Release Notes

New updates and improvements to SpotDraft

  1. Invite workspace members directly to a specific contract as signatories, without adding them at the contract type level.

    Feature Name: Invite workspace members directly to a specific contract as signatories, without adding them at the contract type level.

    Product Area: Add/Edit recipient Sidesheet, Prepare for Sign

    Impact of Change: Removal of additional step to invite workspace members as signatories, making it faster and easier to send contracts out for signing.

    Roles Impacted: BU, Creator, Editor, or Admin with the appropriate access to add signatories through the recipient sidesheet and prepare for sign flow.

    Description:

    Users can now directly invite workspace members as signatories to a specific contract, without needing changes at the contract type level. This update makes the flow consistent with the invite flow across rest of the platform and lets users move forward with the 'prepare for sign' step without additional steps or clicks.

    Note:- Signatories added this way will get added only to the specific contract. They will not be implicitly added to the contract type.

    How to Enable:

    This is enabled for all the workspaces by default

  2. Contract Activity Timeline

    CLM
    All Users

    Feature Name: Contract Activity Timeline

    Product Area: Contract Analytics

    Impact of Change: Nothing breaks in the existing flow, and there is major visibility into the time spent on all contractual tasks

    Roles Impacted: All users with view access to contracts

    Description:Activity Timeline provides detailed insights into Turnaround Times(TAT) across all contract lifecycle stages at a contract level, enabling users to identify bottlenecks and optimize workflow efficiency.

    Key Features:

    Stage Tracking: Monitor time spent in Draft, Redlining, Sign Setup, Reviews, Approvals, and Signing phases for both internal teams and counterparties.

    Interactive Dashboard: Gantt charts with hover functionality displaying start times, end times, and duration for each activity.

    Performance Analytics: Track individual reviewer/approver performance.

    How It Works:

    1. Navigate to the contract and locate the Activity Timeline information strip
    2. Click "View Timeline" to access time analytics
    3. Review breakdowns across Contract Stages, Reviews, Approvals, and Signatures

    The Key Benefit:

    Comprehensive visibility into contract processing times with actionable data for process optimization. If a contract has been taking a long time, now there is no black box effect and everyone can know where the time is spent.

    Notes: Data synchronization occurs every 15 minutes. Activity Timeline is not supported for historically imported contracts or Clickthrough contracts.

    Resources: Activity Timeline Help Center Guide

  3. Add and Reorder Columns in Dynamic Tables in Workflow Manager

    Feature Name: Add and Reorder Columns on the Fly in Workflow Manager

    Product Area: Dynamic Table Improvements

    Impact of Change:Major Process Improvement & Significant QoL Update

    Roles Impacted:Administrators and users who create and manage workflows.

    Description:

    You can now instantly add new columns anywhere in a dynamic table and reorder existing columns with a simple drag-and-drop. This eliminates the frustrating and error-prone old method of deleting and re-adding columns, saving you significant time and effort during template setup.

    The Problem We Solved:

    Previously, making changes to a dynamic table's column structure was a highly manual and destructive process. The reasons are as follows:

    Inserting a New Column: To add a new column between existing ones (e.g., adding a 'Code' column between 'Name' and 'Quantity'), you had to delete all subsequent columns and then painstakingly re-add them one by one in the new order.

    Reordering Columns: Similarly, changing the order of columns (e.g., moving 'List Price' before 'Quantity') required the same delete-and-rebuild process.

    This was inefficient, frustrating, and a major barrier to making quick and necessary updates to your templates. A simple change to an 8-column table could take several minutes of tedious work.

    The Solution:

    We have introduced two simple, powerful tools directly into the dynamic table editor that make these changes instantaneous:

    Add Columns Anywhere: A new + icon now appears between existing columns when you hover over them. Simply click it to instantly insert a new column exactly where you need it. Configure the new column's details and save -- no deletion required.

    Drag-and-Drop Reordering: Need to change the column order? Just click, hold, and drag any column to its new position. The interface provides a clear visual guide, making rearrangement effortless.

    How to Enable:

    This is enabled for all the workspaces with access to Workflow Manager.

  4. Express Contract Improvements

    Feature Name: No More Broken Links: Keep Your Express Contracts in Sync

    Product Area: Express Contracts

    Impact of Change: Major Process Improvement & Risk Reduction

    Roles Impacted: Administrators and users who create and manage workflows.

    Description:

    Ever updated a workflow template and worried if your public Express Contract link was also updated?

    Here is the problem we have solved: Previously, when you changed a template, the public link would silently continue to generate contracts using the OLD version. To fix this, you had to recreate the Express Contract from scratch, which generated a brand new public link. Then came the tedious task of hunting down and replacing the old link on your website and in your communications. It was manual, error-prone, and a huge compliance risk.

    We have completely fixed this. Say goodbye to that hassle!

    Now, when you edit a workflow, we ensure it stays perfectly in sync with its public links using a simple review process:

    Automatic Alerts: When a template changes, we'll automatically flag any outdated Express Contract with a prominent banner and a warning icon (⚠️) to let you know a review is needed.

    Safety First: The main "Publish New Changes" button for the workflow will be disabled until all linked Express Contracts are reviewed and up-to-date. This prevents you from accidentally publishing a workflow that's out of sync.

    One-Click Review: A "Review" button guides you to quickly check the details and approve the changes.

    Confirmation: Once you hit "Complete Review," the icon turns into a green checkmark (✅), confirming your existing public link is now serving the latest, compliant version of your template.

    The key benefit: Your public link remains the same. No more creating new drafts. No more manual updates on your website. This change eliminates risk and saves you a ton of manual effort.

    Important Heads-Up:

    To make this new sync process seamless, Express Contracts are now exclusively for single-counterparty workflows. If you try to add a second counterparty to a workflow with an active Express Contract, the system will prevent it.

    Resources:

    Help Center

    How to Enable:

    We are rolling out slowly to workspaces that have Express Templates enabled. If you wish to get access to this sooner, please reach out to your Customer Success Manager.

  5. Version Management & Viewing Improvements

    CLM
    All Users

    Product Area: Contract Versions, Version Comparison Impact of Change: Quality of life improvements Roles Impacted: All users who work with contract versions Description:No more version download fatigue! :tada: We've completely transformed how you interact with contract versions, making it easier than ever to track your contract's negotiation journey.

    Problem Addressed:Previously, viewing contract versions had its challenges. You could only see basic details (version number, name, timestamp) and had to download multiple versions just to find the one you needed. This led to unnecessary downloads and made it difficult to understand your contract's evolution. Also you would see a lot of versions like Base Template, Contract Sent, Contract Downloaded which made it harder to do version management and tracking for legal teams.

    Solution Overview:We've reimagined the entire version experience:

    • View Versions Directly In-Platform: No more mandatory downloads! You can now review any contract version directly within SpotDraft, saving time and reducing clutter in your downloads folder.
    • Rich Version Details: Each version now shows comprehensive information including how it was created, relevant notes, and context - making it crystal clear what each version represents.
    • Smarter Version Creation: We've cleaned up version generation to eliminate irrelevant versions. Now you'll only see versions that actually matter to your workflow - no more empty template versions cluttering your history. (This is applicable for new contracts)
    • Streamlined Comparison: Comparing versions is now faster with fewer clicks required. Plus, we automatically set the older version as "original" and newer version as "revised" - because that just makes sense! :brain:

    The Result? Your version history now tells a clear, logical story of your contract's negotiation journey, without the noise and confusion.

    How to Enable: This functionality is feature flagged, we are rolling it out gradually to all customers. In case you want to enable it for your customer, please feel free to reach out to me.

  6. Viewing Approval Setup on a Contract

    CLM
    All Users

    Product Area: Contract Page, Approvals

    Impact of Change: Enhanced Troubleshooting & Transparency

    Roles Impacted: Admin users

    Description:

    Ever wondered why a specific approval was (or wasn't) triggered? Or why someone is unable to send the contract to the counterparty, or skip an approval? We've brought the approval setup details right to your contract page!

    You can now view the complete approval configuration, access restrictions, and reset mechanisms directly within the contract view.

    No more jumping between workflow manager setups or wrestling with workflow version mismatches.

    This enhanced visibility empowers admins to troubleshoot approval triggers instantly and verify setup details independently, significantly reducing the need for support intervention. Admins can quickly understand their approval rules and configurations right where they need them.

    Note: Only users with permission to Manage Contract type and Workflows (generally admins) can access this functionality.

    How to Enable: This feature is now available to all customers by default. (only for contracts on the new approvals system)

  7. Add Signatory Location Details with New Signature Fields

    Feature Name: Add Signatory Location Details with New Signature Fields

    Product Area: eSignature & Templates

    Impact of Change: Feature Enhancement

    Roles Impacted: All users creating templates or preparing documents for signature.

    Description:

    Previously, adding the location fields required reaching out to the SpotDraft team. Due to the manual overhead involved on our end, this often resulted in a turnaround time of 1-2 days, slowing down your template setup.

    We're excited to announce a major update that eliminates this dependency and puts you in complete control!

    Here’s what’s new:

    Self-Serve Location Fields in Templates: No more support tickets! When creating or editing a template with DraftMate, you can now instantly add a full range of location-based fields to your signature blocks, including Street Address, City/Town, State/Region, Zip/Postal Code, Country, or simply Full Address.

    Drag-and-Drop Flexibility: Need to add an address field while preparing for signature in upload flows? These new location fields are also available in the Prepare for Signing view, so you can drag and drop them onto any contract before sending it out.

    Unlock Seamless Auto-Signing: This is a game-changer for high-volume contracting. If a signatory has their location information saved in their user profile, these new fields will be automatically populated. This enhancement unblocks the auto-sign feature for Express Templates and Campaigns that require signatory location details, ensuring your automated processes run without a hitch.

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    This update empowers your teams to be self-sufficient, drastically cutting down template setup time from days to minutes. No more waiting - just faster, more efficient contracting.

    Note:

    These fields are available only for contracts being sent via SpotDraft Sign.

    How to Enable:

    This feature is now available by default for all users.

  8. Easily assign a Business User when creating contracts on another’s behalf

    Product Area: Contract Creation

    Impact of Change: Quality of Life Improvement

    Roles Impacted: Users who create contracts on behalf of other team members (e.g., Legal, RevOps).

    Description:

    We know that legal teams often create contracts for business stakeholders. While a legal user might initiate the contract in SpotDraft, the true owner and point person is often someone on the sales or partnerships team.

    Previously, assigning the correct Business User required creating the contract first, then navigating to the contract details page to edit the owner. This involved extra clicks and unnecessary navigation for a very common task.

    To streamline this, we've introduced the 'Business User' field directly into the contract creation process! Now, when creating a contract via any workflow (Template, Upload Third Party Paper, Send for Signature), you can assign the Business User on the spot.

    The field defaults to you, the creator. Simply click the dropdown to select the correct Business User from the list of users who have creator access for that contract type.

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    Right focus (7)

    This eliminates extra steps, reduces clicks, and ensures the correct owner is assigned from the very beginning, improving visibility and accountability.

    How to Enable:

    This feature is currently available on request. Please reach out to your Customer Success Manager (CSM) to have it enabled for your workspace.

    Please note:

    Once enabled, this feature will be active across all contract creation workflows.

    Read more here.

  9. Restricting Business Users from Preparing Contracts for Signing

    CLM

    Feature Name: Restricting Business Users from Preparing Contracts for Signing

    Product Area: Upload Third-Party Contract, Send for Signature, Template Contracts with Edits

    Impact of Change: You can now revoke the ability of business users to prepare contracts for signing.

    Roles Impacted: Business Users

    Description:

    Previously, Business Users had implicit access to prepare contracts for signing. In many cases, salespeople were the Business Users for a contract. For many organizations, this was not ideal, as their process requires that only legal users can prepare and send contracts for signing. This ensures legal users are aware of the final version being sent and maintain full control over the process.

    With this update, you can disable the Business User toggle to remove their ability to prepare contracts for signing, ensuring that only Editors handle this step.

    How to Enable:Enabled for all workspaces

  10. AI Sandbox: Test Smart Data Capture To Improve Accuracy

    Product Area: Smart Data Capture

    Impact of Change: New Functionality

    Roles Impacted: Legal Operations teams managing Smart Data Capture

    Description: We've introduced AI Sandbox, a testing environment that lets you validate Smart Data Capture accuracy before running it on your live contracts.

    Problem Addressed:

    Legal teams were frustrated with SDC accuracy issues that only surfaced after processing their entire contracts. You'd write metadata descriptions, run SDC on hundreds of contracts, and discover results were not acceptable - requiring manual cleanup. Even worse, you didn't know which descriptions were problematic or how to fix them. There was no way to test descriptions beforehand or get guidance on improvements, creating anxiety about deploying SDC.

    Solution Overview:

    AI Sandbox provides a risk-free testing environment where you can perfect your Smart Data Capture setup before going live.

    What's New:

    Test on Sample Contracts: Select representative contracts from your repository and run extractions without affecting live data

    See AI Reasoning: View the exact contract sections and logic the AI used for each extraction decision

    Get Improvement Suggestions: Mark results as correct/incorrect and receive AI-generated recommendations to refine your descriptions

    Track Accuracy: Monitor success rates and iterate until you achieve target accuracy (75%+ recommended)

    How to Access:

    On legacy metadata workspaces: Navigate to Manage on the navigation panel > Contract Metadata > Click on the Contract Type > Click the three dots next to any metadata field, and select "Test Smart Data Capture".

    On global metadata workspaces: Navigate to Manage > Click on Metadata Manager > Click the three dots next to any metadata field name, and select "Test Smart Data Capture".

    This will be available to all customers with Smart Data Capture enabled.