Advancing into a DocuSign Expert — Part 1 CLM Architect Guide

“Do I hear a part two?!” (skip past the doggo for the article)

These are notes on how we’ve grown in our position. and on the Architect CLM Certification. This is a bit of an info dump, and it is a few years late, but life is busy. Part 2 will be on IAM and the transition to eSignature.

Photo by Sven Mieke on Unsplash

Welcome back D̶o̶c̶u̶F̶u̶c̶k̶e̶r̶s Consultants (I’m told I’m no longer allowed to say call us that) to part two of the DocuSign info dump. As we know, CLM is just a Document Repository (lol), so it couldn’t possibly be complicated or obscure, right? Jokes aside, an article from a few years ago was on helping pass the DocuSign Implementation consultant exam and gave information on all the steps and features that were noteworthy; because of readers’ support, like you, the article has helped hundreds of Consultants and System admins alike. So a big shoutout to you guys! It’s my most popular post, and I just want to say thank you for your support. But now it’s time for us to advance in our careers and see if we can become CLM Architects!

Photo by Howie R on Unsplash

This will help those of you who are studying for the DocuSign CLM Architect Exam. But more importantly, it’s just to grow your skills in managing accounts and projects regarding DocuSign CLM. So even if you don’t pass DocuSign’s silly little exam, all you need is the Implementation Consultant certification to keep partnership status. They also added this year the need to pass the Sales Executive course and the Services Sales Executive course to retain your partnership level. Just like last time, feel free to correct me; I’m hoping for it, and it will help make this document stronger for others. This one is a bit more dreary, but hey, being an expert can’t all be exciting. Share this with others to help others, and I will be happy to answer any questions you guys may have for me. You can keep track of your Partner Portal Opportunities here and Partner Status here. Just keep in mind that the UI for the Partner Status is terrible, so you’ll just have to read the data for what it is. And of course, who can forget this helpful link on server status? Check out your DPP and DSU for more information and resources.

Try “CTRL + F” to search for what you need!

NOTE: You’ll be assumed to have knowledge presented in “All DocuSign Workflow Steps” and have some experience in delivering SaaS products to customers.

DS Updates Pre-Requests:

If you have been at this as long as I have, it may have been a while since you have updated your sandbox or even had to deal with a newer integration of Salesforce, so here’s an update:

Domain Name Changes: The URL logins to the eSignature Admin web application are changing for the Demo and Production environments. For now, you will be rerouted to this new URL, but there may be a time when those links become deprecated. So it’s important to keep this update in mind.

Demo URLs will change from

• (OLD) *https://admindemo.docusign.com*
• to (NEW) https://apps-d.docusign.com/admin

Production URLs will change from

• (OLD) *https://admin.docusign.com*
• to (NEW) https://apps.docusign.com/admin

This and other system-related changes have been made, as DocuSign has switched its backend from Java to Microsoft Azure. This rehaul is important to realize as these updates are progressively being added to older account types; however, the version of DocuSign you have is dependent on your purchase date of the product.

Aliases: This isn’t so much a new thing as much as it is a best practice. In the past, it was okay to use the same email address when managing other accounts; however, I noticed from another consultant that their account information was being exposed in other accounts due to having the same email address. As DocuSign works to get Admin Org and eSignature merged, there have also been bugs that have come out of it. With that, you can simply use email aliases if your domain allows it, giving you the ability to use Example@email.com on multiple accounts and keeping the different accounts' information separated, i.e., using Example+account1@email.com and Example+account2@email.com to keep information separate. This also helps you hide this information when you are sharing your screen to keep account information more private and your inbox more organized.

Salesforce Integrations: When reviewing this information, you will need to set up the Connection between your DocuSign and Salesforce Sandbox accounts. More often than not, you can’t just do this through the DSU course, as it’s typically outdated. Here is the most up-to-date package as of 8/5/2024 https://login.salesforce.com/packaging/installPackage.apexp?p0=04t3u000002tCkz. There isn’t a way to view this app within Salesforce’s apps launcher without this link: https://appexchange.salesforce.com/appxListingDetail?listingId=a0N30000004e3VUEAY, which should hold the most up-to-date package as DS updates it. However, if you are still having issues with setting up or installation, you will need to send a support ticket to DocuSign, as it’s their software. Salesforce, unfortunately, has removed its support from Sandbox accounts, so unless you own a Salesforce account, they won’t be able to help you as of 01/20/2024. And with said updates to the backend of DocuSign being assigned to Azure, many of the connections made will be done in DocuSign's new App Center, which you can find under connections in the eSignature settings. When installing, you or your client will need to:

• Install for “All Users”
• You will need to be an admin with a linked Trailblazer account to install the app
• It does not matter which admin downloads and installs the app so long as she/he choose “All Users”
• Once you have received the email that the app is installed, you are done with this task for now.
• Establish an Integration User. This can either be yourself or a shared account that is an Admin in both CLM and Salesforce to establish the connection.

Here’s a refresher on how to complete your Salesforce Installation setup. Salesforce Setup: Part 1, Part 2. For more on Salesforce, you can also implement Hands-On Training in a personal Sandbox

If you have successfully installed the DAL but are in Salesforce running into Errors of needing DS Admin Access, double-check permission sets! Dealing with a client, we ran into this issue. After adjusting the permissions, I was then met with an Error of impersonation by DocuSign Launcher revoked. Ensure (particularly when SSO is set up) that a user or integration email (which is an actor account that you can impersonate and log in as in Salesforce) is set up with the account. This account should be allowed to access DocuSign and Salesforce without Single Sign On to prevent issues with the integration, and to help resolve issues around Single Sign On should your team run into them. Best practice is to give your IT team access to this email, so that you are not bottlenecked by one user should they leave the team. Then we ensured our accounts had those same permissions, and were able to fix our account authorization error by going into our advanced user settings and updating the DocuSign User ID. This was out of date because the client had originally set out accounts without the proper alias by mistake, linking us to non-existent DocuSign User accounts.

Salesforce Update Fields

Within Global Config

Within Stage Configs

Have to add External Id to Contract Starter Attributes and Attribute CSV.

This is within the engine workflow.

AI Extension: The big reveal in this year’s momentum event (DocuSign’s yearly feature release event) has been the inclusion of AI in everything. If you want the most up-to-date beta features to prepare you for future accounts you may manage, be sure to speak with your AE or Success Partner to get access to the account and any demo features coming out. AI labs are a way to formally introduce Client information, with permission, to train their models on their data. Every new account will be opened with Standard AI, and customers can purchase the AI Extension for more features. Remember that AI is just a buzzword, and truly, it’s all just machine learning and advanced algorithms, so there are still limitations to this tool. To use AI in your workflows, simply add the DocuSign AI step followed by the Review Data step to evaluate the AI-suggested information. DocuSign has a list of defaulted AI metadata fields that can be based on their new listing of Document types:

• Contracting Entity
• Internal Signer Email Address
• Party
• Document Type
• Effective Date
• Expiration Date
• Total Contract Value
• Requested by
• Renewal Term
• Renewal Notice Period
• Payment Terms
• Payment Duration
• Payment Late Fees
• Limitation of Liability
• Assignable
• Indemnity
• Termination Cause
• Termination Convenience

Those document types are:

• Addendum
• Amendment
• Appendix
• Attachment
• Change Order
• Distribution
• Engagement Letter
• Exhibit
• Fee
• Lease
• Letter of Intent
• License
• Master Service Agreement
• Memorandum of Understanding
• Nondisclosure Agreement
• Order Form
• Proposal
• Purchase Order
• Quote
• Retainer
• Service Letter Agreement
• Services Agreement (alias Standard Agreement)
• Statement of Work
• Supplemental Document
• Terms & Conditions
• Other

You can enable alternative names to these types in the Document Types tab in the Admin tab, under “Documents & Folders” to better match clients' needs; however, I still suggest just mapping a custom Agreement Type field to the Document Type field using a CSV. This field is only enabled with parties, which reminds me that if you haven’t used parties before, you are unfamiliar with their use case and what these steps do.

Party Management: Parties is short for Counterparties and is DocuSign’s way of keeping client information together. So, as opposed to building a Phone number and address field from scratch in a custom attribute group, you can simply enable parties and will have a group already set for you.

Using a CSV, you can create an Extended Party Model, collecting additional party details in a custom attribute group and allowing you to gather important details such as who the External/ Counter parties' approved signer, and what their mailing address is.

A new tab will show at the top, allowing you to see the total of all the client’s contracts if you have an MSA (Master Service Agreement) set up and other information regarding the counterparty.

Some steps become enabled in the Workflow Config; these allow you to add, update metadata, and find parties.

Add Party Step

Add Party creates a new party and will fail if the party already exists. The only required field is Party Name, which should be your counterparty's name. External ID is for keeping outside IDs (such as from Salesforce) tracked in the metadata. Party Type refers to the entity type of the party, such as an LLC or Sole Proprietorship. The Business Contact Name and Number is simply the Point of Contact for the Counterparty. The party can then be saved in Output as a custom XML variable. Once created, a Party ID will be generated, and a Folder will be created for the counterparty, which will contain your generated/uploaded document inside.

Edit Party Step

If you need to update the metadata of this group, you can use the Edit Party Step. You will need to use the Party’s ID to make this search, and it isn’t used that often, as Party information tends to be pretty static in Business processes. You are also limited in the number of things you can edit here, so I suggest using the following instead:

Edit CLM Agreement Attributes Step

This step allows you to see all Attribute information that will be on a document and acts as the “Update Document Metadata Value step” for party information on a document.

Find Party Step

To find a party, you can use any of the Party metadata fields shown in this step. The only required field is the Output for a Custom XML variable. There is, however, a bug when it comes to Party IDs, where if you submit a blank value for Party ID, the search will give you whatever is in the first index of the existing parties. For example, if I have parties A, B, and C, and I go to create party D, I may have something in my workflow to make sure that we search our existing parties before using the Add party step so that my workflow doesn’t fail. However, let us say the variable “Party_ID” evaluates to nothing because it’s an optional field in my DocGen form, well unfortunately for us it will appear as if everything worked properly as it will pair my new document with a party, but it will be pairing it with Party A instead of creating party D. The way to get around this is by simply creating a default value that can’t possibly be an ID if you are using a conditional feature like this, such as “new party” so that the Find Party Step evaluates “No Match” on ID.

Staying Ahead: This is a bit of a tangent, but economically, we are in hard times, and with many companies in the mindset of a “race to the bottom” due to tech advancements, it can be hard for Consultants to see a path forward. We might need to move in the direction of IAM Maestro, which syncs apps together with your workflow, as, from my perspective, they are trying to turn eSignature into the only app in the future. Better mixed with CLM and Admin Org. As they get rid of folder structures and improve their AI implementations. Currently, Available Integrations are https://www.docusign.com/integrations. You can even build your integrations through: https://developers.docusign.com/extension-apps/extension-apps-101/.

With this, they’ve also made a great update to Workflow Config Templates, allowing for very quick Workflow creations when following the Subworkflow model.

Learning Adjacent practices can also help you in these changing currents, and it could be beneficial to add an internal litigation expert to the team to help with Contract Creation and Automation. But as an Architect, it’s our job to be aware of the upcoming feature updates and new releases happening in our market. Remember to think bigger picture and look to the future when considering options. You can stay up to date by reviewing the New and Enhanced Features page on DocuSign and by subscribing to feature update newsletters.

Devil in the Details: Here are some other notes that I took that are just things to keep in mind that are often overlooked.

• Remember when setting up Document Custom Fields to check the Share checkbox so that other users can use your signing tags. You should have someone on your customer’s side own these fields so that when you eventually leave the project, they can continue to use those signing blocks.
• Remember, you can add as many users as you’d like to a UAT environment. Give them different permissions so that you can test securities and ensure that things are sent to the proper users.
• Going to the user and selecting the organization, you can give admin app access.
• For templates, be sure to turn on the paragraph tag; there’s a square with an arrow pointing down that you can select. It will show a paragraph break before an option that is important to the structure of the tag. Just make sure you are being vigilant because with more complex contracts, we might have invisible things interfering with our Conditionals.
• As a precaution for a big oops, we need a point of recovery. I just made a “BACKUP” Folder by copying it into that folder when possible, before making a big push to production
• CLM issues from Phone: DocuSign is not proficient in mobile mode. There is an option to change to a desktop view on your phone, which can help; however, it is always better to access your contracts via a web browser on a desktop or laptop computer (raise to DS support: include instructions on how to log into support if the client doesn’t know how).
• **Attribute Mapping CSV breakdown: **TemplateFieldData: This row is just for the dev to know which field we are pulling from. Does nothing. Logic: True or False logic using xPath to detect whether the field exists within the XML object, such as params. This includes [text()]. This is true or false is evaluated in a match or no match fashion in an evaluate xPath step. Attribute_Group & Attribute_Field: grabs what attribute we are going to set the value to. Make sure your Attribute_Field contains the index you are planning to add to. This is used in the Update Metadata steps to decide which attribute we want to set the value to. Attribute_Value: we set this to Xpath to tell it what language to read the value in, a Rule step determines if we should read it via xPath or another way if missing.

• xPath: Is the path the value should be in. If there are multiple values, be sure to index it correctly. This will be stored in an evaluate xPath step to be applied to an update metadata step. To add static values, just place them under the Attribute_Value* column, and give the Attribute_Group & Attribute_Field. To trick the system into bypassing the initial true false statement, just place an existing xPath in the Logic column and name it in the TemplateFieldData column.

• Standardization is key. Having one source of truth for your implementation will help others and you in the future for that very project. Documentation is so lacking that it’s being highlighted all the time as a key part of being an Architect. Make sure you have an end-of-config checklist, understand how to deliver technical documents, and can create a BRD, SOW, and such. Lucid Charts is great for diagramming your workflows for your documentation and scoping out the project, and helps your engineers picture the build. It’s kinda repetitive given the drag-and-place nature of CLM workflows, but it’s a great help as a high overview of the product. As architects, we build the blueprints, while we messily engineers just have to build it. The end of the Config checklist should include having everything ready so that UAT users can sign off on it during a final demo, all information is cleaned up, removing test data before generating a package, having users offline the day of deployment, and never deploying on Fridays. Go Live will include smoke testing and after-push support, where you can just check in and see how they are doing with their new account. which tends to lead to customer success and more implementations in the future.
• Can’t remember if this was in the last article, but I’ll touch on it deeper here. Consolidating Process information with the Set Workflow Process Name 1 step can help you keep track of different kinds of Parent workflow to Child workflow relationships in system reporting. Another thing I highly suggest is always including the getvariablevalue(System.Uid) somewhere, as having a reportable attribute with this allows for bulk cancellation of workflows where you may need to do so. If you are used to sending out bulk processes, and a mistake were to happen or you overload the system, having that system.UId will prevent you from having to go in and cancel each workflow manually, but instead, make an API call to iteratively stop the workflows based on their workflow ID, which isn’t tracked anywhere unless you place it there. This does not work well with Sub Workflow calls.

This may be against best practices, but did you know that you can actually rename the Other Sources folder? When connecting Salesforce to Parties, it can be a bit confusing how to configure the two together in one seamless data stream, but I suggest trying to Delete the Parties folder and renaming the Other Sources folder to “Parties”. You won’t be able to do this from the Documents Tab, but instead in the Admin tab under Account Management, Account Settings. In this example, I’ve renamed the Other Sources Folder to “Contracts”.

Other Sources being Renamed to Contracts in Integration settings.

You’ll have to do some additional config with a rule for Salesforce Object ID and Copy or Move Folder steps to really get the folder path shortened and cleaned up, but the results allow you to view the EOS folders in a classic Parties/<%#Counterparty_Name%>/ folder structure while still being integrated with Salesforce, keeping the files view functionality. Just be sure to add a failure path in case multiple processes are running simultaneously. This way, you can allow for both functions of creating contracts in CLM and Salesforce and keeping all your parties in one place. However, best practice only allows for one or the other, where users are generating documents within CLM or SFDC, not both, to keep data streamlined.

First Complex xPath 2/16/24 with Daniel Peters

Editing the Params XML should be done lightly. Despite DocuSign's suggestion, we should always have a safe copy that we use to edit, and leave the params alone

// Creates Nodes and adds them to TemplateFieldData in Params System.Xml.XmlDocument Params = new System.Xml.XmlDocument(); string xmlDoc = _context.XmlVariables[“Params_Translated”].GetXmlNode(“//Params”).OuterXml; Params.LoadXml(xmlDoc); XmlNode root = Params.DocumentElement;

// Creates XML Elements, <Example_Group>{Inner Text}}<Example_Group/> for Workflow Fields System.Xml.XmlElement add = Params.CreateElement(“add”); add.InnerText = GetVariableValue(“Config.GlobalConfigPath”);

// Appends to TemplateFieldData add.AppendChild(InternalSignerEmail); TemplateFieldData.AppendChild(add);

// returns edited XMl Object return Params.OuterXml;

<# <Conditional Test=”//Insights_OfferingYears[.=’Single Year’]”/> #><# <Content Select=”///descendant::[substring-after(name(), ‘’) = ‘Opportunity_DatesContainer’][1]/descendant::*[substring-after(name(), ‘’) = ‘Opportunity_Dates’]/Platform_Year[.=//Insights_Start_Year]/following-sibling::Contract_End_Date”/> #><# <EndConditional /> #>

ChatGPT: //*[contains(name(), ‘Opportunity_Dates’)][1][Platform_Year = //Insights_Start_Year]/Contract_End_Date

Notes from the Work session:

Testing xPath functions:

Used to subtract a year and a day from the effective date (yyyy-mm-dd) in the initial preview

<# <Content Select=”substring(//Effective_Date,1,4) + 1”/> #>-<# <Content Select=”substring(//Effective_Date,6,2)”/> #>-<# <Content Select=”substring(//Effective_Date,9,2) — 1”/> #>

Attempt to use an if statement to calculate minus a day when the effective day is the first, such as 2023–07–01 to 2024–06–30, but way too difficult. Still a good note for if statements in xpath tho

if (substring(//Effective_Date,9,2) = 1) then (substring(//Effective_Date,5,2) — 1) else (substring(//Effective_Date,5,2))

Runs into a namespacing problem, so I added namespace fn: but still doesn’t work… probably because DocuSign doesn’t support xpath past 1.0.

fn:replace(//Contact_Complete_Address, ‘;;’, ‘ ,’)

https://www.freeformatter.com/ is the goat for free online tools, and I use it for XPath testing. No, this isn’t a sponsor, but I’d like to get some sponsors someday in the future. And though not the greatest help, you can also use C# playground to test your functions outside of DocuSign, so that you don’t lose your progress on complex algorithms you build for the expression builder. Here are some common expressions.

Try to keep algos to a minimum, as no one can help you if something goes wrong. This is a low-code platform, and coding is ill-advised unless you are using the API or need to do complex functions. DocuSign will be okay with you updating the Params XML, but really, you should always have a copy of the original params entering the workflow for easier debugging. But if you are, remember in the advanced workflow’s lesson that you can take the JSON of a workflow, and use additional code fields in escape case to create methods in DocuSign.

eSign API, and CLM API

Notes on Send for Signature

• Rule pulls in options from eForm so that the client can change them later
• Add an additional recipient to the signer
• If true, populate both internal signers
• Else only populate one. The review and send for signature step will skip the other signature if the value isn’t populated.
• If you run into weird issues, double-check that the recipients are being added correctly, because there is a chance that they will be saved incorrectly.

Notes about closed security

• The utmost parent folder is closed with security
• Then, apply the view and create into the folder where the config is saving documents to
• And then applying the appropriate security measures to the lowest possible areas for the users, as specified.

The key to making securities easier to manage is to assign folder security levels explicitly to Groups, and not individual users or personas. This way, you don’t have to confuse yourself with the complex hierarchy that is securities, and if you ever need to revoke someone's access to a folder, you can simply remove them from that group.

Rules around securities:

There are 6 levels of security in a Folder:

•No access

•View — can view and download

•View and Create — view, download, upload

•View and Edit — View, download, upload, Check-in, Edit Documents

•View, edit, Delete — View, download, upload, Check-in, Edit Documents, Delete Documents and folders

•View, edit, delete set access — View, download, upload, Check-in, Edit Documents, Delete Documents and folders, Manage folder security

You can apply security by Individual, Assigned Permission Profile (all or nothing), or by group. Individual overrides Groups, Groups Override Permission Profile. If you have two groups listed and they are the same security (both Inherited or both explicit, then the higher-level access wins), if they are different, explicit always wins, even if it is a lower level of access than the inherited security. The best practice is to always control security by groups, which also helps simplify this aspect.

Securities is a timely thing to test and understand, so having a test account that has blocked access will help you visualize your securities properly.

Project Management: Before you can be an Architect, you have to be able to give good estimates of time. As a consultant, it’s important to give yourself some buffer as to how long it will take to complete a task for those unexpected moments. If you don’t have this down, along with some project management skills, you will struggle to lead others successfully. You will want to Isolate, Iterate, and Duplicate solutions when possible to save clients' money and yourself time. First isolate the process on one contract, then iterate through QA until that process is perfect and the client is completely happy with it, then duplicate the process when they want to upload or submit through Power Forms or add templates, etc. I know, I know, then what’s the point of a PM?

A PM helps you manage your burn rate, your timeline, and maintain client relationships. They are supposed to be your shield so that you can focus on building and not the drama that comes with any human relationship. But you will be forced to wear multiple hats; you need to be able to explain the technology you built, as the PM won’t know that, and you will need to be able to protect yourself on calls.

As a consultant, what you are doing should be a routine. There’s a pattern here. Kickoff meetings, Discovery meetings, and time for Configurations. If you look at the kickoff deck, we need to be done and ready in 4 weeks. Figure out how to get a project from start to finish in 3 months (they promise to deliver an environment in a single quarter). 2 weeks will be for UAT 1 week production. 2 weeks post-production. DocuSign may have its own specific methodology for completing the sales process, all the way to enabling clients in the product, so familiarizing yourself with your provider’s best practices is imperative. And if you are noticing multiple clients struggling with the same issues, it’s time to look in the mirror and see what it is you can be doing better to help them.

Don’t be afraid to be yourself and do things the way you are comfortable with. Everyone does things differently, but at the end of the day, all we care about is making the client happy.

Difficult conversations will happen, but I am not here to argue; there are bigger problems in the world, and my wife works as a nurse and has pressing, stressful, life-threatening tasks. This is not it. So whenever I get frustrated, I think, “Am I listening to answer or to understand?” Regardless, like for Boars Head, I will just let them let out all their frustrations and not respond. They will ask if I heard them, and I will say yes, but that this isn’t the topic of the meeting,g and move on.

Always ask about hours! The hardest thing for me in the beginning was figuring out that something that I spent 4 hours on, was supposed to only be done in 1. The times aren’t always realistic, but it’s just based on the budget, so just try to be very transparent about the amount of time they are allotting you to take whenever given a task, and when you should check in with them if it’s not.

Weekly meeting with the PM only, and doing more PM activities makes even the most difficult clients run better

Sometimes this is what my life is like:

• https://youtu.be/BKorP55Aqvg
• https://youtu.be/DYu_bGbZii
• https://youtu.be/Fy3rjQGc6lA
• https://youtu.be/TDJpTSQc6wc

Repeating Template and advanced merge tags. {What is Track Data? you can’t update that info mid-workflow, can you?}

Architect Notes:

Need to learn from Attempt 1 42%:

Difference between federated and custom securities. There were a lot of questions about folder structure and folder metadata.

Review smart rule functionality, as they went over chaining smart rules.

Review what reports exist

Asked us where the DocuSign CLM data centers are located

There were also questions on Salesforce that we need to review

There were questions on bulk attribute mapping

There were questions on the DocuSign API and DocuSign SSO (single sign-on)

Last, we completed the Technical Architect, Project Management, and Architect badges. For scenario questions, honestly, the Project Management course mixed with the Architect course helped the most. Look up more architecture courses, as it seems we are missing details of DocuSign's preferred actions. There were a lot of scenario-based questions on what DocuSign suggests you do during certain scenarios, including architectural design questions. It’s all very opinionated, so we have to find their lessons on the matter.

Review the following:

Create that article for passing the architect exam, just as you did for the implementation consultant. It should review advanced concepts like externalization, which includes things like eForms (Email Config eForm) and CSV (attribute mapping CSV). Just make sure it’s not related to Rx CLM at all, and that you are sticking to the DocuSign lessons.

Need to learn from Attempt 2:

Technical Architect

• CLM has a limit of 5 mbs, XML objects larger than this will cause certain steps in the workflow to fail with no particular explanation. Leaving 2 mbs of breathing room is suggested in payloads.
• Look into variable naming best practices. What is it used in (aka function name), and does the name describe what the variable is and what it does? Example myAPI_myVar
• Remember the 10-second execution limit on C# code. If it takes longer than 10 seconds, the step will fail.
• Splitting your code into smaller chunks so that it does not exceed the 10-second execution limit. And limiting the input from the XML object can help ensure you are under the 5 Mbps.
• Available Namespaces

• Authentication, such as user login, is not Possible in the HTTP client step. Only basic auth, or OAuth2.0 API Keys, and OAuth2.0 Client credentials work
• Some clients like visibility into API keys, so having a secure CSV file in an admin-only folder is a good way to provide that to clients.
• For more on-the-fly changes, be sure to add things that allow this, such as sub workflows, error handling, and error correction, so that we can retry and keep workflows running.
• As an architect, keeping in mind updates on the latest best practices and limitations is important on a live updating source model. For example, like Node 2.0, you still need to account for things in 2.1, 2.5, 2.8 ect.

• Create a data map to ensure that everyone is on the same page as to what data needs to be passed, received, translated, ect. The same can be done for going over the XLM schema, so everyone is in agreement on the structure. And it is vital for large teams of developers.

• As an architect, not only should you provide the SOW, BRD, and other integral contracts for the start of your contracting phase, but you should also be giving user training, admin training, and technical handoff documentation to close out the project.
• Technical Handoff Documentation should include data mapping, Documentation on APIs (including headers/requests, variables, and expected returned and pushed payload format), as well as documenting your code in a clear, concise manner, for deep or more complex code, document methods, parameters, and examples of returned output, as well as environment settings/requirements.
• DocuSign Agreement Cloud -> Prep, Sign, Act, Manage
• Which Topic(s) should you focus on during the initial scoping call?
• The use case and user experience
• During the initial conversation with the customer, they express an interest in mimicking existing product capabilities
• Advise against custom development, as it does not set up the customer for long-term success.
• The solution you are building requires the manipulation of large amounts of data. What is a recommended practice to prevent steps from failing?
• Break the expression code into multiple steps
• During the build, you realized the customer’s database, which typically runs in AWS, is running in Google Cloud. What type of questions would have surfaced this issue in discovery?
• NOT: Build questions
• NOT: Initial questions
• NOT: Level of effort questions
• Which eForm consideration can potentially double the functionality for a solution?
• NOT: custom form fields
• NOT: API requests from the eForm
• Which two teams are often overlooked as part of a scoping call?
• Security
• Operations
• Which two questions should be considered when discussing the build of a solution?
• Will middleware integration be leveraged?
• How do you envision the authentication and authorization to work?
• What are the recommended best practices for variable naming conventions?
• Name variable with a prefix
• Which authentication method is NOT supported within an HTTP client step?
• JSON Web Token (JWT) authentication
• Which DocuSign CLM feature can be used to flag documents when pushing the documents to other systems?
• Attributes
• What is the execution limit for Expression Builder?
• 10 seconds
• At which point will workflow steps start to fail with regard to XLM variable limits
• 5MB
• What is the recommended maximum XML size for solutions that call for the manipulation of XML?
• 3MB
• What is the purpose of the data mapping document?
• To document all the data coming into a workflow and where it needs to go
• Which statement best describes passive integration
• Data is requested from CLM API
• Which tool is used to create the XML Schema?
• NOT: Process workflow document
• Where is the best place to find the document ID?
• The browser URL for document preview or document history
• When using CSV Master Data with daily changes, how does DocuSign CLM update the data?
• Data updates must always be a full copy
• In addition to the agreement process, what else should the process flow document include?
• Any integration points involved
• Where is a good location to document custom code that you create?
• Comments in the custom code
• What are two types of API documentation that could be included in the hand-off documentation to the customer?
• NOT: API documentation links in a CSV file
• NOT: Postman collection of requests
• Where are datapoint storage locations listed in the mapping document?
• Destination column
• What is the purpose of the process flow document?
• Map the path an agreement will take
• What would include in your technical documentation that pertains to the custom code you created for the solution?
• Authentication Method
• The solution you are building requires data from the customer’s Coupa account. If data is not available, a rule must be created to accommodate this condition. Where should this rule be documented?
• Data mapping document
• Which CLM sub-API exposes DocuSign CLM services such as running searches?
• NOT: Service
• What is a recommended practice to manage long and difficult to read error logs?
• Create text files
• What are the two parameters of a CLM workflow API request body?
• Workflow name
• XML payload
• A recommended practice when creating a process flow document is to use color coding. What should the color coding represent?
• NOT: Each source type
• When documenting APIs, what are the two samples you should provide?
• Sample request
• Sample response
• A customer would like a custom-developed solution that uploads content in bulk from their third-party application to DocuSign CLM.
• NOT: DocuSign CLM API was built to accommodate bulk actions
• NOT: The customer is required to provide an SME for the third-party application

Architect

It’s all about discovery questions and ensuring the implementation is of high quality, following DocuSign’s best practices, methodologies, and keeping it scalable. Creating technical documentation, admin guides, and training the trainer materials, alongside SOW and BRDs.

• You are supporting your customers in UAT testing and resolving defects. UAT just started, and there are many enhancements the customer has asked for that seem easy and quick to make. What is the DocuSign-recommended action to take?
• NOT: Tell the customer that you will complete the solution as intended and squeeze in enhancements if there is time.
• What is the best description of Project Governance in the DocuSign Project Methodology?
• Controlling tasks that run across all seven phases of the CLM project methodology.
• Your customer wants to skip discovery and design and go directly to the build phase, even though the customer has agreed to use the DocuSign Project Methodology on the project. What is the DocuSign-recommended action to take?
• Insist that the step not be skipped because the risk is too high that the solution will miss the intended goals.
• What is the goal of the DocuSign Project Methodology?
• To obtain agreement from both the customer and CLM implementation team on the CLM solution that will be built.
• During Discovery and Design, you see that the customer’s overall business process is much more complex than what you understood during the internal hand-off. The scope has increased significantly. What is the DocSign recommended action to take?
• Immediately inform the project manager, who will work with the customer to determine options.
• According to DocuSign, who is responsible for driving a project?
• Project manager
• Who are the users of technical design documentation?
• Customer CLM system administrators and customer technical support staff
• What is the overarching value of the Business Requirements Specification document?
• Defines what problem the CLM solution solves and how the solution will be built
• What is the single best way to improve a workflow?
• Apply a microservices approach
• When does DocuSign say that designing a workflow really begins?
• During Discovery Sessions
• Who is responsible for the success of the design in the context of planning a workflow for a team to build?
• The implementation architect
• What is the first step in using Discovery to design a workflow?
• Begin with the current process, pain points, and business rules.
• What is the recommended number of levels that a CLM folder structure should be limited to for helping with organization?
• Three levels deep
• What two aspects of CLM must be understood and applied to design a repository architecture?
• NOT: Task groups and security
• What does the term permission management refer to?
• Folder security usage
• What does it mean to take a Services-Forward Approach to Design when building a CLM solution?
• Determining what the objective are that need to be accomplished as opposed to looking at a process that’s very specific to a use case
• Why is it better to make design decisions based on a use case and not a use-case scenario?
• A use case focuses on the activity to be done and not the specific actors making the workflow more flexible.
• What is one of the key reasons to use Document Generation forms?
• NOT: To keep data fields consistent
• What is one of the reasons to limit the number of hidden fields in a CLM Document Generation form when working with Salesforce?
• NOT: Hidden fields are not easy to find or to access if they need updating.
• What is the recommended approach to organizing content based on security access/settings?
• Apply security based on organizational access to folders
• When creating CLM folders, who is the primary user you should address when you consider how to organize the folders?
• CLM administrators
• Which two statements best describe the Choice workflow step? Select two.
• Choice is a workflow step that requires a human to select an action from a list of options.
• Choice is a workflow step that is assigned to a user or task group.
• A workflow step adds a document to the Sales group’s watchlist. Which two CLM configuration steps are completed before this workflow step is set up? Select two.
• Create a Sales group
• Add a Watchlist widget in a Sales dashboard that is shared with the Sales group.
• What is an example of audit information that is captured in the Send for Signature or in the Wait for Signature workflow step?
• Status
• An eForm is submitted with values containing email settings such as From Email, To Email, Email Subject, and Email Body. The submitted eForm is stored in CLM. Which workflow step is used to look for the submitted eForm and load the eForm data into the workflow?
• Find Document
• A Salesforce custom field that is a Date data type is updated when an agreement is signed. What is the format of this date field in Salesforce?
• NOT: MM-dd-yyyy
• Which type of variable is used in a For-Each Loop workflow step to repeat a task based on a condition?
• Iterator
• Data coming from the document generation form is stored in which node of the Params variable?
• TemplateFieldData
• Which workflow engine step executes a sequence of workflow steps that are repeated based on the results of an executed condition?
• Loop
• Which Document Generation component can be added to configure frequently-used form fields?
• Form Library
• An administrator closely monitors CLM workflows to make sure that agreements are processed on time. Which workflow report can the administrator use to identify workflows that are currently executing and to find out the duration in their current stage?
• Workflow Overview
• Which workflow step is used with the Wait for Signature step?
• Review and Send for Signature
• Which workflow step is used to separate out the Document Generation Form data from other document-related data in the Params variable?
• Evaluate an XPath
• In the Choose User workflow step, an end user chooses the assignee who should review the document. Which two options do they have to choose from? Select two.
• User
• Group
• You are assigned to multiple projects, and your time to complete them is getting tight. You have competing deadlines and are unsure if you can make your delivery date on one of your projects. What is the DocuSign recommended action to take?
• Inform the project manager, who will communicate with the customer and discuss options.
• What is the purpose of Project Governance?
• To ensure that sign offs are obtained and documentation is captured at each critical decision point of a project.
• Why is the technical design documentation created?
• To describe the CLM solution that was built and how it was implemented.
• What is the purpose of the CLM Kick-Off Information and Checklist document?
• To present members of the CLM implementation team with a checklist of what they must accomplish before a project can get started.
• What does the term “extensible” mean in the context of externalizing workflow parameters?
• Using the same workflow for different users, regions, and agreements
• What does the term “performance considerations” refer to when designing workflows for scale?
• Avoiding security calculations, folder attributes, and looping activities
• What is the character limit to the length of a folder path in Workflow?
• 180
• What is one of the considerations when designing your attribute model?
• How data might be shared across document and agreement types
• Why is it an advantage to externalize data — such as business logic — outside of the workflow?
• The data can then be managed by any user who would need to have input.
• Apply broadest access to top-level folders and restrict at deeper levels
• Monolithic workflow building
• What is a benefit of using an eForm to store email settings that control notification settings for a workflow task?
• Update notification settings by updating a submitted eForm without updating the workflow.
• What is an example of a document custom field type that can be added in the signature section of a CLM document template?
• Sign Here
• Document ingestion is the process of importing data from a data source to a destination location in CLM. Which key component should also be analyzed when moving data to CLM?
• Attributes
• Which two options are available when adding a template in a Document Generation Configuration? Select two.
• Create a document
• Launch a workflow
• What is an example of a system variable in a CLM workflow?
• Current Date
• Which field value should be selected in a Document Generation form field to capture the Salesforce Account name?
• Account.Name

Project Management

• What are the three key features of DocuSign Professional Services Methodology?
• Flexible Methodology, Process & Templates, and Customer Checkpoints
• During which phase is production validation performed?
• Deploy
• What are two additional deliverables that may be included when PM deliverables are defined in the initiation phase? Select two.
• What checkpoint must be completed in the initiation stage before proceeding to the configuration stage?
• Confirm scope with customer
• When during the initiation phase should the statement of work (SOW) internal review be held?
• During the customer confirm scope checkpoint
• What are the two checkpoints in the discovery and design phase? Select two.
• Which two goals are the focus of the discovery and design phase? Select two.
• Understand customer requirements
• Document and agree on customer requirements
• At what point in the discover and design phase is the business requirement document (BRD) customer sign off checkpoint?
• Following the business requirement document (BRD) review
• Which action is included as part of the iterative review step of the build and configure stage?
• Custom development
• What is the key outcome for the build and configuration phase?
• The solution is developed to specifications
• The goal of the build and configure phase is to build the solution that was agreed upon in which two documents? Select two,
• Business requirements document
• Design Document
• Which test stage checkpoint must be complete before proceeding to the next phase?
• User acceptance testing environment (UAT) sign off
• Which two items require confirmation before testing can begin? Select two.
• Test plan
• User acceptance testing environment (UAT) test scripts
• What are the two goals of the test phase? Select two.
• Ensure that the solution is complete based off the requirements
• The customer experiencing the solution within their environment
• Which two are goals for educating the customer on the build during the knowledge transfer phase? Select two.
• Enable the customer to manage their application
• Increase adoption and overall success with the solution
• What is the key outcome for the knowledge transfer phase?
• The customer is enabled
• How many days prior to GO LIVE should end user training be scheduled?
• 3–4 days
• What is the key outcome of the deploy phase?
• The solution is ready for the intended audience
• What is the goal of the deploy phase?
• Promote the build into the production environment
• How long is the average production support period after the GO LIVE?
• 2 weeks
• Which is one of the key outcomes of the closure phase?
• Customer agrees that the Statement of work has been completed
• The goal of the closure phase is to assure agreement with the customer that the delivery has been completed. What two items define the completion of the project? Select two.
• When is project governance executed for a project?
• Over the entire project
• What are two purposes of project governance? Select two.
• To provide a robust and logical framework
• To provide a recipe to follow for managing a project
• What are the two checkpoints in the discovery and design phase? Select two.
• Statement of work (SOW) sign-off
• Business requirement document (BRD) sign-off
• All of the steps listed in the closure phase may not be applicable to every project. What are the three criteria that determine which steps are taken for a given project?
• Size, Scope, and resources engaged

And finally, Screw creating workflows from scratch. It’s important to understand that Workflow Templates have had a large update, and they perform much better for self-serving builds of contract automated processes. The only thing it’s missing is reporting functionality, and of course, any advanced customization that might be necessary. But they really cleaned this up, creating a way for you to get whatever type of process you need, fill out a form, and boom, done.

To add customizations, you can download the JSON and import it into a new Advanced Workflow. Or Simply Copy the steps into a new Advanced workflow to make your changes.

The new skill to develop will be dependent on your ability to set up these templates properly, as DocuSign aims for a more user-friendly (less development needed) format. And with the addition of Maestro workflows, learning the App center, and configuring your process templates is going to be vital as we head more and more into an eSignature-centric world, integrated with AI.

I’m Anthony, and I learn the hard way so that you don’t have to! I write about Finance, Business, Technology, and everything else under the sun. If you’d like to follow me on my learning journey, I encourage you to subscribe. I typically post once a month and am working towards publishing a book, and I love comments as they are a great contribution to the ideas and help me know what I can do better or more of next time. Hope to see you then! And have a great day.