This article provides a functional overview of the Contract Management solution, including its core features, business processes, and system behaviour across the entire contract lifecycle.
The solution is built on SharePoint and combines user-driven input, automated calculations, and background processes to ensure data consistency, governance, and timely execution of key contract-related actions.
๐ Table of Contents
- Overview
- Key Functional Areas
- 1. Contract Management
- 2. Real-Time Calculations in Forms
- 3. Contract Lifecycle Automation
- 4. Reminder Management
- 5. Automated Contract Renewal
- 6. Permission Management
- 7. Document Management
- 8. Reporting and Insights
- 9. Business Views
- 10. Status Management
- 11. Administration
- 12. Contract Actions
- 13. Account / Counterparty
- System Behaviour Overview
- Summary
๐ Overview
The Contract Management solution is a business application built on SharePoint that enables organisations to manage contracts efficiently throughout their lifecycle. It combines user-driven input, automated calculations, and background processes to ensure data consistency, governance, and timely execution of key contract-related actions.
The solution covers:
- Contract creation and maintenance
- Automated deadline and reminder calculations
- Lifecycle automation (reminders, expiry, renewal)
- Document management
- Permission governance
- Reporting and insights
๐งฉ Key Functional Areas
The following sections describe each functional area of the Contract Management solution in detail.
๐ 1. Contract Management
Users can create, edit, and review contracts using customised forms. The system provides dedicated interfaces for all core contract operations.
โ๏ธ Functional Capabilities
- Creating new contracts
- Editing existing contracts
- Viewing contract details
- Performing controlled status changes
โก 2. Real-Time Calculations in Forms
Important contract data is calculated directly during user input within the form interface, ensuring immediate feedback and data accuracy.
๐งฎ Calculated Fields
- Contract deadlines
- Reminder dates
- Next possible cancellation date
- Renewal cycles
Key Benefit: Users receive immediate feedback, and the system ensures consistent and up-to-date values without relying solely on background processing.
๐ 3. Contract Lifecycle Automation
The system automatically manages contracts throughout their lifecycle after creation. This covers three distinct phases:
๐ Phase 1: Creation Phase
The initial phase where contract data is entered and evaluated.
- Users enter contract data
- Calculated fields are evaluated instantly
๐ Phase 2: Governance Phase
Access control is applied automatically to ensure secure handling of contract data.
- Permissions are automatically applied
- Access is restricted to authorised users
๐ Phase 3: Operational Phase
Ongoing automated management of active contracts.
- Reminders are sent before key deadlines
- Expired contracts are automatically updated
- Contracts are extended where applicable
Result: Contracts are managed automatically without requiring continuous manual intervention.
โฐ 4. Reminder Management
The system proactively notifies users about important contract events to prevent missed deadlines and ensure timely decision-making.
๐ฌ How Reminder Management Works
- Daily evaluation of relevant contracts
- Automatic email notifications to contract owners
- Coverage of deadlines and renewal opportunities
Objective: Prevent missed deadlines and ensure timely decision-making.
๐ 5. Automated Contract Renewal
For contracts with recurring terms or without fixed end dates, the system automatically calculates future key dates based on configurable factors such as renewal cycles and notification periods.
๐ Automatically Calculated Renewal Dates
- Next cancellation date
- Deadline for termination
- Reminder notification timing
Objective: Ensure that contracts continue seamlessly without manual recalculation.
๐ 6. Permission Management
The solution enforces strict access control automatically, ensuring that only authorised users can access contract data.
๐ฅ Access Control Details
- Permissions are assigned during contract creation or updates
- Access is limited to relevant stakeholders:
- Contract Owner
- Contract Managers
- Administrators
- Inheritance is removed to prevent unintended access
Key Feature: Permissions are synchronised with related contract documents.
๐ 7. Document Management
Each contract can have associated documents such as agreements and attachments, all managed in direct relation to the contract record.
๐ Document Handling Capabilities
- Documents are linked directly to contracts
- Metadata is inherited automatically
- Permissions are aligned with the contract
Objective: Ensure consistency between contracts and their related documents.
๐ 8. Reporting and Insights
The system provides built-in aggregation of key metrics, enabling reporting without additional manual calculations.
๐ Available Metrics
- Number of contracts per account
- Number of contracts per contract type
Objective: Enable reporting without additional manual calculations.
๐๏ธ 9. Business Views
Users can access contracts through tailored, role-based views that surface the most relevant information at a glance.
๐๏ธ Available Views
- My Contracts
- Active Contracts
- Contracts with upcoming deadlines
- Start page dashboards
Objective: Provide relevant and role-based information at a glance.
๐ 10. Status Management
Contract status changes are handled through a controlled process, ensuring consistent handling of contract lifecycle states.
๐ ๏ธ Status Change Process
- Users initiate status changes explicitly
- The system applies defined rules and updates
Objective: Ensure consistent handling of contract lifecycle states.
๐ก๏ธ 11. Administration
The solution includes a dedicated administration interface that allows authorised users to manage users, roles, and configuration data.
โ๏ธ Administrative Capabilities
- Manage application users
- Manage contract managers
- Manage administrators
- Create demo data
Maintain Dropdown Lists
Administrators can maintain predefined values used across the application.
๐ Available Lists
- Contract Types
- Cancellation Modes
- Departments
These lists influence behaviour such as renewal logic, categorisation, and reporting.
๐งพ 12. Contract Actions
In addition to automated processes, users can perform explicit actions directly on the contract to update its lifecycle state.
Cancel Contract
โ Process
- A dedicated form is opened
- The user enters a Cancellation Date
- The contract status is automatically set to Cancelled
Replace Contract
๐ Process
- The user selects another contract from the Replaced By lookup field
- A relationship between the two contracts is established
- The contract status is automatically set to Replaced
๐ข 13. Account / Counterparty
Each contract is associated with a counterparty represented by an account or contact within the system.
๐ค Usage
- Contracts are linked to business partners
- Used for reporting and grouping
- Provides relationship context in contract handling
๐ง System Behaviour Overview
The solution combines two types of logic that work together to deliver a seamless contract management experience.
๐ป Client-Side Logic (Forms)
Processes that run directly in the user's browser during form interaction.
- Real-time calculations
- Validation of user input
- Dynamic form behaviour
๐ฅ๏ธ Server-Side Logic (Background Processes)
Automated processes that run independently in the background.
- Reminder notifications
- Contract expiry updates
- Automatic renewals
- Permission management
โ Summary
The Contract Management solution provides a comprehensive and automated approach to managing contracts from creation to expiration and renewal.
By combining real-time user input processing with automated background operations, the system ensures:
- Accurate and consistent data
- Improved governance and security
- Reduced manual workload
- Timely notifications and actions
Overall, the solution enables organisations to manage contracts efficiently and reliably without relying on manual tracking or complex workflow configurations.