

Trigger: dateend − 30 days
  → Action: Task "Contact client for renewal" → responsible agent
  → Action: Reminder email to client

Trigger: Contract rejected at internal approval
  → Action: Notify drafter + note with rejection reason

What Is Created Automatically

Points Where the Flow Can Block

Reports and Visibility

• Contract list — /admin/contracts — filter by type, client, signed status, period
• Expired contracts — filter by dateend < today
• Client activity — client record → Contracts tab — complete history

Modules Involved — Detailed Documentation

• Contracts
• Document Management
• Proposals
• Opportunities
• Workflow Automation
• Clients

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