Contract Lifecycle & Stages
Every contract follows a defined lifecycle with clear stages. Understanding these stages helps you track where each contract stands and what actions are available at each point.
Stage Overview
| Stage | Description | Color |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Contract has been generated but not yet sent to participants | Grey |
| Sent | Contract has been emailed to all participants | Blue |
| In Progress | At least one participant has taken action (but not all) | Blue |
| Review | All participants have signed; awaiting admin review/completion | Amber |
| Completed | Contract is fully signed and finalized | Green |
| Voided | Contract has been cancelled by an administrator | Red |
| Declined | One or more participants have declined the contract | Orange |
Stage Flow Diagram
Draft --> Sent --> In Progress --> Review --> Completed
| | | |
| | | +--> Voided
| | |
| | +--> Declined --> (Resend) --> Sent
| |
| +--> Voided
|
+--> Voided
+--> DeletedDetailed Stage Descriptions
Draft
- How you get here: A contract is created via the wizard.
- What you can do: Send, void, delete, edit participant emails, Edit contract (title, signers, fee schedule, field overrides).
- Next stage: Sent (when you send the contract) or Voided/Deleted.
Sent
- How you get here: An administrator sends the contract to participants.
- What happens: All participants receive an email with a link to view and respond.
- What you can do: Resend, void, edit participant emails.
- Next stage: In Progress (when a participant takes action) or Voided.
In Progress
- How you get here: At least one participant has signed, but not all participants have responded.
- What happens: The system tracks individual participant responses.
- What you can do: Resend to pending participants, void.
- Next stage: Review (when all participants sign), Declined (when a participant declines), or Voided.
Review
- How you get here: All participants have signed the contract.
- What happens: The contract is ready for final admin review before completion.
- What you can do: Complete (if a signed copy has been uploaded), void.
- Next stage: Completed or Voided.
TIP
The Review stage acts as a checkpoint. Even though all participants have signed, an administrator must explicitly complete the contract. This allows for a final review of the signed documents before marking the contract as finalized.
Completed
- How you get here: An administrator marks a reviewed contract as complete.
- What happens: The contract is finalized. A
completed_attimestamp is recorded. - What you can do: View and download documents. No further stage changes.
- This is a terminal stage.
Voided
- How you get here: An administrator voids the contract at any stage before completion.
- What happens: The contract is cancelled. A
voided_attimestamp is recorded. - What you can do: View for reference. No further stage changes.
- This is a terminal stage.
WARNING
Voiding a contract is permanent. Once voided, a contract cannot be reopened. If the enrollment should proceed, create a new contract.
Declined
- How you get here: One or more participants decline the contract.
- What happens: A
declined_attimestamp and optionaldeclined_noteare recorded. - What you can do: Resend the contract (resets all participant statuses to Pending) or void it.
- Next stage: Sent (if resent) or Voided.
Timestamps
The system records timestamps for key lifecycle events:
| Field | When Recorded |
|---|---|
created_at | When the contract was generated |
sent_at | When the contract was first sent |
completed_at | When an admin marked it complete |
voided_at | When the contract was voided |
declined_at | When a participant declined |
last_changed_at | The most recent stage transition |
Participant Status vs Contract Stage
It is important to understand the distinction:
- Participant status tracks individual responses: Pending, Signed, Declined.
- Contract stage is the overall contract state, derived from the aggregate of participant statuses and admin actions.
For example, a contract with three participants where two have signed and one is pending would be in the In Progress stage.
Available Actions by Stage
| Action | Draft | Sent | In Progress | Review | Completed | Voided | Declined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Send/Resend | Yes | Yes | Yes | -- | -- | -- | Yes |
| Resend to all pending | -- | Yes | Yes | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Complete | -- | -- | -- | Yes | -- | -- | -- |
| Void | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | -- | -- | -- |
| Delete | Yes | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Edit contract | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | -- | -- | Yes |
| Switch delivery channel | -- | Yes | Yes | -- | -- | -- | Yes |
| Edit emails | Yes | Yes | Yes | -- | -- | -- | -- |