Workflow Items: Collecting & Signing

Three workflow item types collect information and obtain signatures in the Input Portal: Form, Live Document, and Signing Package. Each covers a different point in the deal lifecycle — structured data entry, collaborative document completion, and formal e-signature.

For how items are scoped to individual applicants versus the whole deal, see the Scope & Cardinality guide. For conditional logic that shows or hides items based on deal data, see the Item Rules guide.

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Form

What it is

A Form item attaches a form template to a workflow step. When a deal reaches that step, the form is presented to the designated person — an applicant, a broker, or another team member — to fill in. Answers are saved as a submission tied to the deal.

What it does

The form renders its questions, auto-saves as the user types, and validates on submit. Each submission is stored separately per scope unit (per applicant, per household, or once for the whole deal, depending on how you configure it).

Applicants can fill a Form item from outside the portal. When Allow External Fill is on, the platform generates a secure magic link. The applicant opens it in any browser — no login required — and completes the form. Their answers land in the deal exactly as if they'd filled it internally.

Key settings

Setting	What it controls
Form template	Which form the item uses.
Role	Which applicant role fills this form (for example, Primary only, or all applicants).
Scope	Whether the item produces one submission per applicant (PerApplicant), one shared submission for the whole deal (Shared), or one per household (PerHousehold).
Min / max instances	How many submissions are expected per scope unit. Set max to 0 for unlimited.
Allow External Fill	Enables magic-link access so applicants can fill from outside the portal.
Internal only	Hides the item from applicant-facing views entirely.

When to use it

Use a Form item any time you need to collect structured data — personal details, income, the property address, loan purpose, or any other information that lives in a form template. It is the most common item type in any workflow.

Example. A "Personal Details" Form scoped PerApplicant, tied to the Primary and Co-Applicant roles. Jane and John each receive their own copy. The deal cannot leave the step until both have submitted valid answers.

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Live Document

What it is

A Live Document is a fillable PDF where each participant completes the fields assigned to their role. Rather than one person filling the whole document, roles are divided up — an applicant fills their section, a broker fills theirs — and progress is tracked individually.

What it does

Each participant sees a Fill My Fields button that opens the document editor in the browser. They complete only the fields allocated to their role. The platform tracks completion per participant and shows a progress indicator. When every participant has finished (or a staff member finalises the document manually), the system merges all responses into a single PDF and locks it. The finalised document can be downloaded from the deal.

You can configure a Live Document to auto-finalise on step exit. If all required fields are filled when the deal moves out of the step, the document is finalised automatically. If fields are missing, the deal still moves on — the auto-finalise is opportunistic, not blocking. Once finalised, the document can also be reset if corrections are needed.

Key settings

Setting	What it controls
Document template	The PDF template from the workflow's document library.
Auto-finalise on step exit	Merges and locks the document automatically when the deal leaves the step (if fields are complete).

When to use it

Use a Live Document when a single PDF needs input from multiple people with distinct roles — for example, a privacy consent where the applicant fills their personal details and the broker fills the advice section. It keeps everything in one document rather than collecting separate forms and assembling them later.

Example. A "Privacy Consent" Live Document at the start of Fact Find. The applicant fills their name, address, and signature field via magic link. The broker fills the authorisation field inside the portal. Once both are done, the platform produces the merged PDF.

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Signing Package

What it is

A Signing Package bundles one or more workflow documents for e-signature and manages the entire signing lifecycle from send through completion.

What it does

You add documents to the package, then send the whole package (or individual documents within it) to signatories. Each document moves through a status sequence:

Draft → Sent → Viewed → Signed → Completed

If a signatory declines, the document moves to Declined. If you cancel it, it moves to Voided.

The platform tracks every status change and builds a full audit trail. You can see at a glance who has viewed, who has signed, and who hasn't acted yet. If a signatory hasn't opened the link, you can resend. If they need to start fresh, you can void the document with a written reason and request a new signature.

Signing links can be configured with an expiry date. After expiry the link stops working and the signatory needs a new one.

Invalidation

If deal data that feeds a document changes after signing has started — for example, the loan amount is updated — the platform can automatically invalidate the existing signatures. This prevents stale figures from being signed. You configure the invalidation strategy per package: which data changes should trigger it and what happens when it fires (typically the affected documents move back to Voided so you can re-request).

Key settings

Setting	What it controls
Documents	Which workflow documents are included in the package.
Invalidation strategy	Which data changes void existing signatures and trigger re-request.
Signing link expiry	How long a signing link remains active before it expires.
Email template	The message sent to signatories when you request a signature.

When to use it

Use a Signing Package for the formal signing moment — loan offer documents, mortgage agreements, direct-debit authorities — any situation where you need a legally traceable e-signature and an audit trail.

Example. A "Loan Documents" Signing Package in the Approved step bundles the offer letter and the direct-debit authority. If the loan amount changes after the package is sent, the invalidation strategy voids the offer letter so the borrower always signs the correct figures. The broker then re-requests just that document without disturbing the rest of the package.

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