---
title: "Managing Electronic Signature Groups, Participants & Attachments"
slug: "managing-electronic-signature-groups-participants-attachments"
updated: 2026-10-29T17:03:07Z
published: 2026-10-29T17:03:07Z
canonical: "wiki.cobblestonesoftware.com/managing-electronic-signature-groups-participants-attachments"
---

> ## 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.

# Managing Electronic Signature Groups, Participants & Attachments

**COBBLESTONE SOFTWARE**

Contract Insight — User Guide

**Managing Electronic Signature Groups, Participants & Attachments**

*Document Templates: Generation/Merging › Manage Electronic Signature Process › Managing Electronic Signature Groups, Participants & Attachments*

**Note:** Each procedure in this guide begins at the Contract Insight homepage, so any section can be followed on its own. The examples below use a contract record; the same screens are used for any record type that supports generated document packages.

# 1. Overview

When a generated document package is sent for electronic signature, the signature process is organized into **signing groups** (who is asked to sign, and in what order), the **participants** in each group, and the **files** attached to the process. You manage these in two places:

- The document package's **Signatures** section, where signing groups are planned. The plan can be edited until the process starts.
- The **process console**, used while the process is running to add, replace, or re-notify participants, review the attached files, and **Pause**, **End process**, or **Finalize** the process.

The console follows the same Groups / Participants / Files pattern as an approval process.

# 2. Key Elements

- **Signatures** button and **Manage** (gear) icon: row actions for each saved document package on the record's **Attachments & Templates** tab.
- **Signing Groups** table: lists each group in signing order, its participants, and its origin (for example, *from template*). Use **Add group**, **Edit**, the participants icon, and the delete icon to change the plan before the process starts.
- **Open the process console**: opens the live console for a running process.
- **Summary strip**: shows the process **STATUS**, **GROUPS** finalized, **PARTICIPANTS** count, **FILES** counter, and when the process was **CREATED**.
- **Groups and participants**: shows each group, the *current group*, and each participant's status, with **Add participant**, **Resend**, and per-participant **Re-send this invitation**, **Replace this participant**, and delete actions.
- **Files in this process**: the documents attached to the signature process, with Search and column filters.
- **Pause** / **End process** / **Finalize**: manage the process while it runs. **Finalize** becomes available only after every group is finalized.

# 3. Opening a Document Package's Signature Settings

1. From the Contract Insight homepage, hover over the **Requests/Contracts** icon in the left navigation bar, select **Contracts**, and click **Manage** on the contract record.
2. Click the **Attachments & Templates** tab.
3. Scroll to **Merged Document Templates** → **Saved documents**. A package that is out for signature shows **Active Signature Process** under its name, and the **FILES** badge shows how many files it contains.
4. Click the **Manage** (gear) icon on the package's row to open the document package page.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/01_saved_documents(1).jpg)

**Note:** Clicking **Signatures** on the row instead opens a quick status panel below the row, showing who has signed and a **Sign now** button if it is your turn.

# 4. Managing Signing Groups

1. On the document package page, scroll down and expand the **Signatures** section.
2. Review the **Signing Groups** table. Groups are listed in signing order (**#**), with their **Participants** and **Origin**.
3. Before the process starts, use:
  - **Add group** to add a new signing group.
  - **Edit** to change a group's settings.
  - The **participants** icon to change who is in the group.
  - The **delete** (trash) icon to remove the group.
4. Below the table, check the process status (for example, **ACTIVE** and *0 of 1 signed*).
5. Click **Open the process console** to manage a running process.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/02_signing_groups.jpg)

**Note:** Once the process has started, the signing groups on this page are locked. The page displays "This document's process has already started, so its steps are now managed by the running process," and changes are made from the process console instead.

# 5. Using the Process Console

## 5a. Console Overview

1. Open the process console (see Section 4).
2. Use the icon buttons at the top right to **Open record**, **Open this process on the signing portal**, view the **Signature receipt** (who signed what, and when), or **Place fields** (pre-define where each participant signs).
3. Review the summary strip: **STATUS**, **GROUPS** (finalized out of total), **PARTICIPANTS**, **FILES**, and **CREATED**.
4. Review the attached documents under **Files in this process**.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/03_console_overview.jpg)

## 5b. Groups and Participants

1. Under **Groups and participants**, find the group you want. The group being signed now is labeled **current group**, along with when it was notified.
2. Check each participant's status (for example, **In Process**) and how they were added (for example, **FROM TEMPLATE**).
3. Use the group-level buttons:
  - **Add participant**: adds someone to the group (see Section 6).
  - **Resend**: re-sends the invitation to the group.
4. Use the icons on a participant's row:
  - **Re-send this invitation** (bell icon).
  - **Replace this participant** (people icon; see Section 7).
  - **Delete** (trash icon). This is unavailable for participants added through the template/process.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/04_groups_participants.jpg)

# 6. Adding a Participant to a Running Group

1. In the process console, click **Add participant** on the group.
2. In the **Add a participant to [group]** panel, select the participant type: **External participant**, **Employee participant**, or **Company contact participant**.
3. Enter the participant's details (for an external participant, **Full name** and **E-mail address**).
4. Optionally, enter why they are being added.
5. Click **Add**, or **Cancel** to close the panel.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/05_add_participant.jpg)

**Note:** Participants added to a running group are invited as soon as they are added.

# 7. Replacing a Participant

1. In the process console, click the **Replace this participant** icon on the participant's row.
2. In the **Replace "[name]" in this group** panel, select the replacement from the list.
3. Enter why you are replacing them.
4. Click **Replace**, or **Cancel** to keep the current participant.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/06_replace_participant.jpg)

**Note:** The replacement keeps the group's placed signature fields. If the invitation already went out, the new person is invited automatically and the previous participant is notified.

# 8. Managing Attachments (Files)

1. In the process console, the **FILES** counter in the summary strip shows how many documents are attached to the signature process.
2. Under **Files in this process**, review each file's **#**, **File**, **Type**, **Description**, **Versions**, **Checked out to**, and **Flags**.
3. Use the **Search** box or the column filter (funnel) icons to find a specific file.

See the screenshot in Section 5a.

**Note:** While a signature process is running, the document package is locked: no document can be added to the package, and its files cannot be changed. To change the documents, wait for the process to finish or stop it first.

# 9. Pausing, Ending, or Finalizing the Process

Use the buttons at the top right of the process console (see Section 5a):

- **Pause**: temporarily stops the process.
- **End process**: stops the signature process.
- **Finalize**: completes the process. It is unavailable until every group is finalized (hover over the button to see how many are).

These work the same way for signature processes as they do for approval processes.

# 10. Quick Reference Summary

| Task | Where | Action |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Find a package that is out for signature | Record → Attachments & Templates → Saved documents | Look for **Active Signature Process** |
| Check signing status quickly | Saved documents row | Click **Signatures** |
| Open the document package | Saved documents row | Click the **Manage** (gear) icon |
| Plan signing groups (before start) | Package page → Signatures | **Add group** / **Edit** / participants / delete |
| Open the live process | Package page → Signatures | **Open the process console** |
| Add someone to a running group | Process console | **Add participant** → type and details → **Add** |
| Swap a participant | Process console | **Replace this participant** → choose → **Replace** |
| Re-notify participants | Process console | **Resend** (group) or bell icon (participant) |
| Review attached files | Process console | **FILES** counter / **Files in this process** |
| Control the process | Process console header | **Pause** / **End process** / **Finalize** |