Contracts Hub Case Study

The Contracts Hub project addressed a widespread problem: contract stakeholders were using a patchwork of email, spreadsheets, shared drives and disparate tools to draft, negotiate and manage agreements. This fragmentation created inefficiencies, delayed work and introduced compliance risks. The team framed the problem as an opportunity to design a unified platform that could streamline the entire contract lifecycle.

Research Goals

Our goals were to understand how current tools and processes support (or hinder) contract workflows, to gather first impressions of the proposed Contracts Hub concept, and to identify features needed to replace third‑party tools. We aimed to ensure the new hub would meet the expectations of all stakeholders and facilitate a smooth transition from legacy systems.

Methods & Participants

We conducted remote moderated 1:1 interviews with nine participants drawn from two groups: preparers (including global sourcing and operations managers) and admin configurators (such as legal operations managers and associates). Interviews explored participants’ roles, workflows, pain points and perceptions of the proposed tool. This mix provided a holistic view of the contract lifecycle from intake through approval.

Key Insights

• Stakeholders rely on numerous tools and manual processes to draft, store and track contracts, making collaboration cumbersome and inefficient.
• Intake requests often lack critical details (scope, budget, vendor information), forcing teams to chase missing data and delaying drafting.
• Document versions are scattered across emails and shared drives, making it hard to reconcile edits and maintain a single source of truth.
• Approval workflows are manual; reminders for approvers and signatories are easily overlooked.
• Permissions are inconsistent, sometimes allowing users to edit when they only need to view, leading to errors and confusion.

Recommendations & Impact

Based on these insights we recommended a unified platform that integrates communication, document storage, version control and workflow automation. Intake forms should capture essential scope and financial details up front. Version tracking should allow users to see changes in one place. Approval and signature reminders should be automated, and a dashboard should prompt users to assign signatories before finalization. These proposals informed the Contracts Hub roadmap and guided design decisions.

Learnings & Reflections

This research underscored the value of understanding the end‑to‑end contract journey from multiple perspectives. By engaging preparers and administrators early, we uncovered how fragmented tools and incomplete information hamper productivity. Centralizing tools and designing thoughtful workflows not only streamlines operations but also reduces risk and ensures compliance. Ongoing collaboration and user feedback will be critical as the tool evolves.