Your Contract Management Data Template

The Activity Name describes a step in the contract management process. These activities represent the discrete tasks performed, such as 'Contract Drafted', 'Legal Review Completed', or 'Contract Executed'. A chronological sequence of these activities for a given Contract ID forms the process flow.

This attribute is critical for building the process map, which is the core visualization in process mining. By analyzing the sequence and frequency of different activities, analysts can understand the actual process flow, identify deviations from the standard procedure, and pinpoint areas of rework or inefficiency, such as repeated revision cycles.

It defines the steps of the process, allowing for the visualization of the contract lifecycle and the identification of process deviations and bottlenecks.

Usually found in event logs, audit trails, or status history tables associated with the main contract record.

The Contract ID is a unique key assigned to a single contract lifecycle. It acts as the central thread that connects every event, from initial request to final expiration or termination. All activities, such as drafting, reviews, approvals, and execution, are associated with this specific ID.

In process mining analysis, the Contract ID is fundamental for reconstructing the end-to-end journey of each contract. It allows the tool to group related events into a single case, enabling the visualization and analysis of the entire process flow. Without a consistent Contract ID, it would be impossible to accurately measure cycle times, identify bottlenecks, or analyze process variants.

This identifier is essential for tracking a contract through its entire lifecycle, enabling accurate process discovery and performance measurement.

Typically found in the header or primary record of a contract object in a Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) system.

The Event Start Time marks the beginning of an activity in the contract lifecycle. This timestamp is essential for ordering events chronologically and for calculating the duration of activities and the overall process cycle time. It provides the temporal context needed to understand the process flow over time.

In analysis, this timestamp is used to construct the process map and calculate key performance indicators like 'Average Contract Cycle Time' and 'Average Approval Duration'. It enables bottleneck analysis by revealing which steps consume the most time. Comparing start times between activities allows for a detailed examination of transition times, highlighting delays between process steps.

This timestamp is fundamental for ordering events, calculating process cycle times, and identifying time-based bottlenecks.

Available in system audit logs, transaction records, or event history tables that capture timestamps for process steps.

The Last Data Update timestamp specifies the recency of the data being analyzed. It shows when the data extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) process last ran, providing context on how up-to-date the analysis is. This is distinct from the event timestamp, which records when the business activity occurred.

For analysis purposes, this attribute is critical for data governance and for communicating the freshness of the insights to stakeholders. It helps users understand if they are looking at real-time information or a snapshot from a previous day or week. This context is vital for making timely and informed decisions based on the process mining dashboards.

Provides crucial context about the freshness of the data, ensuring that stakeholders understand how current the process insights are.

This timestamp is typically generated and stored by the data integration or ETL tool during the data loading process.

The Source System attribute identifies the origin of the event data. In many organizations, the contract lifecycle may span multiple systems, such as a CLM platform, a CRM for initiation, and an ERP system for financial data. Specifying the source system for each event is crucial for data validation and for understanding the technological landscape of the process.

In a process mining analysis, this attribute helps in identifying process fragmentation across different systems. It can reveal if delays or issues are associated with data handoffs between specific applications. It is also important for data governance and for tracing data quality issues back to their origin.

Identifies the origin of the data, which is crucial for data validation, understanding process fragmentation, and troubleshooting data quality issues.

This information is often added during the data extraction process or may be available as a standard field in system logs.

The Contract Status provides a snapshot of where a contract is in its lifecycle at a given point in time. This attribute is often updated as the contract moves through major milestones. It provides a high-level summary of the contract's progress.

This attribute is extremely useful for filtering cases to analyze specific parts of the contract portfolio. For example, analysts can focus on 'Active' contracts for obligation management or 'Stalled' contracts to understand the causes of delay. It is a key component of the 'Contract Lifecycle Performance' dashboard, helping to visualize the volume of contracts in each stage and measure the 'Stalled Contract Rate' KPI.

Provides a high-level view of a contract's current stage, enabling filtering and analysis of the contract portfolio by lifecycle phase.

This is a primary status field on the main contract record in a CLM system.

Contract Type is a categorical attribute that classifies contracts based on their legal nature and purpose. Common types include NDAs, MSAs, SOWs, and sales or procurement agreements. This classification provides essential business context to the contract lifecycle.

This attribute is a powerful dimension for comparative analysis. It allows analysts to filter the process map and KPIs to see if certain types of contracts have different process flows, longer cycle times, or higher rework rates. For example, an analysis might reveal that MSAs take significantly longer in legal review than NDAs, prompting a process redesign for more complex agreement types.

Allows for segmentation and comparison of processes, revealing how different contract types impact cycle time, complexity, and risk.

This is a standard field on the main contract record in any CLM system.

The Contract Value quantifies the financial significance of a contract. This amount is a critical piece of business context that helps prioritize contracts and understand their impact on the organization. It is typically expressed in a specific currency.

In process mining, this attribute is used to analyze the business impact of process performance. The 'Business Impact and Throughput' dashboard uses this data to show the value of contracts being processed, stalled, or executed. It allows for prioritization of high-value contracts and helps answer questions like, 'Are our most valuable contracts getting stuck in approvals?' or 'What is the value of contracts that miss their renewal dates?'.

Quantifies the financial impact of contracts, enabling prioritization and analysis of how process inefficiencies affect high-value agreements.

Located in the financial details section of the main contract record in a CLM or ERP system.

The Counterparty Name identifies the external entity with whom the organization is entering into an agreement. This could be a customer, a supplier, or a partner. It provides crucial context about the business relationship governed by the contract.

As a dimension for analysis, the counterparty is invaluable. It allows the business to analyze process performance by vendor or customer. For instance, an analysis might show that negotiations with certain counterparties consistently take longer than average. This insight can inform future negotiation strategies, help in managing relationships, and be used to create tailored contract templates for strategic partners to accelerate the process.

Identifies the external party, enabling analysis of cycle times and negotiation patterns by customer or vendor.

A standard field on the contract record, often linked to a master data record for customers or suppliers.

The Department attribute identifies the internal team or business unit responsible for or associated with the contract. This is often the department of the contract owner or the team that initiated the contract request.

This is a key dimension for internal benchmarking and workload analysis. It helps in understanding how the contract management process differs across various parts of the organization. The 'Team Workload and Productivity' dashboard can be filtered by department to compare performance, identify resource needs, and highlight departments that may require additional training or process support. It helps answer questions like, 'Which department has the longest approval cycles?' or 'How does the process in Sales compare to Procurement?'.

Enables comparison of process performance across different business units, helping to identify internal bottlenecks and share best practices.

Usually associated with the contract owner's user profile or specified as a field on the contract record itself.

The Event End Time marks the completion of an activity. When paired with the Event Start Time, it allows for the precise calculation of the processing time for each individual step in the contract lifecycle. This granularity is essential for a detailed performance analysis.

This attribute is used to calculate activity durations, which are fundamental for bottleneck analysis. Dashboards like 'Approval and Review Bottleneck Analysis' rely on this data to highlight steps where contracts are delayed. By understanding the duration of each activity, organizations can focus improvement efforts on the most time-consuming parts of the process, such as legal reviews or negotiations.

Enables the calculation of activity-level durations, which is critical for pinpointing the exact location of process bottlenecks.

Found in system audit logs or event history tables. It may need to be derived from the start time of the subsequent event if not explicitly recorded.

The User Name identifies the individual responsible for completing a specific task in the contract lifecycle. This could be the contract owner, a legal reviewer, an approver, or a signatory. This attribute links process activities to the people who perform them.

In process mining, this attribute provides a view into team and individual performance. It is used in dashboards like 'Team Workload and Productivity' to analyze how work is distributed, identify overburdened employees or teams, and assess performance. It also helps in understanding how different user behaviors may lead to process variations or delays, enabling targeted training or resource allocation.

Connects process activities to individuals, enabling analysis of workload distribution, team performance, and resource allocation.

Typically available in transaction records, audit logs, or task assignment fields within the source system.

The Expiration Date is a critical date field that marks the end of a contract's term. It governs the lifecycle of active contracts and is the primary trigger for renewal or termination activities. Proper management of expiration dates is key to avoiding unintended lapses in service or revenue.

In process mining, this attribute is essential for the 'Obligation and Renewal Management' dashboard. It is used to calculate the 'On-Time Renewal Rate' KPI by comparing the date of renewal activities against the expiration date. Analyzing contracts approaching their expiration date allows organizations to proactively manage their renewal pipeline and prevent revenue leakage or operational disruptions.

Crucial for renewal management and risk mitigation, this date helps track contract milestones and ensure timely action.

This is a key date field on the main contract record in a CLM system.

The Revision Count tracks the amount of rework a contract undergoes before execution. Each time the document is edited and a new version is created, this count should increment. It serves as a proxy for the complexity and contentiousness of the negotiation process.

This attribute is a direct measure of efficiency and is used to calculate the 'Contract Rework Rate' KPI. The 'Negotiation and Rework Efficiency' dashboard uses this data to identify contracts, counterparties, or contract types that require an excessive number of revisions. High revision counts often correlate with longer cycle times and can indicate unclear requirements, aggressive negotiation tactics, or the need for better standard templates.

Measures the level of rework and negotiation complexity, helping to identify drivers of inefficiency and long cycle times.

Can be sourced from a version number field on the contract document or derived by counting the number of 'Contract Revised' activities for each case.