Reusable templates.
Controlled changes.

Templates are reusable structures that generate new document instances. Regular documents are single use. A template captures the structure, default content, signing routing, validity rules, and custom fields for a document type. New instances inherit everything from the template and only require the specifics for that particular contract. The team uses templates to standardise high volume contract types and use regular documents for one-off agreements.

Any organisational grouping the team needs. Common patterns include grouping by document type (NDAs, service agreements, employment offers), by business function (sales contracts, procurement contracts, HR documents), or by team (legal templates, sales templates, finance templates). The team configures the categories that match their actual operational structure, with no fixed taxonomy required.

Each template can define custom fields that capture specific data points for that document type. A vendor agreement template might have fields for vendor name, contract value, payment terms, and delivery schedule. When the team generates a new instance from the template, the custom fields appear as inputs the team fills in. The data populates into the document automatically and stays queryable in the team's contract library for reporting.

Submitters propose changes, owners review and approve or reject. When somebody wants to modify a template, they open an edit request with the proposed changes attached. The template owner gets notified, reviews the changes against current standards, and either approves (the changes become the new version) or rejects (with a reason). The full history is preserved so the team can see who requested what and when, and roll back if needed.

How many times each template has been used to generate new contract instances. The metric surfaces in the template library so the team sees which templates run hundreds of times a quarter and which have not been used in months. Library cleanup becomes data driven. Unused templates can be retired or archived. High volume templates get the attention they deserve for keeping current and well drafted.

Document Management handles the documents themselves. Templates & Versioning governs the reusable structures the documents come from. Document Management mentions templates as a creation option. Templates & Versioning is the layer that manages those templates with categories, custom fields, use count, edit requests, and global sharing. Together they cover both individual document handling and template governance for the contracts that come from those templates.