---
title: "E-Signature Flow/Groups"
slug: "e-signature-flow-groups-1"
updated: 2026-10-29T17:01:15Z
published: 2026-10-29T17:01:15Z
canonical: "wiki.cobblestonesoftware.com/e-signature-flow-groups-1"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://wiki.cobblestonesoftware.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# E-Signature Flow/Groups

**COBBLESTONE SOFTWARE**

Contract Insight — User Guide

**E-Signature Flow/Groups**

*Document Templates Management › Managing Generated Document E-Approvals & E-Signatures › E-Signature Flow/Groups*

**Note:** Each procedure in this guide begins at the Contract Insight homepage, so any section can be followed on its own. Custom fields are configurable, so the exact field list on a contract category record may vary between environments.

# 1. Overview

Signature flow/groups define **who signs** a generated document and **in what order**. They work the same way as approval flow/groups: signers are organized into numbered **steps** (signing groups). Everyone within a step signs in parallel, and the steps run one after another.

Signing steps are built once in a shared **signing process** under **Administration → Approval & Signing Processes**. Each document template that follows the process copies its steps onto every document generated from it, and the **Document Templates** grid's **Signatures** column reports whether a template has e-signatures **On**, with its step count. After a document is generated, its signing groups can still be adjusted until the process starts, and the running process shows its progress in the **Groups and participants** section.

# 2. Key Elements

- **Approval & Signing Processes page:** lists every shared process with its **For** (record type), **Kind** (Approval or Signing), **Steps**, **Templates** (how many templates follow it), and **Status**. Use the **Show** filter (**All**, **Approval**, **Signing**) and **+ New process**.
- **Who signs, and in what order:** the step list on a signing process. Each step card has **Edit**, **Signer**, **Rules**, **Copy**, and **Delete** buttons, badges for the status set on completion and the reminder schedule, and a table of signers (**Title (Signature Placeholder)**, **Source**, **Signer**, **Reason**).
- **Signer sources:** **Employees**, **Roles & Groups**, or **Vendor/Customer Contacts**.
- **Document Templates grid – Signatures column:** shows **Off** or **On · *n* steps** for each template.
- **Template E-Signatures tab:** under the template's **Approvals & signing** stage; turns on **Use E-Signatures** and selects the **Signature process** the template follows.
- **Signatures section on a generated document:** the document's **Signing groups**, editable until the process starts.
- **Groups and participants:** the live view of a running signature process, showing the current group and each participant's status.

# 3. Navigating to Approval & Signing Processes

1. From the Contract Insight homepage, click the **Administration** icon at the bottom of the left navigation bar.
2. Type **signing** in the **Search administration** box (or scroll to **Templates & Presentation**) and click **Approval & Signing Processes**.

![Administration page with the signing search and Approval & Signing Processes card highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/esig-01-admin-search(1).png)

1. Click **Signing** in the **Show** filter to list only signing processes. Each row shows how many steps the process has and how many templates follow it.

![Approval & Signing Processes list filtered to Signing, with New process, Manage, Steps and Templates highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/esig-02-process-list(1).png)

# 4. Creating a Signing Process

1. Navigate to **Administration → Approval & Signing Processes** (see Section 3) and click **+ New process**.
2. Enter a **Name** and, optionally, a **Description**.
3. In **For**, choose the record type the process applies to (for example, Contracts).
4. Set **Kind** to **Signing**.
5. Leave **Available to attach to templates** selected so templates can follow the process.
6. Click **Save**.

![New process window with Name, Description, For, Kind, Available to attach to templates, and Save highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/esig-03-new-process.png)

**Note:** A new process starts with no steps. Click **Manage** on its row and continue with Section 5 to add signing steps.

# 5. Adding Signature Steps (Groups)

1. On the **Approval & Signing Processes** page, click **Manage** on the signing process.
2. Review the yellow banner. Changes made here apply to **every template** that follows this process, and the banner lists those templates.
3. Click **Add step**.

![Signing process page with the shared-process banner, Add step, and step card buttons highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/esig-04-process-steps.png)

1. In the **Add signature step** form, enter a **Step name** and, optionally, a **Description**.
2. Confirm the **Sequence**. It defaults to the next step number; steps run in sequence order.
3. Optionally choose a **Set status on complete** value to update the record's status when the step finishes.
4. Optionally set **Reminders**: the number of **days** after the invite and the maximum number of **times** to remind. Leave blank for no reminders.
5. Click **Save step**.

![Add signature step form with step fields and Save step highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/esig-05-add-step.png)

# 6. Adding Signers to a Step

1. On the signing process, click **Signer** on the step card.
2. Choose the **Signer source**: **Employees**, **Roles & Groups**, or **Vendor/Customer Contacts**.
3. Select the **Signer**.
4. Enter a **Title**. The title must be unique per template because the signature field in the document binds to it.
5. Enter a **Reason** (for example, “Please review and sign”).
6. Leave **Locked** selected if the signer can't be removed from a generated document.
7. Click **Add signer**.

![Add a signer form with Signer button, signer fields, and Add signer highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/esig-06-add-signer.png)

**Note:** Add more than one signer to a step to have them sign in parallel. Add a separate step when one signer must wait for another.

# 7. Managing Existing Steps

Each step card on a signing process has these controls:

- **Edit:** change the step name, description, sequence, completion status, or reminders.
- **Signer:** add another signer to the step (see Section 6).
- **Rules:** set conditions that decide when the step is included (see below).
- **Copy:** duplicate the step and its signers.
- **Delete:** remove the step.
- On each signer row, the **filter** icon sets rules for that signer and the **trash** icon removes the signer.

## 7a. Setting Step Rules

1. Click **Rules** on the step card. The **When this group applies** panel opens.
2. With no conditions, the step is part of every signature process generated from the template. Add conditions to include the step only when the record matches.
3. Click **Save rules**.

![When this group applies rules panel with Save rules highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/esig-07-step-rules.png)

**Note:** Conditions are built from the template's merge fields. If the panel reports that there are no merge fields, add them to the template first.

# 8. Attaching a Signing Process to a Document Template

## 8a. Checking the Signatures Column

1. From the Contract Insight homepage, click the **Administration** icon and select **Document Templates**.
2. Review the **Signatures** column (scroll the grid to the right if it isn't visible). **On · *n* steps** means the template routes generated documents for signature; **Off** means it doesn't.

![Document Templates grid with the Signatures column and a template Open button highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/esig-08-templates-signatures-column.png)

## 8b. Enabling E-Signatures on a Template

1. On the **Document Templates** page, click **Open** on the template.
2. Click stage **3 Approvals & signing**, then click the **E-Signatures** tab.
3. Next to **Use E-Signatures**, select **Enabled**. Optionally select **Allow direct signing**.
4. In **Signature process**, select the signing process to follow.
5. Click **Save signature settings**.

![Template Approvals & signing stage, E-Signatures tab, with Use E-Signatures, Signature process, and Save signature settings highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/esig-09-template-esignatures.png)

**Note:** The **Who signs, and in what order** list on the template is a read-only preview of the shared process. To change the steps, click **Open the process to change them**, keeping in mind that changes affect every template that follows the process.

# 9. Adjusting Signing Groups on a Generated Document

1. Open the record (for example, a contract) and click the **Attachments & Templates** tab.
2. In **Merged Document Templates → Saved documents**, find the generated document. Click **Signatures** to see a quick summary of who has signed, or click the **Manage** (gear) icon to open the document.

![Record Attachments & Templates tab with a saved document Signatures button, Manage icon, and signature summary highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/esig-10-saved-documents.png)

1. On the document page, expand **Signatures**. The **Signing groups** table lists each group, its participants, and its **Origin** (for example, from template).
2. Until the process starts, click **Add group** to add a group, **Edit** to change a group, the **participants** icon to add participants, or the **trash** icon to remove a group.

![Generated document Signatures section with Signing groups actions, participants, and Add group highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/esig-11-signing-groups.png)

# 10. Monitoring a Running Signature Process

1. On the generated document page, expand **Processes on this document** and click **Open** on the **Signatures** process.
2. Review the summary (**Status**, **Groups** finalized, **Participants**, **Files**).
3. In **Groups and participants**, the **current group** badge marks the step that is active now. Each participant shows their status, source, and title.
4. Use **Add participant** to add a signer to a group, or **Resend** to resend the group's notifications.
5. Use **Pause**, **Cancel process**, or **Finalize** at the top of the page to control the whole process.

![Signature process page with process controls, summary, Groups and participants, Add participant, and Resend highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/esig-12-groups-participants.png)

**Note:** The example shown was cancelled before it started, so its controls are unavailable. On an active process, **Add participant**, **Resend**, **Pause**, **Cancel process**, and **Finalize** are enabled.

# 11. Quick Reference Summary

| Task | How to Complete It |
| --- | --- |
| Open the signing processes list | Administration → Approval & Signing Processes → Show: Signing. |
| Create a signing process | + New process → enter Name, choose For, set Kind to Signing → Save. |
| Add a signing step (group) | Manage on the process → Add step → enter Step name, Sequence, completion status, reminders → Save step. |
| Add a signer to a step | Signer on the step card → choose Signer source and Signer, enter Title and Reason → Add signer. |
| Make a step conditional | Rules on the step card → add conditions → Save rules. |
| See which templates have signatures | Administration → Document Templates → Signatures column (Off / On · n steps). |
| Turn on e-signatures for a template | Open the template → 3 Approvals & signing → E-Signatures tab → Use E-Signatures: Enabled → choose Signature process → Save signature settings. |
| Change signing groups on one document | Record → Attachments & Templates → Saved documents → Manage → Signatures → Add group / Edit. |
| Track a running signature process | Document page → Processes on this document → Open → Groups and participants. |