Overview
What It Is
The Contract Accelerator automates the contract workflow—from generating contracts using approved templates and deal data, to routing for necessary approvals, to sending for signature. It eliminates manual contract creation, reduces legal back-and-forth, and provides visibility into where contracts are stuck.
Why It Matters
Contracts are where deals go to die. A 2-week legal review on a deal that closed verbally creates buyer's remorse and competitor re-engagement risk. Automation cuts contract cycle time by 50%+ while maintaining compliance and approval standards.
Who It's For
- Sales teams with standardized contract terms
- Legal teams reviewing high volumes of contracts
- Sales Ops managing contract workflows
- Companies with compliance or approval requirements
Preconditions
Required Tools
- CLM platform (Ironclad, DocuSign CLM, Juro)
- E-signature (DocuSign, HelloSign)
- CRM for deal data
- Approval workflow (native or via Slack/Teams)
- Template management system
Required Fields/Properties
- Deal terms (value, products, dates)
- Customer legal entity details
- Billing information
- Non-standard terms flagged
Definitions Required
- Standard vs. non-standard terms
- Approval matrix (who approves what)
- Template library and when to use each
- Escalation paths for stuck contracts
Step-by-Step Workflow
Build Contract Templates
Goal: Create pre-approved templates that cover most deal scenarios.
Actions:
- Audit existing contracts for common patterns
- Work with legal to create approved templates
- Build conditional clauses for different scenarios
- Add merge fields for deal-specific data
- Create template selection logic
Implementation Notes: Most B2B companies can cover 80% of deals with 3-5 templates. Start with the most common scenario and expand. Non-standard deals can still go manual.
Automation Logic:
Contract Template Library:
1. STANDARD MSA + ORDER FORM
Use when: Standard terms, <$100K, no custom SLA
Approval: Auto-approve (no legal review needed)
Turnaround: Same day
2. ENTERPRISE MSA + ORDER FORM
Use when: >$100K, standard terms, includes SLA
Approval: Legal review (24hr SLA)
Turnaround: 1-2 business days
3. CUSTOM TERMS CONTRACT
Use when: Non-standard terms negotiated
Approval: Legal review required + VP approval
Turnaround: 3-5 business days
4. RENEWAL ORDER FORM
Use when: Existing customer renewal
Approval: Auto-approve if same terms
Turnaround: Same day
5. PILOT/POC AGREEMENT
Use when: Trial period before full contract
Approval: Legal review (24hr SLA)
Turnaround: 1-2 business days
Configure Approval Matrix
Goal: Define who needs to approve what and automate routing.
Actions:
- Map approval requirements by deal attributes
- Define approval levels (value, terms, customer type)
- Set up approval routing in workflow tool
- Create escalation paths for delays
- Build visibility dashboards for pending approvals
Implementation Notes: Over-approval slows everything down. If legal has pre-approved templates, don't require legal review on every contract. Reserve approvals for exceptions.
Automation Logic:
Approval Matrix:
| Condition | Approvers | SLA |
|-----------|-----------|-----|
| Standard terms, <$50K | None (auto) | Instant |
| Standard terms, $50K-$100K | Sales Manager | 4 hours |
| Standard terms, >$100K | VP Sales | 8 hours |
| Custom pricing (<20% discount) | Finance | 8 hours |
| Custom pricing (>20% discount) | VP Sales + Finance | 24 hours |
| Non-standard terms | Legal | 24-48 hours |
| Multi-year commitment | Finance + VP Sales | 24 hours |
| Unlimited liability | Legal + CFO | 48 hours |
Build Generation Workflow
Goal: Auto-generate contracts when deals are ready.
Actions:
- Create trigger from CRM stage change
- Pull deal data for merge fields
- Select appropriate template based on rules
- Generate contract draft
- Route to approval queue
Implementation Notes: Generation should happen the moment a deal hits contract stage. Any delay is friction. Pre-validate required fields so generation doesn't fail at the critical moment.
Automation Logic:
// Example: Contract generation trigger
const generateContract = async (opportunity) => {
// Validate required fields
const validation = validateContractFields(opportunity);
if (!validation.valid) {
return { error: validation.missingFields };
}
// Select template
const template = selectTemplate({
dealValue: opportunity.Amount,
hasCustomTerms: opportunity.Custom_Terms__c,
isRenewal: opportunity.Type === 'Renewal',
customerType: opportunity.Account.Type
});
// Generate contract
const contract = await clm.createContract({
template: template.id,
fields: {
customer_name: opportunity.Account.Name,
customer_entity: opportunity.Account.Legal_Entity__c,
deal_value: opportunity.Amount,
products: opportunity.OpportunityLineItems,
start_date: opportunity.Contract_Start_Date__c,
term_length: opportunity.Term_Months__c
}
});
// Route for approval
const approvers = getApprovers(opportunity, template);
await routeForApproval(contract, approvers);
return contract;
};
Implement Approval Workflow
Goal: Route contracts efficiently and track status.
Actions:
- Build approval notification system (Slack/email)
- Create one-click approve/reject in notifications
- Set up automatic reminders for pending approvals
- Build escalation for overdue approvals
- Track approval cycle time by approver
Implementation Notes: Approvers are busy. Make approval as frictionless as possible—one click in Slack, not logging into a system. Surface key deal info in the approval request.
Automate Signature Process
Goal: Send approved contracts for signature immediately.
Actions:
- Connect CLM to e-signature platform
- Auto-send once approvals complete
- Configure signing order (internal first optional)
- Set up reminders for unsigned contracts
- Trigger CRM updates on signature
Implementation Notes: The moment all approvals are done, send for signature. No waiting, no manual steps. Add reminder cadence at 1 day, 3 days, 5 days for unsigned contracts.
Track and Optimize
Goal: Identify bottlenecks and improve cycle time.
Actions:
- Build contract pipeline dashboard
- Track time at each stage
- Identify slowest approval steps
- Report on cycle time trends
- Alert on contracts stuck too long
Implementation Notes: What gets measured gets managed. If legal review is taking 5 days, that's a process problem. Use data to have informed conversations about improving turnaround.
Templates
Slack Approval Request
📄 *Contract Approval Request*
**Deal:** {{opportunity_name}}
**Customer:** {{customer_name}}
**Value:** {{deal_value}} / {{term}} months
**Template:** {{template_name}}
**Why approval needed:**
{{approval_reason}}
**Deal Summary:**
• Products: {{products}}
• Discount: {{discount_percent}}%
• Payment Terms: {{payment_terms}}
<{{contract_link}}|View Contract> | <{{crm_link}}|View Deal>
[✅ Approve] [❌ Reject] [💬 Request Changes]
Contract Status Dashboard Fields
| Field | Description | Alert Threshold | |-------|-------------|----------------| | Days in Contract Stage | Time since stage entered | >5 days | | Approval Status | Pending/Approved/Rejected | Any pending >24hr | | Current Approver | Who has the ball | Stuck >8hr | | Signature Status | Sent/Viewed/Signed | Sent >3 days | | Blocker Notes | Why stuck | Any blocker flagged | | Contract Value | Deal amount | N/A | | Close Date | Expected close | Overdue |
Contract Stuck Alert
⚠️ *Contract Stuck Alert*
**{{opportunity_name}}** contract has been at {{stage}} for {{days}} days.
**Current Status:** {{status}}
**Blocked At:** {{blocked_step}}
**Reason:** {{block_reason}}
**Deal Details:**
• Value: {{deal_value}}
• Close Date: {{close_date}}
• Customer: {{customer_name}}
**Action Needed:**
{{recommended_action}}
<{{contract_link}}|View Contract> | <{{escalate_link}}|Escalate>
Merge Field Reference
| Section | Merge Field | Source |
|---------|-------------|--------|
| Parties | {{customer_name}} | Account.Name |
| Parties | {{customer_entity}} | Account.Legal_Entity__c |
| Parties | {{customer_address}} | Account.BillingAddress |
| Terms | {{contract_value}} | Opportunity.Amount |
| Terms | {{term_months}} | Opportunity.Term_Months__c |
| Terms | {{start_date}} | Opportunity.Contract_Start_Date__c |
| Products | {{products_table}} | OpportunityLineItems |
| Billing | {{payment_terms}} | Opportunity.Payment_Terms__c |
| Signatures | {{signer_name}} | Contact.Name |
| Signatures | {{signer_title}} | Contact.Title |
QA + Edge Cases
Test Cases Checklist
- Standard deal hits contract stage → contract generated in <2 minutes
- Non-standard terms flagged → routes to legal review
- Approval requested → notification sent within 1 minute
- All approvals complete → contract sent for signature immediately
- Contract signed → CRM updated to Closed Won
Common Failure Modes
- Missing customer data: Legal entity name, billing address missing from CRM. Validate early in deal stage, not at contract generation.
- Approval bottlenecks: One approver on vacation kills all contracts. Build backup approvers and auto-escalation.
- Template mismatch: Wrong template selected for deal type. Review template selection logic regularly.
- Customer requested changes: Automation breaks when customers redline. Build workflow for handling counter-proposals.
Troubleshooting Tips
- If generation fails: Check field mapping and required data in CRM
- If approvals are slow: Review approval matrix; may be over-engineered
- If signatures are delayed: Check if sent to right signer; may need better contact identification
- If cycle time isn't improving: Analyze stage-by-stage time; find the actual bottleneck
KPIs and Reporting
KPIs to Track
- Contract Cycle Time: Average <5 days from proposal to signature
- Approval Turnaround: Approvals completed within SLA 95% of time
- Auto-Generation Rate: >80% of contracts generated without manual creation
- Time to Signature: Average <3 days from sent to signed
- Contract Stage Drop-Off: <5% of deals lost at contract stage
Suggested Dashboard Widgets
- Contract Pipeline: Contracts by stage with days in stage
- Approval Queue: Pending approvals by approver with wait time
- Cycle Time Trend: Average contract cycle time over time
- Bottleneck Analysis: Where contracts spend the most time