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Signing Workflow

Once a DocSign document is created and sent, a structured workflow guides each participant through their responsibilities. This page explains what happens at every stage --- from the moment you click Send to the final completed document.

Sending the Document​

When you send a document, several things happen simultaneously:

  1. The document status changes from Draft to Sent.
  2. Each participant receives an email notification containing a unique, secure link.
  3. An optional expiration date starts counting down if you set one during creation.

The signing link is personal to each participant. It cannot be shared or transferred --- only the intended recipient can use it.

The Signing Experience​

When a signer clicks their link, they are taken to a clean, focused signing page:

  1. Review --- The signer sees the full PDF document with their assigned fields highlighted. Fields belonging to other signers are not shown.
  2. Fill in fields --- The signer completes each required field. For signature fields, they can draw a signature with their mouse or finger, or type their name and choose from generated signature styles.
  3. Adopt signature --- On their first interaction with a signature field, the signer is prompted to adopt their signature. This adopted signature can be reused across all signature fields in the document.
  4. Submit --- Once all required fields are filled, the signer clicks Submit to finalize their portion.

Audit Trail​

Each signing action records detailed information for the audit trail:

  • Timestamp --- The exact date and time the signer viewed and signed.
  • IP address --- The IP address from which the action was performed.
  • Geographic location --- City, region, country, and timezone based on the IP address.
  • User agent --- The browser and operating system used.

This data provides a legally defensible record of who signed, when, and from where.

Signing Order​

DocSign supports both sequential and parallel signing:

  • Sequential signing --- Participants sign in a predetermined order. The second signer does not receive their signing link until the first signer has completed their portion. Use sequential signing when one party's input depends on another's (for example, an employee signs first and then a manager approves).
  • Parallel signing --- All participants receive their links at the same time and can sign in any order. Use parallel signing when the order does not matter and you want the process to complete as quickly as possible.

The signing order is determined by the order in which you arrange participants during document creation. You can drag and drop participants to reorder them.

Tracking Progress​

From the DocSign dashboard, you can monitor every document's progress:

  • Status badges --- Each document shows its current status: Draft, Sent, In Progress, or Completed.
  • Signer details --- Expand a document to see each participant's individual status --- whether they have viewed the document, signed it, or are still pending.
  • Resend invitations --- If a signer has not responded, you can resend the email notification with a single click.
  • Update email --- If a signer's email was entered incorrectly, you can update it without recreating the document.
  • Send reminders --- Prompt participants who have not yet acted with a reminder email.

Declining a Document​

Participants with the Signer or Approver role can choose to decline the document if they disagree with its contents. When a participant declines:

  • The document creator is notified immediately.
  • The document status reflects the decline, and the creator can decide how to proceed --- whether to void the document or address the concern and resend.

Completion​

A document reaches Completed status when every Signer has submitted their fields and every Approver has given their approval. At that point:

  • All participants with completion notifications enabled receive a final email.
  • The completed PDF --- with all signatures, initials, dates, and text fields embedded --- is generated and available for download.
  • The document enters its configured retention period.

Downloading the Completed Document​

Both the document creator and all participants can download the finalized PDF. The download link is available from the DocSign dashboard and from the completion email sent to each participant.

Next Steps​