Understanding Document Life Cycles

The document life cycle is the process through which a document goes from its inception to its deactivation. The process ranges from document authoring creation, internal and external collaboration, approval, digital signature, execution, amendment processing, to document deactivation. The life cycle begins when you generate a document that is based on a document configurator and source transaction. Source transactions include:

• Ad hoc contracts for general use.

• Purchasing contracts for use with PeopleSoft Purchasing contracts.

• Purchase order contracts for use with Purchasing purchase orders.

• RFx documents for use with PeopleSoft Strategic Sourcing sourcing events.

The initial status of a generated document is always Draft. The document stays in this status for initial editing. Subsequent life-cycle statuses can include an optional Collaboration status, an Approved status with optional workflow, as well as a Dispatched and Executed statuses that are required. During the life cycle, the system tracks all versions and actions that are taken against the document.

For documents that are created from a source transaction of purchasing contract, purchase order, or sourcing event, the document life-cycle status is independent of the status of the purchasing contract, purchase order, or sourcing event. This accounts for timing differences between transactional contract execution and document execution. For example, a transactional purchasing contract may be approved for the original contract document execution, yet the current document status may be Draft due to the initiation of a recent amendment.

Unlike the transaction-based purchasing contracts, purchase orders, and RFx documents, you can use authored ad hoc documents for a variety of purposes. The variety and structure of document configurators that you define determine the extent of ad hoc document use. The primary difference between an ad hoc contract and a transaction-based document, such as a purchasing contract, is that documents that are generated from the purchasing contract (source transaction) are linked to the purchasing contract. The link occurs when the contract number and the values in the authored contract document refer back to specific values (bind variables) in the purchasing contract transaction. The ad hoc document content can reference values from the document management page and wizard bind values.

When using document types, you can associate ad hoc documents to purchase order requisitions in PeopleSoft Purchasing and PeopleSoft eProcurement. While creating the ad hoc document, you associate the business unit and the purchase order requisition ID to which you want to link the document. Then, after generating the document, you can click the Attach to Requisitions button to attach the document to the requisition. After attaching the document, you can use the Document Management page to access the requisition and, in turn, use the Requisition page to link back to the Document Management page. Links are available on Purchasing and eProcurement requisition pages to access the document authoring system document.

Document content and structure is defined through document configurators (sections and clauses), wizards, and wizard bind values.

You can use one of these three methods to create new documents in the document authoring system:

• Create a new document using a document configurator.

  This is a more standard creation method where the configurator is used along with the contract library to generate a contract document.

• Copy a new document from an existing document.

  This method creates a contract document by copying it from an existing contract document. Bind variables are refreshed to reflect the values in the new contract. This method is available for all source transactions (ad hoc, purchasing contract, purchase order, and sourcing event).

• Import a document from an external file.

  This method enables you to create a document within the document authoring system from an external document. After importing the document, you can perform a limited number of life-cycle tasks for it, and the system indicates it as an imported document.

Depending on the type of documents you are adding to your system, you may have one or more of these methods available for your use.

This diagram illustrates that Microsoft Word documents can be generated from purchasing contracts, ad hoc contracts, purchase orders, and sourcing events. The Word document is formatted based on the contract library. The authored Word document then proceeds through the document lifecycle.

This example illustrates the life-cycle of a Microsoft Word contract document generated from a purchasing contract, ad hod contract, purchase order, or sourcing event.

This example illustrates that the system assigns versions to the Word document each time is passes through certain steps of the document life-cycle. For example:

1. The initial document is created as version 1.0 with a status of In Process/Draft.

2. Version 1.1 of the document is created when the draft is complete, internal and external collaboration is complete, and signatures are obtained, if required. The document status is still In Process/Draft.

3. Version 1.2 of the document is created when the document is submitted for final approval and signatures are obtained, if required. The document status is Pending Approval.

4. Version 1.3 is created when the document is dispatched to the supplier. The document status is Dispatched.

5. Version 1.4 is created when all signatures have been obtained from the supplier. The document status is Executed.

6. Version 1.5 is created when the document has been amended, terminated, or closed. The document status is Executed.