Managing Agreement Status Transitions

Agreements move through distinct statuses during their lifecycle. Understanding how to manage these transitions—finalizing, recalling, and cancelling—gives you control over the process.

The Four Agreement Statuses

Draft → Pending → Signed (✓ Completed)
↓
Cancelled (✗ Terminated)

See Understanding Agreement Statuses and Workflow for detailed status explanations.

Finalizing: Draft → Pending

Finalizing moves an agreement from Draft to Pending, making it accessible to clients for signing.

How to Finalize

Method 1: Finalize and Email

1. Open Draft agreement
2. Click Finalize and Email or Send via Email
3. Compose email and send
4. Status changes to Pending, client receives email with link

Method 2: Finalize (without email)

1. Open Draft agreement
2. Click Finalize (no email sent)
3. Status changes to Pending, public link becomes active
4. Share link manually via text, chat, etc.

When to finalize:

• Agreement content is complete and proofread
• Client information is accurate
• You’re ready for client to review and sign

What happens:

• Status → Pending
• Public link activates
• Agreement becomes read-only (no editing without recall)
• Reminders begin (if configured)
• Client can now view and sign

See Sending Agreements to Clients via Email for detailed finalization steps.

Recalling: Pending → Draft

Recalling brings a Pending agreement back to Draft status, allowing you to make edits.

When to Recall

Use cases:

• Spotted a typo or error after sending
• Need to add or remove clauses
• Client requested changes before signing
• Wrong client or project details

Important:
Recalling removes client access to the agreement. The public link becomes inactive or shows “Under Revision.”

How to Recall

1. Open the Pending agreement
2. Click Actions → Recall, Edit, or Recall to Draft
3. Confirm the action
4. Status changes to Draft

Confirmation prompt:
“Are you sure you want to recall this agreement? The client will no longer be able to access or sign it.”

After recalling:

• Status → Draft
• Public link deactivates
• You regain full editing capability
• Make your changes
• Re-finalize and resend when ready

Editing and Resending After Recall

1. Recall agreement (Pending → Draft)
2. Edit the content (fix errors, add clauses, update details)
3. Save changes
4. Finalize and Email again

Best practice:
Notify client about the update:

“Hi Sarah, I’m making a quick update to the agreement and will resend shortly.”

Or include a note when resending:

“Updated agreement with revised payment terms as discussed.”

What Clients See When You Recall

If client tries to access the public link:

• “This agreement is under revision” or similar message
• Cannot view or sign
• No access until you re-finalize

Communication tip:
Let client know in advance to avoid confusion.

Cancelling: Any Status → Cancelled

Cancelling permanently terminates an agreement. Use when the agreement is no longer needed or valid.

When to Cancel

Appropriate scenarios:

• Client declined to sign
• Project or deal fell through
• Agreement became irrelevant
• Sent to wrong client by mistake
• Replaced by a new version

Important:
Cancelled agreements cannot be unsigned or reactivated. Client cannot sign. Status is final (though you could create a new agreement if needed).

How to Cancel

1. Open the agreement (Draft, Pending, or even Signed)
2. Click Actions → Cancel or Cancel Agreement
3. Confirm the action
4. Status changes to Cancelled

Confirmation prompt:
“Are you sure you want to cancel this agreement? This action cannot be undone.”

After cancelling:

• Status → Cancelled
• Public link shows “This agreement has been cancelled”
• Client cannot sign
• Agreement remains in your list for records
• You can delete later if needed

Cancelling After Client Signs

If agreement is Signed, you can still cancel it (though rare).

Use cases:

• Agreement was signed in error
• Legal issue requires voiding
• Project cancelled after signing

Legal note:
Cancelling in the system does not void a legally binding signature. Consult legal counsel if you need to void a signed contract.

Process:

1. Open Signed agreement
2. Actions → Cancel
3. Confirm
4. Agreement becomes Cancelled
5. Notify client and handle legal implications separately

What Clients See When You Cancel

Public link shows:

• “This agreement has been cancelled” or similar message
• Agreement content may still be visible (read-only)
• No signature option
• Possibly a note: “Contact us for more information”

Communication:
Inform client directly:

“Hi Sarah, we’ve cancelled the agreement as the project scope has changed. I’ll send a new agreement shortly.”

Deleting Agreements

Deleting permanently removes an agreement from your account.

When to delete:

• Agreement was created by mistake
• Test agreement no longer needed
• Cancelled agreement clutter

Warning:
Deletion is permanent. Cannot be undone. Public links stop working.

How to delete:

1. Open agreement (typically Draft or Cancelled)
2. Actions → Delete
3. Confirm deletion
4. Agreement removed from system

Best practice:
Delete only test agreements or clear mistakes. Keep cancelled agreements for records if they were sent to real clients.

Status Transition Summary Table

* Can delete after cancelling
** Can edit after recalling
*** Rare, requires careful consideration

Agreement Actions Menu

Draft actions:

• Edit
• Finalize
• Finalize and Email
• Delete
• Duplicate

Pending actions:

• View
• Recall to Draft
• Resend Email
• Cancel
• Copy Public Link
• Duplicate

Signed actions:

• View
• Download PDF
• Cancel (rare)
• Duplicate

Cancelled actions:

• View
• Delete
• Duplicate

Automatic Status Changes

Beyond manual transitions, statuses change automatically:

Client Signs

• Pending → Signed (automatic when client completes signature)
• Notification sent to you (if configured)

Proposal Acceptance

If agreement is linked to a proposal:

• Proposal accepted → Agreement Pending → Signed (if set to auto-accept)
• See Linking Agreements to Proposals

Best Practices for Status Management

✅ Finalize only when ready: Review thoroughly before finalizing.

✅ Recall promptly: If you spot an error, recall immediately and notify client.

✅ Cancel when appropriate: Don’t leave unused agreements in Pending state.

✅ Keep records: Don’t delete signed or sent agreements; they’re your audit trail.

✅ Communicate changes: Tell clients when you recall or cancel so they understand.

✅ Use Duplicate for variations: Need a similar agreement? Duplicate instead of editing the original.

✅ Check status regularly: Monitor which agreements are pending, follow up if no response.

Common Questions

Can I skip Pending and go straight to Signed?
Not typically. Agreements must be finalized (Pending) and then signed by client.

What if I finalized by mistake?
Recall it back to Draft immediately, before client sees it.

Can I reactivate a cancelled agreement?
No. Cancelled is final. Duplicate the agreement and create a new one if needed.

What happens to reminders when I recall or cancel?
Reminders stop. They only apply to Pending agreements.

Can I change the client after finalizing?
No. Recall to Draft, change client, and re-finalize.

If client signed, can I edit the agreement?
No. Signed agreements are immutable. Create a new agreement or amendment for changes.

What if I sent to the wrong client?
Cancel or recall immediately, then create a new agreement for the correct client.

Can the client see my status changes?
Only indirectly (link stops working, receives new email). No direct notification of recall or cancellation unless you tell them.

How long should I keep cancelled agreements?
Depends on your record-keeping policy. If sent to real clients, keep for legal/audit purposes.

Related Articles

• Understanding Agreement Statuses and Workflow
• Sending Agreements to Clients via Email
• Sharing Agreements with Public Links
• Creating Your First Agreement