If you’re tired of chasing signatures over email and want your procurement contract approvals to run smoother in Contractbook, you’re in the right spot. This guide’s for anyone who has to wrangle stakeholders, avoid bottlenecks, and keep procurement moving—whether you’re legal, procurement, or just the unlucky “process owner” this month.
No fluff here. We’ll cover how to actually build a custom approval workflow, what works (and what’s just busywork), and how to keep it from spiraling into a bureaucratic nightmare.
Why bother with custom approval workflows?
If you’re reading this, you probably already get why. But let’s be honest: most default workflows in contract tools are either too rigid or too simple for real procurement processes. You need to route some contracts through legal, others up to the CFO, and sometimes skip approvals for the small stuff. Doing this by hand is slow and error-prone.
Contractbook offers a way to automate this, but it’s not magic. The workflows are only as good as the rules you set up—and how willing your team is to actually follow them. So, let’s get into the real steps.
Step 1: Map your actual approval process (don’t skip this)
Before you touch Contractbook, grab a pen or open a blank doc. Write down how procurement contracts actually get approved at your company. Not how they’re supposed to, but how it really happens.
- Who must sign off for which types of contracts? (Legal, finance, department head, etc.)
- Are there thresholds? (e.g., Contracts over $50k need CFO approval)
- Any exceptions? (Maybe auto-approve renewals, or skip legal for certain vendors)
- What slows things down? (Waiting on busy execs, unclear handoffs, etc.)
Pro tip: Keep it simple. If your workflow has more than 3-4 steps for every contract, you’re inviting delays.
Step 2: Prepare your Contractbook account
You’ll need admin rights or at least “workflow manager” permissions to set this up. Make sure:
- Everyone who needs to approve contracts is invited to your Contractbook workspace, with the right access.
- Your procurement contract templates are set up in Contractbook. If you’re still uploading old Word docs, stop and convert them now—it’ll save you headaches later.
Heads up: Contractbook’s workflow features work best when you use their templates and keep all edits in-platform. If you keep jumping between Word, PDF, and Contractbook, things break.
Step 3: Open Automations and choose your trigger
In Contractbook, automations are where you build workflows.
- Go to “Automations” from the left sidebar.
- Click “Create new automation.”
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Choose your trigger. For procurement, the most common is “Contract drafted” or “Contract ready for approval.”
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“Contract drafted”: Triggers as soon as someone creates a new contract from a template. Good for approvals before anyone sends the contract out.
- “Contract ready for approval”: Best if you want someone (like the contract owner) to manually kick off the approval process after filling in details.
Don’t overthink triggers. If you automate too early in the process, you’ll end up approving half-finished documents. Too late, and you’re just automating what people already do by email.
Step 4: Add approval steps (and set the rules)
This is where you tell Contractbook who needs to approve what, and when.
- After your trigger, add an “Approval” action.
- Choose the person or group who needs to approve. You can add multiple steps (e.g., first legal, then finance).
- Set conditions for each step. For example:
- If contract value > $50,000, require CFO approval.
- If contract type = “vendor agreement,” route to procurement.
- If renewal, skip legal.
You can usually set these up with simple “if/then” logic. Contractbook’s interface isn’t as flexible as full-blown workflow tools like Zapier, but it gets the job done for most use cases.
What works: - Mapping out exceptions up front (like renewals or small contracts) keeps things moving. - Assigning approvals to roles, not individuals, so people can step in when someone’s on vacation.
What to ignore: - Don’t try to automate every weird edge case. If it only happens once a year, handle it manually. - Avoid adding steps just because “that’s how it’s always been.” Every approval slows you down.
Step 5: Set up notifications and reminders
People forget to approve things. Contractbook can send notifications by email and (sometimes) Slack, but don’t expect miracles.
- Enable notifications for each step so approvers get an alert.
- Set up automatic reminders if approvals are pending for more than X days.
Honest take: Email notifications get ignored. If approvals keep stalling, sometimes a quick Slack or in-person nudge does more than all the reminders in the world.
Step 6: Test your workflow (with real users)
Before you unleash your workflow on the whole team:
- Run a test contract through the process. Use real contract data (dummy values are fine).
- Have actual approvers go through their steps—don’t do it all yourself.
- Watch for bottlenecks. Did someone not get notified? Did an approval get skipped?
What usually breaks: - Approvers ignore the email and nothing moves. - Someone’s permissions are wrong, so they can’t see or approve the contract. - The wrong person gets assigned an approval (usually because of a mis-set rule).
Quick fix: If you spot something broken, fix it before you roll out to everyone. Announcing a new workflow and then having it stall immediately is a one-way ticket to everyone ignoring it.
Step 7: Roll out and get feedback
Once you’ve tested, roll it out to the rest of the team. Keep it simple:
- Send a short “here’s how approvals work now” message. Screenshots help.
- Be clear about what’s new, and what people should do if they get stuck.
- Invite feedback after a few cycles. What’s working? What’s just annoying?
Be ready to tweak: No workflow survives first contact with reality. If people keep finding ways to bypass the system, or if approvals are piling up, ask why and adjust.
Real-world tips (from people who’ve been there)
- Don’t chase “perfect.” Aim for “good enough,” then improve as you go.
- Limit the number of approvers. More than 3-4, and contracts will sit for days.
- Automate the boring stuff, not the judgment calls. It’s fine to skip approvals for $500 software renewals—but don’t try to automate who gets to approve a $2M vendor deal.
- Keep an “escape hatch.” There will be urgent contracts. Make sure someone can override the process if needed (but track when this happens).
What to avoid
- Too many exceptions: Every “but what if…” slows you down. Handle rare cases offline.
- Relying on email alone: People miss notifications. Build in accountability—check the dashboard regularly.
- Assuming people will read instructions: Most won’t. Make the process obvious in the platform.
Wrapping up: Start simple, then tweak
Custom approval workflows in Contractbook can save you time and hassle—but only if you keep them straightforward. Don’t fall for the trap of automating every possible scenario or adding endless steps. Start with the basics, watch how things go, and improve from there.
Most importantly, talk to your team and see what’s actually helping. If your workflow makes life easier and speeds up procurement, you’ll know you’re on the right track. If not, keep it simpler.
Remember: good workflows are invisible. If people notice them, it’s usually because something’s broken.
Now, go set up your first workflow—and don’t be afraid to keep it messy while you figure out what works.