Contract Insights

Oh no!  It happened: contract lifecycle process failure.  Something went wrong during contract lifecycle management - resulting in contract failure.  But fear not; as a contract management professional, you are a worthy investigator.  It is time to put on your detective hat, grab a notepad, and piece together the clues as to why your contract lifecycle process failed.  You can also inspect how this tragedy could have been avoided with contract management software.  Let the investigation begin!

Contracts are legally binding - and thus need to be executed properly.  Organizations should equip themselves with a thorough understanding of the contract lifecycle.  The contract lifecycle is the process under which a contract is authored, reviewed, sent for signature, executed, and - potentially - renewed.  The "lifecycle" is an archetype used to compartmentalize and understand a contract's complex evolution.  The lifecycle begins with contract requests and concludes when these requests are fulfilled - with the possibility of contract renewal.  Let's further explore the eight stages of the contract lifecycle below and how contract management software can help streamline your contracting processes. 

Contract administration can be a daunting process when relying on primarily manual tools - such as spreadsheets, shared drives, and disparate emails.  Without accountability, visibility, and a clearly defined contract administration plan, you can find yourself running into compliance issues, minimizing contract value, and encountering other setbacks.  Read on to learn how you can create a strong contract administration plan with the help of leading contract management software.

This blog post was updated on March 14th, 2022.  Its original publication date was January 29th, 2019.

Manual contract management processes involving disorganized spreadsheets, sporadic emails, internal billing systems, emailed reminders, and wet signatures may suffice for organizations with low contract volume and contract complexity.  Unfortunately, when organizations manage thousands of different contracts of ranging contract types, challenges can arise due to a time-consuming, error-prone, and inefficient manual contract renewal process.  Moreover, such an outdated contract renewal strategy can increase risk and decrease opportunity realization.  It's time to take control of contract renewals.  Read on to learn how to leverage contract renewal process best practices for increased ROI, decreased risk, increased revenue, and better opportunity oversight with contract management software.