Task

Documents waiting on somebody else's signature

Nobody is watching for the page to come back.

A document goes out for a signature, and something often waits on it.

Not every business has this problem, and some should leave it alone.

Most of these can be handled better. Whether it's worth doing is a separate question. What follows is one common form of the problem, described in general terms, because your version will differ. These are possible challenges, not a description of your business, and some should be left exactly as they are. If it sounds like your week, that's worth a conversation.

Watch: Dates Somebody Has to Watch

Sound familiar?

Nobody is sure which documents are still out for signature.
The reminder is somebody remembering to send one.
A signed copy came back, but not to the person who needed it.
The work went ahead before the paper came back.

What it looks like

A change, an agreement, or an approval goes out to be signed. Until it comes back, something waits: the work, the billing, or the next step.

The document leaves by email or on paper. Whether it comes back depends on the other side, and whether anyone notices it has not depends on somebody remembering it was sent.

What it costs

Nothing announces a signature that never came. The sent message sits in an outbox. The missing reply leaves no trace.

Work goes ahead anyway. When the paper is slow, the job often keeps moving. If the signed copy never arrives, the business may be left without the record it meant to have.

Chasing falls to whoever sent it. The reminders depend on one person's inbox and memory.

Where it goes wrong

There is no list of what is out. Each document is tracked in the sender's head or sent folder.
Signed copies come back to different places. An inbox, a truck, a desk.
Nobody decides what waits. It is not clear whether the work should stop until the signature arrives.
Old ones are never closed. A document that will never come back stays open forever, alongside the ones still worth chasing.

What a better version looks like

Every document sent for signature goes on one list, with what it is for, who has it, and when it went. The list shows what is still out and for how long. Reminders go out on a schedule, reviewed by a person. When a signed copy arrives, it is attached to the job and the item closes.

What still needs a person

A person decides whether work can go ahead before the signature. A person follows up with the other side when reminders do not work, and decides when to stop waiting.

Questions worth asking about your own operation

How many documents are out for signature right now?
Where does a signed copy come back to?
Does any work go ahead before the signature arrives?
Who closes one out that is never coming back?

If this sounds familiar

Bring me the version you actually have. I'll learn how the process really works before I suggest anything. If it isn't worth changing, or isn't a fit for me, I'll say so. Talk through a problem