If your company’s contracts are a mess, you’re not alone. Templates get duplicated, old versions float around, and suddenly no one knows if that NDA is up to date—or who can send it. This article is for operations folks, legal teams, or anyone who just wants fewer headaches dealing with contract templates in Contractbook.
Here’s how to keep your templates in shape, avoid the usual pitfalls, and actually get the benefits contract management software promises.
1. Start With One Single Source of Truth
Before you even open Contractbook, ask yourself: Where are your “real” templates right now?
- Stop the leaks: If people have “secret” Word docs or Google Drive versions, pull them into the open.
- Pick one spot: Commit to Contractbook as the place for templates. No shadow folders, no emailed versions.
Why it matters: If you let templates live in multiple places, you’ll never know which is current. People will keep using the wrong ones, and that defeats the whole point.
Pro tip: Don’t try to import every old contract you find. Start with the top 2–3 templates you actually use, get those right, then add more as needed.
2. Build Templates with Real-World Use in Mind
Contractbook lets you make fancy, automated templates with variables and workflows. That’s great—sometimes. But don’t over-engineer.
What works: - Keep templates simple at first. Use plain fill-in-the-blanks for names, dates, and signatures. - Use variables only where they save real time. If a field changes every single time (like a payment amount), make it a variable. If not, leave it as plain text. - Test with real users, not just the legal team. The people who send and fill these contracts need to understand them.
What doesn’t: - Don’t try to automate every clause. Overly complex templates break, confuse users, and are a pain to maintain. - Don’t ignore formatting. Ugly or confusing templates cause mistrust and mistakes.
Ignore this: “Best” practice guides that push endless conditional logic. Most teams never need it.
3. Name Templates Clearly (You’ll Thank Yourself Later)
Naming matters more than you think. You need to know what’s what at a glance.
Tips for naming:
- Stick to a clear format: Type - Version - Date (e.g., NDA - v2 - 2024-04)
- Avoid “final_final” or “updated” in file names. Spell out what’s different.
- Archive or delete old versions—don’t just rename them “OLD.”
Real world: When something changes (like a new law or company policy), update the template, bump the version, and communicate it. Don’t let “hidden” versions pile up.
4. Control Who Can Edit and Publish Templates
Not everyone should be able to edit or approve a contract template. Contractbook’s permission system is decent, but you’ll need to set it up on purpose.
Do: - Limit editing rights to a small group (legal, operations, or whoever actually owns contracts). - Give most users view or fill permissions only. - Regularly review who has access—especially after team changes.
Don’t: - Let everyone edit “just in case.” That’s how you end up with broken templates. - Assume permissions are right by default. They’re usually not.
Pro tip: Even if you trust your team, mistakes happen. Keeping edit permissions tight saves everyone time.
5. Use Folders and Tags—But Don’t Go Overboard
Folders and tags help organize templates. But too many categories is just another mess.
How to keep it simple: - Create broad folders: “Sales,” “HR,” “Partnerships,” etc. - Use tags for extra context: “NDA,” “2024 Update,” “External.”
What to avoid: - Don’t nest folders five levels deep. If it takes more than a couple clicks to find a template, it’s too complicated. - Don’t create a tag for every tiny detail. That’s what search is for.
Honest take: Most teams rarely use more than 3–5 folders. Focus on clarity over perfect organization.
6. Set a Schedule for Reviewing and Updating Templates
Templates go stale. Laws change, your business changes, or someone finds a better way to phrase something.
Make it routine: - Set a calendar reminder (quarterly or twice a year) to review templates. - Check with both legal and the people who use the templates—what’s working, what’s annoying, what needs fixing? - Archive old versions. Don’t delete unless you’re sure.
What to ignore: You don’t need a full audit committee. A simple checklist and 30 minutes can go a long way.
7. Train and Communicate With Your Team
No template system is self-explanatory. If people don’t know how to use Contractbook, they’ll default to old habits.
What works: - Short, focused walkthroughs—show where templates are, how to use them, who to ask for help. - Written guides (one page, max) with screenshots. - A clear policy: “Always use Contractbook for contracts. Don’t email old Word docs.”
What doesn’t: - Long, boring training sessions. - Assuming everyone will figure it out just because it’s “intuitive.”
Pro tip: Make it easy for people to ask questions. When someone finds a bug or missing field, fix it fast and thank them.
8. Use Contractbook’s Automations Sparingly
Yes, Contractbook offers automation—reminders, workflows, integrations. They’re powerful, but also a common source of confusion.
When automation helps: - Reminders for contract renewals or follow-ups. - Auto-filling repetitive info (company name, address, standard clauses).
When to skip it: - Automatically sending contracts without human review. - Overly complex approval chains that slow everything down.
Honest take: Automate what’s boring, not what’s important. You still need real people to check major details.
9. Have a Process for Rolling Out Changes
When you update a template, make sure people actually use the new one.
How to do it: - Announce updates clearly (Slack, email, whatever your team uses). - Archive or remove the old template immediately. - If a template changes for legal reasons, say why (in plain English).
What to avoid: - Quietly swapping in a new template with no communication. - Letting people keep using old copies “just this once.”
Pro tip: Keep a simple changelog—what changed, when, and why. It helps settle arguments later.
10. Don’t Overthink It—Iterate as You Go
The perfect template system doesn’t exist. Start small, fix obvious pain points, and improve over time.
- Don’t try to solve every edge case on day one.
- Listen to feedback from the people actually sending contracts.
- Adjust your setup as your business grows or changes.
Remember: Simple beats complicated. You want a system that gets used, not one that looks impressive in a slide deck.
Summary
Managing contract templates in Contractbook isn’t magic or rocket science. Pick one source of truth, keep things organized but simple, and stay on top of updates. Start with what you need now, not what you might need someday. If you keep it straightforward and tweak as you go, you’ll actually get the benefits—less chaos, fewer mistakes, and contracts that get signed with less stress.