Overview

The Negotiate step enables collaborative document revisions in a structured workflow. Use this step when back-and-forth collaboration is needed to finalize terms, content, or any document elements through multiple review cycles. The step provides version control, permission management, and a full audit trail for compliance purposes.

Use When

• Documents require multiple rounds of back-and-forth revisions before finalization

• Multiple parties must collaborate on document terms or content

• You need to track version history and maintain audit trails for regulatory compliance

• Participants need to suggest changes and request approvals

• You want centralized tracking of all document modifications, comments, and decisions

• Iterative refinement is needed before moving to signature or final approval stages

How It Works

The Negotiate step creates a shared review space where:

1. The designated reviewer receives the document

2. They can suggest changes or revisions within the document

3. Comments and suggestions are attached to the document for context

4. Each revision creates a new version in the version history

5. The process continues until all parties agree on final terms

6. The finalized document can then move to Approval or Sign steps

Configuration Options

1. Inputs to Review

What: Select which documents or data inputs will be reviewed during this negotiation step.

Options:

• Generated documents from earlier steps — Documents created by previous workflow steps (e.g., Generate, Template steps)

• Uploaded documents — Documents previously uploaded to the system

• Multiple documents in parallel — Support for reviewing several documents simultaneously if needed

How to configure:

• Use the "Add from flow" button to select documents from earlier workflow steps

• The system shows all available document outputs with dynamic variable support (e.g., "MSA with @Intake.Customer Name")

• You can add multiple documents if your workflow requires parallel negotiation

2. Review Assignee

What: Designate who will handle the negotiation and be responsible for reviewing/suggesting changes.

Assignment Options:

• Unassigned — No specific person assigned; useful for team-based or queue-based workflows

• User Assign — Manually assign to a specific user from your organization

• Assign Strategy — Define intelligent assignment logic (recommended for scalable workflows)

• Role Based Assignment — Automatically assign based on user roles (e.g., "Workflow Owner", "Requester")

• From Flow — Dynamically assign based on flow variables (e.g., assign to the customer's designated contact)

Permissions by Assignee: The assignee (or reviewer) typically has permissions to:

• View / download the document

• upload new versions

3. Result Configuration

Result Type: Specify the output format for the finalized document after negotiation.

Available Formats:

• Word — Maintains full formatting and change tracking; supports collaborative comments

• PDF — Locked format; useful for finalized versions before signature

Selection Guidance:

• Choose Word if further negotiations are anticipated or if downstream steps need editable content

• Choose PDF if this is a final snapshot before signing or if you want to prevent accidental edits

4. Version Tracking & History

What: Automatically maintains a complete history of all document versions made during negotiation.

Enabled by default: Yes (toggle switch visible in configuration)

What Gets Tracked:

• Each document revision created during negotiation

• Who made each change

• When changes were made

• Comments and annotations associated with changes

• Status of change suggestions (pending, accepted, rejected)

Audit Trail Benefits:

• Complete compliance documentation for regulatory requirements

• Ability to trace decision history and understand why changes were made

• Recovery option if you need to revert to a previous version

• Clear accountability for each modification

5. Compare in the Negotiate Step

Negotiate step now includes a compare capability, allowing document comparisson as part of an automated negotiation workflow.