Team Collaboration Best Practices

SignNXT is built for teams. Follow these best practices to set up clear roles, organize documents efficiently, and create smooth collaboration workflows.

Role Assignment

Workspace Roles Overview

Three workspace roles:

1. Owner - Full control (1 per workspace)
2. Admin - Manage workspace and team
3. Member - Create and send documents

Role hierarchy:

Owner (highest authority)
  ↓
Admin (manage team)
  ↓
Member (use platform)

When to Use Each Role

Owner:

• Workspace creator
• Final decision maker
• Billing manager
• Cannot be changed (permanent)

Use for:

• CEO, Founder, Business Owner
• Person responsible for subscription

Admin:

• Manage team members
• Create shared folders
• Configure workspace settings
• View all documents

Use for:

• Department heads
• Office managers
• HR directors
• Operations managers

Member:

• Create documents
• Send for signature
• Use templates
• Create campaigns (Professional plan)

Use for:

• Sales reps
• HR coordinators
• Team members
• Individual contributors

Team Roles (Optional)

Team structure:

• Team Lead - Manages team members
• Team Member - Regular team member

When to use teams:

• Large organizations (20+ users)
• Multiple departments
• Need document visibility control
• Want team-based reporting

When NOT to use teams:

• Small teams (under 10 users)
• Everyone needs to see everything
• Simple structure

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Folder Organization

System Folders (Automatic)

Personal folders (per user):

• Drafts - Documents not yet sent
• Sent Items - Documents you sent
• Completed - Signed documents
• Declined - Refused documents
• Voided - Cancelled documents
• Deleted - Deleted documents
• Scheduled - Documents with upcoming actions

Purpose:

• Automatic organization
• Personal document management
• Status-based filtering

Shared Folders (Manual)

Create shared folders for:

• Departments (HR, Sales, Legal)
• Projects (Q1 Campaign, New Product Launch)
• Clients (Acme Corp, Global Inc)
• Document types (Contracts, NDAs, Invoices)

Folder structure example:

Shared Folders/
├── HR Department/
│   ├── Employment Contracts/
│   ├── Onboarding Documents/
│   └── Policy Acknowledgments/
├── Sales Team/
│   ├── Client Contracts/
│   ├── Proposals/
│   └── NDAs/
├── Operations/
│   ├── Vendor Agreements/
│   ├── Purchase Orders/
│   └── Service Contracts/
└── All Company/
    └── (Everyone has access)

Folder Naming Conventions

Good folder names:

• ✅ "HR - Employment Contracts"
• ✅ "Sales - Q1 2025"
• ✅ "Legal - NDAs"
• ✅ "Client - Acme Corp"

Bad folder names:

• ❌ "Folder 1"
• ❌ "Stuff"
• ❌ "Misc"
• ❌ "New Folder"

Naming best practices:

• Use descriptive names
• Include department/purpose
• Use consistent format
• Avoid special characters
• Keep it concise

Folder Hierarchy

Keep it simple:

• Maximum 2-3 levels deep
• Too deep = hard to find documents
• Too flat = cluttered

Good hierarchy:

Sales Team/
├── Active Deals/
├── Closed Deals/
└── Proposals/

Bad hierarchy:

Sales/
└── 2025/
    └── Q1/
        └── January/
            └── Week 1/
                └── Monday/

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Permission Management

Folder Access Levels

Two access levels:

1. View - Can see documents, cannot create/send
2. Edit - Can create, send, and manage documents

When to use View:

• Coordinators who track status
• Managers who review only
• Auditors who need read access
• Stakeholders who monitor progress

When to use Edit:

• Team members who send documents
• Managers who create documents
• Active contributors
• Document creators

Permission Best Practices

Principle of least privilege:

• Give minimum access needed
• Start with View, upgrade to Edit if needed
• Review permissions quarterly
• Remove access when no longer needed

Common permission patterns:

HR Department:

• HR Director: Admin (workspace)
• HR Managers: Edit (HR folders)
• HR Coordinators: View (HR folders)

Sales Team:

• Sales Director: Admin (workspace)
• Sales Reps: Edit (Sales folders)
• Sales Coordinators: View (Sales folders)

Operations:

• Operations Director: Admin (workspace)
• Department Managers: Edit (department folders)
• Team Members: Edit (team folders)

"All Company" Folder

Purpose:

• Documents everyone should see
• Company-wide announcements
• Shared resources
• Common templates

Access:

• All workspace members automatically added
• Usually View access
• Admins have Edit access

Use for:

• Company policies
• Employee handbook
• Shared templates
• Important announcements

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Communication Workflows

Document Sending Workflow

Clear process:

1. Create - Team member creates document
2. Review - Manager reviews (optional)
3. Send - Team member sends for signature
4. Track - Team monitors status
5. Complete - Document signed and stored

Who does what:

• Members - Create and send documents
• Managers - Review and approve (if needed)
• Admins - Monitor overall progress
• Owner - Final escalation point

Approval Workflows

Use sequential signing for approvals:

Example: Purchase Order Approval

1. Requesting Department - Initiates request
2. Department Manager - First approval
3. Finance Director - Budget approval
4. Vendor - Acceptance

Example: Employment Contract

1. Employee - Signs first
2. HR Manager - Reviews and approves
3. Department Head - Final approval

Notification Strategy

Who gets notified:

• Document sender (always)
• Folder members (optional)
• Managers (for important docs)
• Admins (for issues)

When to notify:

• Document sent
• Document signed
• Document declined
• Document expired
• Errors or issues

Avoid notification overload:

• Don't notify everyone for everything
• Use folder permissions to control visibility
• Set up email filters
• Use dashboard for monitoring

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Team Onboarding

New Team Member Checklist

When adding new team member:

• Invite to workspace
• Assign workspace role (Member/Admin)
• Add to relevant folders
• Set folder permissions (View/Edit)
• Assign to team (if applicable)
• Provide training
• Share templates
• Explain workflows

Training New Members

What to cover:

• How to create documents
• How to use templates
• How to send for signature
• How to track status
• Where to find documents
• Who to ask for help
• Team workflows
• Best practices

Training methods:

• Live demo (30 minutes)
• Written guide
• Video tutorials
• Practice documents
• Shadowing experienced user

Template Access

Share templates with team:

• Create template library
• Organize by department
• Add clear descriptions
• Train on usage
• Update regularly

Template ownership:

• Assign template owners
• Owner maintains template
• Owner trains team
• Owner approves changes

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Team Performance

Track Team Metrics

Key metrics:

• Documents sent per user
• Completion rate per user
• Average time to completion
• Templates used
• Campaigns sent

Use metrics for:

• Identify top performers
• Find training needs
• Optimize workflows
• Improve processes

Regular Team Reviews

Monthly team review:

• Review metrics
• Discuss challenges
• Share best practices
• Update workflows
• Celebrate wins

Quarterly workspace audit:

• Review folder structure
• Check permissions
• Update templates
• Archive old documents
• Clean up deleted items

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Common Team Scenarios

Scenario 1: Small Team (5-10 Users)

Structure:

• 1 Owner
• 1 Admin
• 3-8 Members

Folders:

• Personal folders (automatic)
• 2-3 shared folders
• All Company folder

Permissions:

• Most members have Edit access
• Simple structure
• Everyone sees most documents

Best for:

• Startups
• Small businesses
• Single departments

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Scenario 2: Medium Team (10-50 Users)

Structure:

• 1 Owner
• 2-3 Admins (department heads)
• 7-47 Members

Folders:

• Personal folders (automatic)
• Department folders (5-10)
• Project folders (as needed)
• All Company folder

Permissions:

• Mix of View and Edit access
• Department-based access
• Some cross-department sharing

Best for:

• Growing companies
• Multiple departments
• Regional offices

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Scenario 3: Large Team (50+ Users)

Structure:

• 1 Owner
• 5-10 Admins (department heads)
• 40+ Members
• Teams enabled (optional)

Folders:

• Personal folders (automatic)
• Department folders (10-20)
• Team folders (5-10)
• Project folders (as needed)
• All Company folder

Permissions:

• Strict permission control
• Team-based access
• Role-based access
• Regular audits

Best for:

• Enterprises
• Large organizations
• Multiple locations
• Complex structures

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Troubleshooting Team Issues

User Can't See Documents

Possible causes:

• Not added to folder
• Wrong permission level
• Suspended account
• Wrong workspace

Solutions:

1. Check folder membership
2. Verify permissions (View/Edit)
3. Check account status
4. Confirm correct workspace

User Can't Send Documents

Possible causes:

• View-only access
• Suspended account
• Trial expired
• Subscription issue

Solutions:

1. Upgrade to Edit access
2. Activate account
3. Upgrade from trial
4. Check subscription status

Too Many Notifications

Possible causes:

• Member of too many folders
• Notification settings too broad
• High document volume

Solutions:

1. Remove from unnecessary folders
2. Adjust notification settings
3. Use email filters
4. Check dashboard instead

Documents in Wrong Folder

Possible causes:

• User selected wrong folder
• Automatic folder movement
• Permissions changed

Solutions:

1. Train on folder selection
2. Understand system folders
3. Review folder permissions
4. Move documents if needed

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Team Collaboration Checklist

Initial Setup

• Workspace created
• Owner assigned
• Admins designated
• Folder structure planned
• Permission strategy defined

Team Members

• All members invited
• Roles assigned correctly
• Folder access granted
• Teams created (if needed)
• Training provided

Folders

• Shared folders created
• Folder names clear
• Hierarchy simple (2-3 levels max)
• Permissions set correctly
• All Company folder configured

Workflows

• Document workflows defined
• Approval processes clear
• Notification strategy set
• Escalation path defined
• Team trained on workflows

Maintenance

• Monthly team reviews scheduled
• Quarterly audits planned
• Template owners assigned
• Metrics tracking enabled
• Continuous improvement process

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