How to manage contract approvals and renewal dates

Small businesses sign more contracts than they think: the lease, the card processor, the alarm company, the cleaning service, software subscriptions. Most auto-renew. The one you meant to cancel renews last week.

1. One record per agreement

• Who is it with? (required)
• Value
• Renewal date
• Summary: two lines on what you agreed to

The summary saves rereading twelve pages next year.

2. Review before signing

New agreements start in Review: read the terms and flag concerns. Comments on the ticket keep the questions and answers together.

3. Collect signatures

Signatures is where it waits until everyone has signed. Collect signatures however you do today.

4. File the signed copy

Filed means the signed copy is attached to the ticket. Next time someone asks "what does our lease say about repairs?", it's one search away.

5. Never miss a renewal

Always fill in the renewal date. Then a due-date reminder can email you 60 or 90 days ahead, while there's still time to renegotiate or cancel.

6. Keep it private

Make the stack private to the people who handle contracts.

Using the template

The free contract approval workflow template sets up the fields and the review, signatures and filed steps. Add a due-date reminder on the renewal date and you're covered. New to tracking work this way? Read what a ticketing system is.