Overview
The Signing Order controls dictate the default signature workflow applied to the agreement and the extent to which the senders can modify them.
One of two default values must be selected:
- Recipients will sign in the order they are entered - Sequential signatures, where the recipients receive the agreement in the order they are listed on the Send page. The first recipient is granted access to the agreement, and once they complete their part, the next recipient is notified. Each recipient is given access in turn until the agreement is completed.
- Recipients will sign in any order - Parallel signatures, where all recipients are notified at once, and all can complete their activities with the agreement in their own time. The agreement this completed once all recipients have completed their part.
Additionally, there are two optional controls:
- Allow senders to select signing order - This option exposes a toggle on the Send page to allow the sender to switch between the sequential and parallel signature workflows. If disabled, the default workflow is applied.
- Allow senders to specify hybrid routing order - When enabled, senders can create a mixed workflow containing sequential and parallel routing for the agreement. For example, a survey is sent to a group of employees under a parallel workflow and then sent to an approving manager once all group members have completed their actions (sequentially after the group process is resolved).
How it's used
The default workflow is applied automatically. If neither optional setting is enabled, then only the default workflow can be used. Senders have no authority to override the default workflow when sending from the Send page.
If senders are allowed to change the signing order, then a toggle is exposed on the Send page at the top of the recipient list. Senders can freely switch between workflows.
For hybrid workflows to be configured on the Send page, the default workflow must be sequential. If hybrid workflows are enabled, then the sender can freely build hybrid workflows. No other access is required.
Best practices
Accounts that only include one group or that don't have Users in Multiple Groups (UMG) enabled may want to have the option to switch between workflows exposed to give some latitude for senders to best route their agreement signature flow.
Accounts with UMG enabled should consider creating groups that strongly define the default workflows for agreements sent from the group and remove the option for changing the workflow. This eliminates UI options on the Send page and ensures that agreements are always sent with the correct workflow.
Hybrid workflows are helpful in specific use cases but require the sender to properly configure the document flow correctly every time. For enterprise customers, this may be better accomplished with Custom Send Workflows, which take the configuration burden off the sender and embed it into the workflow template.
Accounts that never expect to use any parallel signature workflow should select the sequential workflow and disable both the option to switch and the hybrid options.
Configuration
Availability:
The Signing Order controls are available for enterprise license plans.
Team and individual license plans have:
- The default workflow set to sequential signatures
- The option to switch workflows enabled
- The option for hybrid workflows disabled
Configuration scope:
Signing Order controls can be enabled at the account and group levels.
The controls for this feature can be assessed by navigating to Send Settings > Signing Order
When the default workflow is sequential, the signature order is represented numerically at the beginning of the of the recipient record.
The top record is always indexed as number one, the second is always number two, etc. (Unless a hybrid workflow is in place, which can group more than one recipient under the same index, indicating a parallel section in the workflow.)
When the default workflow is parallel, there is no need for a signature order, as all recipients recieve the agreement at the same time.
The recipient index at the begining of the recipient record is removed.
When the option to switch between workflows is enabled, a toggle switch is exposed at the top of the recipient list.
The default value reflects the default workflow defined for the group, and it can be changed freely by the sender.
When hybrid workflows are enabled, the default view of the Send page is identical to the sequential workflow interface.
The difference is that the user can drag and drop one recipient over another, grouping them together and creating a parallel segment in the signature flow.
The recipient records stick next to each other and adopt the same index number, indicating their grouping relationship as a parallel segment.
Related settings
A Recipient Group defines a list of users that can all access the agreement in a parallel fashion, but only one group member can complete the recipient's actions on behalf of the whole group. Conceptually similar to using a distribution list as an email address for one recipient.
Recipient groups are only available for enterprise-licensed accounts.
The control to enable recipient groups can accessed by navigating to Send Settings > Recipient Groups.
