How to automatically create a review task?

This article describes how to create a new review task on a drafted contract automatically.

It contains the following topics:

1. Creating a new automation
2. Setting up the automation trigger
   1. Deleting an automation trigger
3. Setting up the automation action
4. Using parties and signees across automations
5. Setting up the task due date
6. Adding due date alerts
7. Deleting an automation action
8. Renaming the automation
9. Making changes to a published automation
10. Using the automation activity feed
11. Testing the automation workflow
12. Fixing a failed automation
13. Checking the automation workflow

How to automatically notify the relevant reviewer as soon as a contract draft is created?

With the help of our automation builder, you can now customize the entire review flow for all contract drafts generated from a specific template.

How to set up review task automation with Contractbook?

• Click on Automations tab from the main menu and then on the blue button Create new at the upper right-hand corner:

• You will be redirected to a pop-up window where you can customize the automation's setup. To begin with, select the Draft is created trigger from the drop-down menu.
• This will automatically open a configuration window to the right in which you can define which contract should start the automation.
• You can assign the trigger to every draft or only drafts created from a specific template:

• We recommend using "Every draft from a specific template" for the most efficient automation flow.
• This will allow you to automatically assign a new review task to the relevant assignee each time a new draft is created from this template:

• After selecting one of the three options, you can use the search bar to find the draft or template which will trigger the automation.
• If you have several documents sharing the same name, you can click on the small eye icon to directly open the document.
• Your templates will be organized in three different sections in the drop-down menu:
  • Owned by you
  • Shared with you
  • Contractbook library of templates 

In our example, we will select a shared template that allows the automation to be shared with others having access to the template:

• After choosing the correct file, confirm by clicking on Save, and the next step in the automation setup will be displayed.

How can I delete the trigger in the automation builder? 

• At the bottom of each trigger configuration window, you have the option to delete only this specific trigger and not the complete automation:

How can I configure the action event?

This adjustment step covers the action the automation trigger you have just defined will generate. You can use the search bar to find the option Ask for review:

• A new configuration window will appear on the right side of the screen.
• Here you will be able to customize the properties of the review task by defining assignees, followers, title, and description of the task, due date, and any additional alerts: 

• The first detail in the automation configuration's action step is the template's document ID, which will be used to execute the automation.
• It will be automatically fetched and available under the required field under the Ask for review window.
• The following configuration steps allow you to deeply customize the entire task by writing a title and description for its execution by combining text input and data fields from the shared template.
• For the example we are showcasing in the article, we have configured the following review task to be applied to each "Website Design Proposal" drafted from the shared template with the same name:

• In the following configuration step, you will have the ability to invite assignees and followers by email:

• Or by searching for a variable from the shared template associated with them, for our example:

Note: You can invite multiple Assignees and Followers:

How do I use Party or Signee variables in my automation?

• You can always use any party or signee variable when adding variables to your new review task's title, description, assignees, or followers.
• This can deliver essential details to the task's stakeholders fetched directly from the associated with any signee information.

Next, in the following block of the task configuration window, you can set a due date for its completion. There are two available options for the date type in the drop-down menu:

Can I use a date from the document as the task's due date?

• You can choose Manual or based on automation variable and choose any data field with Date type as the due date of the automatically created Review task.
• You can then select to use this date or set a specific offset. 
• Usually, approval tasks will use the execution time as a due date, while renewal tasks will be based on a data point in the contract. 

Can I add automatic task alerts in the Automation Builder?

• The last task property you will be allowed to configure will be the alerts reminding you of the due date.
• The date type can be again based either on a due date or a variable. You can set as many alerts as needed.
• All attributes dictating how the alerts will be run are entirely customizable. 
• Once you have everything done, you can click on Save to confirm the configuration of the approval task and then Publish in the upper right-hand corner.

How can I delete an action in the Automation Builder?

At the very bottom of each action configuration window, you have the option to delete only this specific action and not the complete automation:

How can I rename the automation?

You can always rename the automation as fit by clicking on the small pen icon next to the generic title in the upper left-hand corner. In the example we are working with, we will call it "Review automation - Website Design Proposal":

How can I make changes to published automation?

If you need to make any changes to the automation flow at one point, please remember to unpublish it first, make the needed edits, and click on Publish to put the flow into practice. You can control that by turning the Status toggle bar on or off: 

How can I use the Activity feed of my automation?

If you click on the three grey dots next to the status toggle bar, you can open, rename, delete or see the activity feed of the automation. Remember that the automation must be active (published) for the activities to be available to you.

This option allows you full traceability of the automation's usage and flow.

How can I test Contractbook review automation?

For the test to be performed, you can save the template defined in the first step of the automation setup as a new draft.

As soon as that has been done, go to your documents overview and check the notifications under your account. The automation status will be listed there as either successful or failed.

Note: You can adjust your account's email and in-app notifications under profile settings.

How can I fix a failed automation? 

In case the automation has failed, you can access the detailed view by clicking on the failed notification in the list under your profile notifications:

In this view, you can identify the reason for the failure by expanding the failure to run details. You can then use the information found here to change the review automation from the configuration settings.

How can I check the automation runs successfully?

• If your reviewal automation runs successfully, you can open the new draft created from the template you have set in the automation flow. There should be automatically assigned in the task sidebar view review task with the same properties as the ones you have configured:

• Using the functionalities of the Contractbook task sidebar view, you can amend any changes to the created review task, including marking it as resolved. 
• Note: You can only mark a task as completed if you are assigned to it. 

• Of course, you can also find the task in the general tasks management dashboard, which allows you to adjust the task's properties and directly access the assigned document.
• As usual, you will also be able to see that there has been a new pending task in the documents view when locating the new draft:

Now that you have tested the automation workflow, you can start using it actively and save time by assigning the review tasks of all your drafts to the relevant individuals before the contract has been sent for signatures. 

If you are new to Contractbook Automation Builder, click here to access our simple step-by-step guides for adding approval flows.

If you still need additional information or assistance, please get in touch with us at any time through our Online Support Chat or email.