---
title: "Layering Processes"
slug: "layering-processes-1"
updated: 2026-10-01T17:50:45Z
published: 2026-10-29T16:29:08Z
canonical: "wiki.cobblestonesoftware.com/layering-processes-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.

# Layering Processes

**COBBLESTONE SOFTWARE**

Contract Insight — User Guide

**Layering Processes**

*03. Admin User Manual › VISDOM & Risk Management › Layering Processes*

**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

Rather than a single one-shot action, VISDOM's work on a document is organized as a sequence of layered steps that the **Edit with VISDOM** workbench exposes as its own tabs: **Next steps** (an at-a-glance summary of what VISDOM found and suggests doing next), **Record** (a field-by-field “On the record” vs. “In the document” comparison with Copy / Keep the record’s / Use the document’s actions), **Changes** (tracking what has been modified), a **VISDOM Tools** dropdown (Found Clauses, Ask VISDOM, Negotiation brief), and **Playbook** (scoring every clause in a chosen playbook against the document). Each tab layers a different kind of analysis on top of the same source document — extraction, comparison, clause review, and playbook scoring — so a reviewer can move through them in sequence rather than getting one flat result. The workbench is opened from a record’s **Actions → Update with VISDOM** menu; Word documents open for editing, and PDFs open for VISDOM analysis.

# 2. Key Elements

- The Edit with VISDOM workbench splits analysis into layered tabs: **Next steps**, **Record**, **Changes**, **VISDOM Tools**, and **Playbook** (plus **More → Key Info**).
- Each layer builds on the same uploaded document: extraction feeds the Record comparison, which feeds clause review and Playbook scoring.
- Lets a reviewer move step by step from “what changed” to “what does it mean” rather than a single combined report.
- The document stays open on the left of the workbench while each layer is shown in the panel on the right.

# 3. Opening the Edit with VISDOM Workbench

The workbench is launched from the record that the document belongs to. The **Which document?** screen lists every document on the record: Word documents show **Edit with VISDOM**, and PDFs show **Analyze with VISDOM**. A new Word, .rtf, .txt, or PDF file (up to 30 MB) can also be dropped here; it is added to the record and opens straight away.

1. From the homepage, open the contract record (for example, **Requests/Contracts → Contracts**, then click **Manage** on the record).
2. Click **Actions** and select **Update with VISDOM**.

![Contract record Actions menu with Update with VISDOM highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/lp-01-actions-update-with-visdom.png)

1. On the **Which document?** screen, confirm the **Record**, and optionally click the **VISDOM TOOLS** feature selector to choose which extraction features run.

![Select features dialog for VISDOM tools](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/lp-03-select-features.png)

1. Click **Edit with VISDOM** (Word) or **Analyze with VISDOM** (PDF) next to the document. The workbench opens on the **Next steps** tab.

![Edit with VISDOM+ IntelliXtract document picker with Edit with VISDOM highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/lp-02-choose-document.png)

# 4. Layer 1 — Reviewing Next Steps

The **Next steps** tab is the starting layer. It summarizes what VISDOM found and what to do next — for example, how many field values were read from the document and how many need a person, and a prompt to compare the document against your playbooks. It also offers suggested **Ask VISDOM** questions and an **Open the assistant** link. The badge on the tab shows how many items are still to do.

1. Open the contract record, click **Actions → Update with VISDOM**, and click **Edit with VISDOM** next to the document.
2. On the **Next steps** tab, click **Review** to go to the extracted field values, or **Compare** to go to the Playbook layer.

![Edit with VISDOM workbench Next steps tab](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/lp-04-next-steps.png)

# 5. Layer 2 — Comparing the Record to the Document

The **Record** tab compares each extracted value with the record. The **VISDOM extraction** summary counts values as **All**, **Differ**, **To fill in**, **Agree**, and **Other**; click a count to filter the list. Expanding a field shows **On the record** and **In the document** side by side, with actions such as **Copy**, **Keep the record’s**, or **Use the document’s**. The record’s own form is shown below the comparison, and an **Unsaved** indicator appears until changes are saved.

1. Open the contract record, click **Actions → Update with VISDOM**, and click **Edit with VISDOM** next to the document, then select the **Record** tab.
2. Click a count (for example, **Differ**) to filter the extracted fields.
3. Expand a field and choose the value to keep.

![Edit with VISDOM workbench Record tab showing an expanded extracted field](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/lp-05-record.png)

# 6. Layer 3 — Tracking Changes

The **Changes** tab lists every edit made to the document, whether by you or by VISDOM, as a tracked change you can accept or reject. **Track edits** is on by default; **Editor’s pane** shows the changes alongside the editor.

1. Open the contract record, click **Actions → Update with VISDOM**, and click **Edit with VISDOM** next to the document, then select the **Changes** tab.
2. Leave **Track edits** on, and accept or reject each change as it appears.

![Edit with VISDOM workbench Changes tab](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/lp-06-changes.png)

# 7. Layer 4 — Using VISDOM Tools

The **VISDOM Tools** dropdown holds three clause-level tools: **Found Clauses** (with a count of clauses found), **Ask VISDOM** (document Q&A), and **Negotiation brief** (draft the asks).

1. Open the contract record, click **Actions → Update with VISDOM**, and click **Edit with VISDOM** next to the document, then click **VISDOM Tools**.
2. Select the tool to open in the right-hand panel.

![VISDOM Tools dropdown in the Edit with VISDOM workbench](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/lp-07-visdom-tools-menu.png)

## 7.1 Found Clauses

Lists each clause VISDOM identified in the document with its clause category (for example, **Term**). Expand a clause to read it, or click the search icon to locate it in the document.

![Found Clauses panel](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/lp-08-found-clauses.png)

## 7.2 Ask VISDOM

Ask questions about the contract in plain language. VISDOM has read the document, the record it belongs to, and everything it found in both. Pick a suggested question or type your own in **Ask about this contract…** and press send.

![Ask VISDOM panel](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/lp-09-ask-visdom.png)

## 7.3 Negotiation Brief

Click **Draft the brief** to have VISDOM write up what to ask the other side to change — each point with the reason, what you’d accept instead, and where it sits in the document — built from the open findings on this contract and your playbook’s guidance.

![Negotiation brief panel](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/lp-10-negotiation-brief.png)

# 8. Layer 5 — Scoring Against a Playbook

The **Playbook** tab checks the document against one or more playbooks. VISDOM scores every clause in the selected playbooks against the document’s language — what’s covered, what deviates, and what’s missing altogether.

1. Open the contract record, click **Actions → Update with VISDOM**, and click **Edit with VISDOM** next to the document, then select the **Playbook** tab.
2. Under **Available playbooks**, select one or more playbooks.
3. Adjust **Match %** if needed (default 80).
4. Click **Compare**.

![Edit with VISDOM workbench Playbook tab](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/lp-11-playbook.png)

# 9. Saving Your Work

Changes made in the workbench are not written to the record or document until they are saved. Click **Save** at the top right of the workbench; the arrow beside it offers additional save options. Use the back arrow to return to the document picker.

# 10. Quick Reference Summary

| Task | How to Complete It |
| --- | --- |
| Open the Edit with VISDOM workbench | Record → Actions → Update with VISDOM → Edit with VISDOM (Word) or Analyze with VISDOM (PDF). |
| Choose which VISDOM features run | Which document? screen → VISDOM TOOLS feature selector → Done. |
| See what VISDOM found and what to do next | Workbench → Next steps tab. |
| Compare extracted values with the record | Workbench → Record tab → expand a field → Copy / Keep the record’s / Use the document’s. |
| Review tracked edits | Workbench → Changes tab. |
| Review clauses, ask questions, or draft a negotiation brief | Workbench → VISDOM Tools → Found Clauses / Ask VISDOM / Negotiation brief. |
| Score the document against a playbook | Workbench → Playbook tab → select playbook(s) → Compare. |
| Save the results | Workbench → Save. |