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Current Challenge
When signing Part 11 envelopes, signers must select a "Signing Reason" for every signature applied. Currently, the dropdown menu to select a Signing Reason displays all Signing Reasons defined for the selected system language. By default, Docusign Part 11 provides three Signing Reasons (Author, Reviewed, Approve). Through the "Signing Resource File" of a specific Brand, an Admin can modify these or add custom reasons. However, for GMP documents, there is a fixed hierarchy of required signatures: 1. Author signatures, then 2. Reviewer signatures, finally 3. Approver signatures (Approver signatures are mandatory for every GMP document; Necessity of Author/Reviewer signatures vary by GMP document). Consequently, when we create a Part 11 envelope, the selection and order of signers are based on these requirements. Each signer is assigned a fixed role (Author, Reviewer, or Approver), which dictates exactly which Signing Reason they must select. Currently, we assign these roles visually at document creation via a signature table within the document itself (columns: Role, Name/Function, Signature). We explicitly enter "Author," "Reviewer," or "Approver" in the role column of each signer row. Signers are trained to check this column and then manually select the matching Signing Reason in Docusign.
Pain Points
Unfortunately, deviations frequently occur. Despite training and support materials, signers often select a Signing Reason that does not match their assigned role. When this happens, the entire Part 11 envelope must be voided, re-created, and re-sent for signatures. Additionally, I noticed that when adding custom Signing Reasons via the Signing Resource File, they must be added manually for all languages. Otherwise, the custom reasons do not appear if a signer uses a different system language.
Proposed Solutions (User Stories)
To improve the "First-Time-Right" rate for signers and reduce the administrative burden of managing Signing Reasons, I have defined the following requirements:
High Priority
HP1: As an Admin, I want to create, update, and delete Signing Reasons in a dedicated Admin Setting Section, so that they are available for all Part 11 envelopes regardless of the selected Brand.
HP2: As an Admin, I want to define a Default Label for each Signing Reason, so that the reason is displayed to all signers even if a specific translation is missing.
HP3: As an Admin, I want to define labels for all available system languages for each Signing Reason, so that they appear correctly in the signer's selected system language.
HP4: As a Sender, I want to select/restrict the specific Signing Reasons available to a signer when creating a Part 11 envelope, ensuring the signer cannot accidentally select an incorrect reason.
Low Priority
LP1: As an Admin, I want to create, update, and delete "Signing Roles" in a dedicated Admin Setting Section.
LP2: As an Admin, I want to assign one or more Signing Reasons to a specific Signing Role.
LP3 (Alternative to HP4): As a Sender, I want to assign a "Signing Role" to a signer when creating an envelope. This would restrict the dropdown menu to only show the Signing Reasons assigned to that role, ensuring the signer cannot accidentally select an incorrect reason.