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Create and Submit Contracts

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you'll be able to:

  • Explain the contract-creation process.
  • Create a contract and contract document.
  • Explore a contract record and contract documents pages.
  • List contract tasks.
  • Submit and sign a contract.

The Contract-Creation Process

Ever wonder how a contract becomes a contract? Here's an overview of the process, starting with contract creation through to contract versioning.

Different ways to create a contract, namely from an object or as a standalone contract.

A contract usually starts with an existing sales record, like an opportunity, quote, or order. Contracts can also be standalone, which means they're generated from a contract object. Standalone contracts are typically created and managed within Salesforce and without dependencies on other contracts or external systems.

  • The contract type, such as sales or service, categorizes the contract and specifies fields, templates, and compliance requirements.
  • Contract line items provide a detailed breakdown of the products or services included. These details either come from opportunities, quotes, and orders, or are added manually.
  • Contract document versions capture changes and updates over time, maintaining history and ensuring transparency. Each new contract has a contract document record that represents the first version. You can apply a document template and create additional versions of the contract document as you customize it.

So far, Candace and her team have won numerous deals, but each sale equals multiple contracts. For the team, this adds up to multiple complexities! The good thing is that contract types and the state model are already set up for Cloud Kicks, so Candace and her team can manage many contracts with ease.

In this unit, you follow along to create a contract, generate the contract document, and execute the contract.

Sign Up for a Developer Edition Org with Salesforce Contracts

To complete this module, you need a special Developer Edition org that contains Salesforce Contracts and our sample data. Get the free Developer Edition and connect it to Trailhead now so you can complete the challenges in this module.

A Developer Edition (DE) is a free, fully featured Salesforce org separate from your organization's Salesforce org. It's a place where you can experiment and try new things from a blank slate or special configuration. In this module, you sign up for a DE org that includes configured Salesforce Contracts tools and features, plus sample data so you can start to experiment right away.

Note that this Developer Edition is designed to work with the challenges in this badge, and might not work for other badges. Always check that you're using the Trailhead Playground or the special Developer Edition org that we recommend.

  1. Sign up for a free Salesforce Contracts Developer Edition org.
  2. Fill out the form.
    • For Email, enter an active email address.
    • For Username, enter a username that looks like an email address and is unique, but it doesn't need to be a valid email account (for example, yourname@example.com).
  1. After you fill out the form, click Sign me up. A confirmation message appears.
  2. When you receive the activation email (this might take a few minutes), open it and click Verify Account.
  3. Complete your registration by setting your password and challenge question. Tip: Save your username, password, and login URL in a secure place—such as a password manager—for easy access later.
  4. You're logged in to your Developer Edition.

Now connect your new Developer Edition org to Trailhead.

  1. Make sure you're logged in to your Trailhead account.
  2. In the Challenge section at the bottom of this page, click the playground name and then click Connect Org.
  3. On the login screen, enter the username and password for the Developer Edition you just set up.
  4. On the Allow Access? screen, click Allow.
  5. On the Want to connect this org for hands-on challenges? screen, click Yes! Save it. You're redirected back to the challenge page and ready to use your new Developer Edition to earn this badge.

Create a Contract

It's time to create a contract from an existing quote. Follow the steps in your Developer Edition org to practice.

  1. From the App Launcher “”, find and select Salesforce Contracts.
  2. From the Navigation menu, select Quotes and change the list view to All Quotes.
  3. Select Acme Sneakers Quote.
  4. Click Show more in the quick actions bar and Create Contract.

Quote record page with Create Contract highlighted.

A new contract record is created based on the default record, and the status bar shows it’s in Draft state. Notice the Details tab has a link to the account name and source quote, which is the parent object record.

Meet the Contract Record Page

From the contract record page, you can modify the record, contract header, contract states, and tabs.

To explore the contract record page, click each plus icon (“”) on the image.

Add Contract Details and Generate a Contract Document

Next comes adding basic contract details, such as the contract start date and the duration. Then you're ready to generate a new contract document. Do these steps in your org.

  1. On the Details tab, specify:
  • Contract Start Date: Today’s date
  • Contract Term (months): 12
  1. Save your work.
  2. Notice the contract start and end dates and the contract terms are updated in the contract header.
  3. Click Create Contract Document.
  4. Ensure that Generate Contract is selected.
    The tab where you generate a new contract document from the contract page.
  1. In the Template search box, select Quote Agreement (Version 1)[Microsoft Word] and click Generate Document.
  2. Click Continue and OK. The contract document template opens.
  3. Click Check In and Check In again.

The contract page shows the section where you check in the document.

Good job! You've generated Version 1 of the contract document. Click View Documents to view the Word and PDF versions attached.

Contract Tasks

You generated a contract document, but that’s just a start. Select the tabs to learn about the capabilities.

Explore the Contract Documents Page

The Contract Documents page shows contract document versions and their attached files. Each time someone modifies a contract, a new version is created. The object state definition controls the operations available for each contract version, who can perform the operations, and at which point in the lifecycle.

To explore the Contract Documents page, check out this interactivity. Click each plus icon (“”) to learn about the elements of the page.

Submit and Sign the Contract

Once the contract document is created, send it for internal approval. Keep working in your Developer Edition org for practice.

  1. Click the Submit for Approval contract action.
  2. Switch back to the Contract record tab. The contract status has updated to In Approval Process, and the approver receives an email notification.
  3. Click Notification in the top right, and then click the contract approval request notification. This opens the Contract Approval Request page, which shows a status of Pending.
  4. Click Approve, enter Approved, and click Approve again. The Contract Approval status changes to Approved.
  5. Go back to the Contract record page tab, and refresh the page. Notice the contract status is Negotiating, and the actions have changed. It’s ready to send to the customer for e-signature.

If your Salesforce Contracts system is integrated with Docusign, your next step would be to send the contract for e-signature using the Send for Signature action. Once signed by the recipient, a copy of the signed document is attached to the contract record. Finally, you're ready to activate the contract.

Update a Contract

Contracts often need updates to reflect changes in terms, products, services, or other details.

At Cloud Kicks, Candace wants to update a contract because the supplier requested ‌a change in the delivery schedule and pricing for certain products. First, she changes the contract status from Activated to Draft. Next, Candace navigates to the contract, clicks Edit, and updates the contract status field.

Quote Record page with the Update Contracts button highlighted.

Then on the relevant opportunity, order, or quote record page, she clicks Update Contracts to update the existing contract.

After making updates, you can also change or add new contract line items and attach new documents.

Note

To use the Update Contracts action button, the contract must be in Draft state and have been created with the Create Contract action button.

Manage Contracts with Ease

In this unit, you learned how Salesforce Contracts makes it easier and faster to manage contracts.

At Cloud Kicks, Candace and her team can now focus on their core competencies, manage more clients, and increase efficiency.

How can your organization use Salesforce Contracts in your daily work? Complete the hands-on challenge and head to the next unit.

Resources

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