The Signing flow is usually the first thing you select when creating a new case file.
The concept of Signing Flow includes;
- the signing roles
- the document types
- the order in which the signers receive the signing request and sign.
What is a signing flow, and how does it work?
The signing flow determines which signers (based on their role) should sign which document types and in what order.
In other words, a signing flow consists of the combination of Roles, Document types, and Rounds.
Note that it is not mandatory to use all document types and signers' roles. However, you must choose at least one signable document type for your case file with a suitable signer. Every case file needs to have at least one document to be signed and at least one recipient with a signer's role.
Here's an explanation of the meaning of the terms used so far:
- Roles are assigned to signers. They determine what documents the signers will sign and in what round. You can assign multiple roles to the same signer; however, if the different roles assigned to a person involve the signing during different rounds, the same person might have to sign multiple times. You can rename roles as shown in this guide: How to change the name of a signer's role. Note that changing the name of a role does not change its 'behavior' - i.e., the rules that apply to that role in terms of documents that have to be signed and order of signing.
- Document types are simply meant to help you set up the signing flow and assign documents for signature to each signer. Document types are only visible to you - the signers will not see them. Therefore, if you find a fitting document type whose default name does not match your specific document, you can still use it without affecting the final result (i.e., the persons who will sign it and the order of signatures).
- Rounds determine the order in which the documents are signed. When viewing a signing flow, the numbers in the tab refer to the rounds - i.e., the sequence/order in which the corresponding signer's roles will sign the documents. Besides, they also show the relationship between signing roles and document types. In other words, if a cell in the table is empty (with no number), it means that the signer in the corresponding column will not sign the document in the corresponding row.
Here is an example of a simple signing flow:
- the columns refer to the signers' roles,
- the rows refer to the document types,
- the numbers have the dual function of indicating that a certain signer must sign a certain document and in which round the signature must occur.
In this example, there is a document that needs to be signed by all signers (see 1st row) in sequential order (signer 1 has to sign first, signer 2 has to sign second, etc.).
Therefore, the signing flow will proceed as follows: Signer 1 will receive the signing request for the document he has to sign; after he has signed, Signer 2 will receive the signing request to sign that same document; lastly, Signer 3 will receive the signing request to sign that same document.
Because of the Rounds, Signer 2 won’t receive a signing request until Signer 1 has signed, and so on.
If there are two signers with the role of Signer 1, they both must sign for Round one to be over and for Round two to start.
As you can see in the table, the other 3 documents don't need to be signed by all signatories but by only one signer per document (signer 1 has to sign document 1, signer 2 has to sign document 2, etc.).
Some signing flows are more complex, like the signing flow of an annual report that you can see below:
In this example (the annual report signing flow), the signers with the Accountant's role have to sign in Round 2; so, they won't receive a signing link until all the signers required to sign in Round 1 have signed.
If you find your company in need of a new signing flow that answers your specific needs, please do not hesitate to contact us by submitting a request to our Support team, and we will help you find an accommodating signing flow.
Note that the request for a new signing flow needs to be done by an administrator. Depending on your agreement with Penneo, additional fees for executing this task might be due.
Where do I find signing flows?
If you use the Penneo Web Interface
On the first page of the creation of a new case file, you can see the Signing Flow field right under the Title field. To view the signing flow:
- Select a case file type.
- Once selected, click the question mark next to Signing Flow. A tab similar to the examples in this article will appear, explaining how that specific signing flow works (i.e., linking the signers' roles to the documents they are to sign and indicating the round for each signature).
If you use Penneo's Desktop Application
On the first page of the creation of a new case file, you can see the Case file type field right below the Case file name. To view the signing flow:
- Select a case file type.
- Once selected, click the question mark next to Choose case file type. A tab similar to the examples in this article will appear, explaining how that specific signing flow works (i.e., linking the signers' roles to the documents they are to sign and indicating the round for each signature).
Read more about Penneo's Desktop Application here: How to install, set up, and use the Desktop Application to create a case file.