Reusable material.
WHAT TEMPLATES PROVIDE
Speed Consistency Fewer omissions Fewer errors in standard terms
WHAT TO TEMPLATE
Quotations and proposals Invoices Contracts and terms Reports Letters and standard communications Forms
WHY CONTRACTS SPECIFICALLY
Drafting from scratch each time produces inconsistency and omissions.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
An approved version of each.
WHAT TO RECORD
Who approved it and when.
WHAT TO MARK CLEARLY
Which parts may be changed and which may not.
WHY
People edit terms without realising the significance.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH ABOUT LEGAL DOCUMENTS
That changes require approval.
WHAT TO INCLUDE IN TEMPLATES
Everything standard: company details, terms, required statements.
WHY
Their absence is the commonest omission.
WHAT TO REVIEW
Whether templates reflect current practice, prices and law.
HOW OFTEN
Periodically, and whenever anything changes.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT OLD COPIES
Ensure people use the current version.
HOW
One location, and remove old copies from circulation.
WHAT TO AVOID
Templates so restrictive that people bypass them Templates nobody can find
WHAT TO PROVIDE
Guidance on completing them, where it is not obvious.
WHAT TO MEASURE
Whether documents going out are consistent.
WHY
It indicates whether templates are actually used.
