Contract Lifecycle Management Control Panel

Introduction

The Control Panel in CLM provides a suite of no-code tools that act as a one-stop-shop for privileged business users to create, define, and manage the various contract types, templates, tasks, workflows, and review rules specific to your organization and its contract lifecycle management process. The configurations made here will govern how contract workers interact with and carry out their daily responsibilities in your CLM solution.

To access the Control Panel, ensure you have been added to the proper user group with the appropriate permissions.

The Control Panel consists of five different pages:

Page Name	Description
Contracts	Landing page for all privileged business users upon navigating to the Control Panel site. This page is where you'll create and manage the contract categories and types for your organization. You can also use this page to drill-down into your categories and types to configure custom data fields, interfaces for intake forms and display, default values, and workflows.
Tasking	Nested page group consisting of two pages: Tasks and Task Blocks. Use these pages to configure the tasks and task blocks specific to the various workflows and contract types for your organization.
Review Rules	This page is where you'll create and manage the various internal review rules, which define the necessary reviews and reviewers for contracts of different attributes.
Templates	This page is where you'll upload and manage the contract template documents that are assigned to specific contract types and used in the contract creation process by contract workers.
Alerts	This page is where you'll create and configure email alerts that are sent based on key contract dates.

Contract categories and contract types

Contract categories allow for contract types to be organized into logical groupings within your CLM solution.

Contract types allow your organization to define the expected business process and data collection needs for each of the different types of contracts you need to track and manage as they move through their lifecycle.

Both contract categories and contract types are managed on the Contracts page of the Control Panel.

Configure contract categories

To create and configure contract categories:

1. Click CREATE and select Contract Category to open the Create Contract Category wizard.

   

2. In the Name field, enter a name for the category.
3. In the Web Address Identifier field, enter a unique identifier.
4. (Optional) In the Description field, enter a short description.
5. From the Color options, select a color for the contract category.
6. From the Icon dropdown, select an icon for the contract category.
7. Click CREATE.
   • To create this category and immediately add another, click CREATE ANOTHER.

Configure contract types

To create a contract type:

1. Click CREATE and select Contract Type to open the Create Contract Type wizard.
2. In the Name field, enter a name for the contract type.
3. In the Web Address Identifier field, enter a unique identifier.
4. (Optional) In the Description field, enter a short description.
5. From the Color options, select a color for the contract type.
6. From the Icon dropdown, select an icon for the contract type.
7. Click CREATE.
   • To create this contract type and immediately add another, click CREATE ANOTHER.

Each contract type has its own page. The page for each contract type in CLM is pre-configured with five tabs:

• Overview
• Data
• Interfaces
• Details
• Workflow

The Overview, Data, and Interfaces tabs are available for Contract Types, Categories, and All Contracts. The Details and Workflow tabs are only available for Contract Types.

Overview tab

The following image highlights the actions you can do in the Overview tab in a contract type:

#	Action
1	View the contract type name and description.
2	Update the contract type properties.

Data tab

On the Data tab, you can customize and extend the out-of-the-box data model by adding fields to be captured along with the base record for the contract type.

The following image highlights the actions you can do in the Data tab in a contract type:

#	Action
1	View data fields for the contract type.
2	Create new data fields for the contract type.
3	Update data fields for the contract type.
4	View common data fields for all contract types.
5	Create new common data fields for all contract types.
6	Update common data fields for all contract types.

Data fields can be added at three levels:

Data field level	Description
Contract Type	Configurations apply only to contracts created for the contract type.
Category	Configurations apply to any contract types within the category.
All Contract Types	Configurations apply globally to all contracts regardless of category or type.

Add custom data fields

Custom data fields allow you to extend the data model of the CLM solution in a no-code way.

Additional data fields can be added at three levels.

Contract Type	Creating a data field at the contract type level restricts the collection of the data field to the contract type it is related to.
Category	Creating a data field at the category level allows for it to be collected and modified across any of the contract types within the category.
All Contract Types	Creating a data field at the all contract types data level allows for it to be collected and modified in any contract type across categories.

The CLM solution ships with a number of custom data fields out-of-the-box set up at the All Contract data level so they can be used in any contract type if needed.

Name	Type
Start Date	Date
End Date	Date
Is Auto Renewal	Boolean
Termination Notice Period	Number (Integer)
Signature Requested By	Date
Department	Choice List
Total Contract Value	Number (Decimal)
Amendment Value	Number (Decimal)
Currency	Choice List
Additional Information	Long Text

To add custom data fields:

1. Click Plus iconADD DATA FIELDS.
2. For each new data field, enter a Field Name and select a Field Type.
3. To add more fields, click Plus iconAdd field.
4. Review and update your new data fields as needed, then click ADD.

Interfaces tab

After you've created your custom data fields to allow you to collect important data for each contract type, you need to configure forms and interfaces that collect, display, and edit that information.

The Interfaces tab on each contract type allows you to choose which custom data fields to display for contracts of each contract type and the order in which they should display.

The contract types shipped with the CLM solution are pre-configured to display all of the custom data fields collected. Additional customization has been made to certain fields to define display formatting.

Edit forms allow contract workers to update any of the custom data collected at contract creation. The CLM solution ships with editable forms containing all custom fields collected during contract creation. Fields can be added and removed as needed to adhere to your organization's business policies.

The following image highlights the different interface types you can configure in the Interfaces tab:

#	Interface type use
1	Create interfaces are presented to contract initiators as part of the Create Contract and Create Amendment forms.
2	Edit interfaces are presented to contract workers upon selecting Update Additional Information from a contract Summary.
3	Display interfaces are presented as the Information section on a contract Summary.

Interfaces and forms shared between contract types and categories in the CLM Workspace are shared in an additive style, meaning that they build off of one another. To learn more about how interfaces and forms are displayed and used in the Control Panel workspace, see the control panel object page.

See Interfaces to learn about the types of interfaces.

To configure a form:

1. Navigate to the Interfaces tab.
2. Select an interface such as Intake Form, Edit Form or Summary Page to configure or update it.
3. To update any of the existing fields, click into them.
4. To add fields, drag and drop a selection from the Data menu.
5. To add a heading, rich text, or a column, drag and drop a selection from the Layout menu.
6. To add additional sections, click Plus icon.
7. Click SAVE when finished.

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Details tab

On the Details tab you can view and update metadata and default values for the contract type.

The following image highlights the actions you can do in the Details tab in a contract type:

#	Action
1	Update contract type details.
2	View contract type details.
3	View contract type default values.

Workflow tab

The Workflow tab in CLM allows your organization to define expected business processes using tasks and milestones to help you drive operational consistency, compliance, and efficiency.

You can configure reusable tasks prior to creating a workflow or you can create them on-the-fly within the task list for the workflow.

Milestones are optional and can be created for each contract type based on your organization's needs. Tasks related to particular milestones are meant to provide contract workers visibility into a contract's progress as it moves through the lifecycle.

Before you start creating the tasks and milestones for your workflows, it is helpful to consider and document your business processes to identify the attributes that typically introduce variability in your processes.

The following image highlights the actions you can do in the Workflow tab in a contract type:

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#	Action
1	View the list of tasks in the contract type workflow.
2	Configure the contract type workflow.
3	View milestones.
4	Update milestones.
5	View a visualization of how activities connect together to form the contract type workflow.

Configure a new workflow

If the contract type does not yet have a workflow started:

1. Click CONFIGURE WORKFLOW.
2. Click ADD TASKS.
   1. You can select an existing task or task block from the list or click + CREATE TASK to create a new task on-the-fly. See Tasks and task blocks for more information on creating tasks.
3. Click ADD when you are finished adding or creating tasks.
4. Click each task to complete additional configurations such as milestones and dependents.
   1. Click Blue Edit icon to create and modify milestones for the contract type.
   2. Click Plus icon in a circle ADD DEPENDENT to define a task that should be made ready on completion of the task.
5. Click UPDATE to save and return to the Workflow tab of the contract type.

If a workflow was started for the contract type, complete the following steps to add milestones or tasks.

To add milestones:

1. Click Update in the Milestones section.
2. Click Plus icon in a circle ADD MILESTONE.
3. Click UPDATE.

To add tasks:

1. Click Update in the Tasks section.
2. Click Plus icon in a circle ADD TASKS.
   1. You can select an existing task or task block from the list or click Plus icon in a circle CREATE TASK to create a new task on-the-fly. See Tasks and task blocks for more information on creating tasks.
3. Click ADD when you are finished adding or creating tasks.

Tasking

Tasks in CLM are the main driver of activity in your contract lifecycle management workflows. They are meant to represent the work and activities contract workers need to complete throughout the lifecycle of a contract.

You can configure and manage all tasks and task blocks for your CLM solution using the two tabs, Tasks and Task Blocks, found within the Tasking page.

Tasks

Tasks are steps in a workflow that represent the actions taken by contract workers or other users.

The following image highlights the actions you can do in the Tasks tab:

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#	Action
1	View recently created or updated tasks.
2	View all tasks.
3	Create new tasks.
4	Search and filter for tasks.
5	Update tasks.
6	Deactivate tasks.

Create tasks

To create a task:

1. Click CREATE TASK.
2. In the Create Task dialog, configure the task properties.
3. When finished, click CREATE.

Task properties

The following table describes each of the task properties you can configure when creating a task:

Property	Description
Name	The name of the task.
Task Type	The kind of activity the task represents. There are six task types: Confirmation, Decision, Document Upload, Send for Signature, Upload Contract Version, and Upload Signed Contract.</br> Note: You cannot update the task type once the task is created. See Task types below for more details on the different task types.
Default Assigned Group	The group that has permission to perform this task, unless otherwise specified.
SLA (in days)	The service level agreement applied to the task, calculated in business (working) days.
Question	This option only displays when the Task Type is Decision and is a required property. Contract workers will be required to answer this question.
Response Options	This option only displays when the Task Type is Decision and the values are meant to be options that contract workers can use to respond to the entered question. See Question property.
Status	This option only displays when the Task Type is Upload Signed Contract. Select Partially Signed or Fully Executed.
Description	Optional field. Enter additional details that may be helpful to the user when completing this task.

Task types

The following table describes each task type you can choose when creating a task:

Task Type	Description
Confirmation	Allows the user to indicate they completed the assigned task.
Decision	Allows privileged business users to define a question and up to five response options. When added to a task block or a contract type workflow, each response option can be mapped to other tasks in the workflow. Upon successful completion of this task type, the tasks mapped to each response option are automatically made ready as appropriate.
Document Upload	Allows the assigned user to upload one or multiple documents that may be required as part of the expected contract business process.
Send for Signature	This task has two different methods: Send Automated Email for eSignature or Draft Individual Email for Signature. Send Automated Email for eSignature allows contract personnel to automate much of the signing process using the Docusign integration capabilities. Draft Individual Email for Signature allows the assigned user to fill out email contents when completing the task. For example, subject, to, CC, latest contract version. When the user then submits the task, CLM will send an email with the email contents provided by the user.
Upload Contract Version	Allows the assigned user to upload a new contract version at defined points in the contract lifecycle process. For example: at drafting, during review, and after negotiation.
Upload Signed Contract	Allows contract workers to upload a partially or fully signed contract. When the task is created, you have the option to indicate whether the uploaded document is expected to be fully or partially executed.

Task blocks

Task blocks are groups of single tasks chained together in a sequence to create flexible pathways within a workflow.

The following image highlights the actions you can do in the Task Blocks tab:

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#	Action
1	View the recently created or updated task blocks and visualizations of how the tasks are connected in each task block.
2	View all task blocks and their details.
3	Create new task blocks.
4	Search and filter task blocks.
5	Update task blocks.
6	Deactivate task blocks.

Create task blocks

To create a task block:

1. Click CREATE TASK BLOCK.
2. Enter a name and description for the task block. Click NEXT.
3. Click ADD TASKS.
4. You have the option to add existing tasks to the task block or create new tasks.
   1. To create a new task, click Plus icon in a circle CREATE TASK.
5. When you are finished adding tasks, click ADD.
6. On the following screen, you can reorder the sequence of tasks as needed.
7. Click on any task to view and configure its details.
8. You can update the Assigned Group and SLA values.
9. To add a dependent task, click + ADD DEPENDENT in Workflow Settings.

   Note:  For Decision task types, Workflow Settings and Dependents are added by default using the question and response values from the task type.

10. Select a task from the Leads Into dropdown to designate the next task(s) to be readied upon the task's completion.
11. Click CREATE.

Once created, the task block can be added to workflows for contract types.

Review rules

Review rules allow your organization to designate the appropriate teams and people for contract reviews based on specific contract attributes.

You can define review rules based on the following contract attributes:

• Category
• Contract type
• Department
• Total contract value

You can configure as many reviews as needed for a review rule. Each review can be completed independently or you can make reviews dependent on other reviews using the Needs to be completed before dropdown. This allows you to define a sequential order in which the reviews must be completed.

The CLM solution comes with a Default Review rule to be presented to contract workers when a contract submitted for review does not match the conditions of any other existing and active review rules.

The following image highlights the actions you can do in the Review Rules page:

#	Action
1	View the recently created or updated review rules.
2	Search review rules.
3	Filter review rules by status.
4	Create review rules.
5	Update review rules.

Create a review rule

To create a review rule:

1. From the Review Rules page, click Plus icon CREATE REVIEW RULE.
2. Enter a Rule Name for the review rule.
3. To create an inactive rule, clear the Active checkbox. The Status is set to Active by default.
4. Define the Conditions that must be met to trigger the reviews.
   1. You can Match All Conditions or Match Any Conditions.
5. Enter as many Reviews as necessary for the review rule.
6. Click CREATE.

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Templates

Contract templates allow your organization to ensure contracts for each contract type are created using standard, pre-approved language that meets your organizational standards.

The Templates page is where you'll upload and manage your organization's contract templates for contract workers to use when requesting and creating contracts in the CLM solution.

#	Action
1	View the recently created or updated templates.
2	Search and filter templates.
3	Upload templates.
4	Update templates.

Upload templates

To upload a new template:

1. From the Templates page, click UPLOAD TEMPLATE.
2. Enter a Template Name.
3. Select a Contract Type from the dropdown.
4. Click UPLOAD to select and upload the file in the Contract Template field.

   Note:  Templates must be in .DOCX format and less than 20MB.

5. To make the template unavailable for creating contracts, uncheck the Status checkbox. The Status defaults to checked for Active.

   Note:  If you uncheck the Active box, contract requestors do not see this template when creating contracts.

6. Click SAVE.

Automatically populate placeholders

CLM provides the ability to automatically populate contracts with information captured in the contract intake form using dynamic placeholders.

For a list of supported placeholders and their corresponding data fields that you can add to your templates, click the Download supported data fields link.

Add as necessary to your contract template.

See Custom Template Placeholders for instructions for an Appian Designer and Privileged Business User to modify the CLM solution to support additional placeholders.

Alerts

Contract alerts enable you to configure email notifications for the right stakeholders to increase visibility of contracts based on key dates. For example, alerts can be configured to notify key stakeholders as contracts approach their end date to ensure timely renewal of contracts without a lapse in contract coverage and service. Contract alerts also increase visibility for contracts with auto-renewal terms, enabling the termination of unfavorable contracts before the enterprise is locked into another term.

The following image highlights the actions you can do in the Review Rules page:

#	Action
1	View the recently created or updated alerts.
2	Search and filter alerts.
3	Create alerts.
4	Update alerts.

Create an alert

To create a new contract alert:

1. From the Alerts page, click Plus iconCREATE ALERT.
2. In the Alert Name field, enter a name for the alert.
3. In the Email Subject field, enter the subject line that appears in the email notification.
4. Under Status, select Active to enable the alert or Inactive to save it for later use.
5. Select Send to the contract's assigned group to send the alert to the contract's assigned group.

   Note:  Contract assignees will always receive alerts.

6. In the Additional Users auto-suggest field, enter the names of up to 9 additional users who must receive the alert.
7. From the Which contract date is the alert based on? dropdown, select the relevant contract date the alert is based on, such as Creation Date or End Date.
8. Under When should the alert be sent?, choose one of the following:
   1. Before the date: Sends the alert before the date selected in step 7.
      1. In the resulting How many days before? field, enter the number of days to send the alert prior to the selected contract date.
   2. After the date: Sends the alert after the date selected in step 7.
      1. In the How many days after? field, enter the number of days to send the alert after the selected contract date.
   3. On the date: Sends the alert on the date selected in step 7.
9. Click CREATE to save the alert or CANCEL to discard the changes.

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