Analyzing Contract Templates Elements

Template administration is one of the main steps in the enablement of the SAP Ariba Contracts solution. Below are the main steps in the process:

1. Plan the template: Decide the number of templates (one or many) and what to include in the template and the template type.
2. Create/Copy a template: In the templates project, select a folder, then create or copy a new draft template, and provide a name and description.
3. Add data: Add all team members, documents, and task information that will be available in the template.
4. Add conditions: Add conditions and associate with template data to dictate when it appears in workspaces. Test for desired outcome.
5. Publish: Finalize the template setup and make the template available for creating contract workspaces.

The SAP Ariba Contracts solution comes with default templates. You can either copy and modify an existing template or create a new one from scratch.

When planning your project template, consider the following factors:

• Identify the team members responsible for managing contracts and specify their required access levels.
• Determine the documents that should be included in the contract workspace.
• Outline the tasks assigned to various team members and establish the overall process.
• Plan for routing reviews, negotiations, and approvals.
• Set access controls and conditions to hide or reveal different parts of the workspace based on specific circumstances.
• Decide how many different business processes you want to support with a single template.

A user who is authorized to create or manage templates must be a member of the Template Creator group to access the template project. The templates project is a system-level repository containing all templates in SAP Ariba. As template creators create more templates, they will be stored in the Templates project.

A user with the Template Creator role will access the template project by selecting Manage→Templates, or by selecting the same option under Common Actions on the left side of your Home dashboard. All templates reside on the Documents tab. A well-maintained repository will consist of folders that hold the same type of templates. For instance, all Contract Workspaces templates are in a folder and can be subdivided by type – Internal, Procurement, or Sales.

A template can be created in two ways:

• Copy an existing template
• Create a new template

Once the project type Contract Workspaces is selected, the Overview tab appears in Compact View. The Compact View is a simpler presentation of a project or workspace that lets users see all parts of their project at once. The Compact View is helpful for simple projects with few tasks and documents.

In the Compact View, it includes Properties such as the template name and description, version, ID, and owner. To change any of these attributes, you can modify them accordingly. There are also sections for quick access to Tasks and Documents, each with its own Actions menu. Additionally, you can view the template creator under Team and review the template’s Version History. To make any changes to the Team, you must choose Actions→Edit Team. The top-right corner of the screen displays the current status and version.

In the Properties Actions menu, you can perform the following actions:

Under the Overview Properties Actions menu, you can toggle between Compact View and Full View. The Full View is a more advanced view that offers tabs across the top of the workspace. It is useful when you are viewing a more complex project or need to focus on a specific area. It is often used for long-term, strategic projects.

Below lists the available tabs in the Full View mode. These tabs will be covered in detail later in this course.

• Overview: Lists the general information about the template and allows you to perform actions that affect the entire project.
• Document: Displays folders and documents associated with the project, i.e., the master agreement (contract).
• Tasks: Allows you to create phases and various task types, such as To Do, Document To Do, Review, Approval, Negotiation, and Signature associated with executing the contract with a supplier(s).
• Team: Can create project groups and add members that will assist with the execution and completion of the project.
• Conditions: Allows the creation of conditions and questions that can be applied to the contract workspace, document folders and documents, sections and clauses of an assembled document, phases and tasks, and project groups.
• Advanced Options: Allows you to edit Document Process Settings, Supplier Eligibility, and, if enabled on your site, upgrade options.
• History: Allows you to search for changes to the template by time stamp, type, user, title, Overview Field Name, or Contract Attribute, including amendment history.

The template status is shown in the upper-right corner of the template editor page. A newly copied or created template has the status Draft. You must publish a template by changing its status to Active to make it available to users creating projects.

The following table defines template statuses:

Play the video for an overview of contract workspace template elements.

• Plan templates carefully: define team access, document structure, tasks, workflows, reviews, and approval processes.
• Template creators must belong to the Template Creator group and access templates via Manage→Templates or Common Actions.
• Templates reside in the Documents tab; organize them with folders by type, such as, Internal, Procurement, or Sales.
• Use Compact View for simple projects; toggle to Full View for complex, strategic projects with detailed tabs.
• Newly created or copied templates default to Draft status; publish them as Active to make templates usable.