Enhancing Contract Flexibility: Exploring Playbooks in a Microsoft Environment

One of the standout features offered by comprehensive Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) solutions is the ability to create and utilise playbooks within Microsoft Word. This functionality allows users to identify clauses they may disagree with and replace them with preferred alternatives or approved language, adding a layer of customisation and flexibility to contract drafting.

While this feature appears highly valuable, its practicality and adoption within teams may be questionable. Many organisations struggle to fully adopt and utilise even basic CLM functionality, making enhanced features like playbooks seem like a nice-to-have for future implementation rather than an immediate necessity.

This post is part of a series of posts aimed at providing practical options for organisations that don’t want, can’t use, or cannot obtain a full CLM solution and are looking for guidance on what they can do with the tools they have and some reasonably priced add-ons. For more background and context, please see this introductory post.

If the desire for this functionality is strong, separate systems, such as Henchman, are available for licensing. Alternatively, it may be worth waiting to see the possibilities that arise when Microsoft Word’s Copilot is released. It is anticipated that Copilot will offer tailored suggestions for improving clauses, addressing specific issues users face. Therefore, if this is not an urgent priority, I recommend waiting and seeing what Microsoft will do for you.

Impact on the business

It’s crucial to assess the readiness and requirements of your team before considering the adoption of advanced CLM features like playbooks. It may be more effective to focus on mastering existing functionality and ensuring widespread adoption within the organisation.

If you want better CLM outcomes and want to look at your options and get a practical assessment of which options will best suit you, get in touch. We can recommend and introduce you to full CLM solutions or help with more targeted interventions, depending on your needs.