Designer Cheat Sheet — Contracts in 60 Seconds

Written By Timothy Murenzi

Last updated 6 days ago

The standard flow (5 steps)

Contracts → + New Contract
Pick a starter template (Simple / NDA / MSA) or upload a PDF
Link Client + Project (optional — you can leave these blank)
Add signers → drop signature fields on the page → Send for signature
Done. Workroom emails the invite, tracks the status, and surfaces the signed PDF on the project + client record automatically.

Quick-reference

	Want to…Do this
Start a contract fast	+ New Contract → click any template tile
Use your own document	+ New Contract → Upload PDF
Re-use last month's contract	Save as template while editing → it shows up on every future + New Contract
Send to a prospect not in your contacts	Leave Client blank. Turn on Auto-create client in Settings → Contracts so they become a Contact when they sign
Collect a retainer with the contract	Set Retainer amount in the right rail before sending. Link a Client first — retainer needs somewhere to credit
Make signing strictly in-order	Set Signing mode → Sequential (default)
Let everyone sign whenever	Set Signing mode → Parallel
Have Walter write a section for you	Click the empty section → Walter → describe what you want
Pause and come back later	The editor auto-saves. Closing the tab is safe
Edit a contract that's already sent	Void the send first (status flips back to Draft) — you'll need to re-send to existing signers

Pre-send checklist

Before clicking Send for signature, make sure:

Every signer has a name + email + role
At least one signature field is on the page, assigned to the right signer
Retainer amount is correct (or blank if no retainer)
Signing mode is set the way you want
You've previewed the document by clicking through pages once
If using a retainer → confirm a Client is linked

If the Send button is grayed out, hover it. The tooltip tells you what's missing.

Status meanings

		Status What it means What to do
Draft	You haven't sent it yet	Edit + send when ready
Sent	Invite emailed to first signer	Wait for them, or Resend invite if it's been a while
Viewing	A signer opened the link	They're reading; no action needed
Partially Signed	Some signers done, others pending	Sequential = next signer was just emailed automatically
Signed	Everyone signed ✓	Done. PDF lives on the project + client record
Declined	A signer hit "Decline"	Open the contract to see their reason. You can void + start over
Voided	You cancelled the send	Re-clone or start fresh

Stuck? Try this first

	Symptom Fix
Signer says "didn't get the email"	Check the audit log → if it bounced, fix the email + Re-send invite. If it sent, ask them to check spam
Signer clicks the link → "expired/invalid"	You probably voided the send. Re-send creates a fresh link
Send button grayed out	Hover for the tooltip. Usually missing signature field or missing signer
Signed PDF has blank trailing pages	Older contracts only — newer ones auto-trim. Regenerate from the contract's three-dot menu
Editor stuck in "view-only" mode	Contract is no longer Draft. Void to edit, or clone to start fresh