Practical guide

Viewer or signer: give each participant the correct job

Last materially reviewed 2026-09-21

Quick answerDo not request a signature from someone who only needs a copy, or mistake a viewer for a required party.
What to know

Choose by responsibility

The reviewed sending documentation distinguishes viewers from signing recipients and describes access to the completed copy. That distinction is useful when someone needs awareness without being asked to execute the document. Start by listing the required actions, then assign people to them. Do not add a person as a signer simply to ensure they receive an email, because that can change how the team interprets completion.

What to know

Keep internal review separate

A colleague may need to review content before it is issued, receive the final record afterward, or sign on behalf of an organization. These are three different responsibilities. Decide which applies before configuration. Do not infer authority to sign from a job title, mailbox access or participation in a conversation. Where organizational or legal approval is required, use the appropriate established process rather than treating a software role as permission.

What to know

Limit unnecessary distribution

Giving someone a copy can expose the entire document, not merely its status. Check whether they need the contents or only a non-sensitive update. This is especially important when templates are reused across projects with different participants. Remove obsolete planned recipients before sending, using authorized controls, rather than assuming the previous project’s distribution list still applies. A smaller justified audience usually makes the final record easier to manage.

What to know

Define the final handoff

Specify who will receive, store and later retrieve the completed document. A viewer notification is not proof that the responsible person has placed it in the required repository. Keep receipt, storage and operational handoff distinct in your checklist. If the process is unclear, assign an owner before adding more recipients. Follow the field-ownership guide for required actions and the handoff guide for the responsibilities that continue after signing.

Continue when useful

Next: Assign every signing field to the right person

Map fields to participant roles before you place them on the document.

Open Assign every signing field to the right person →

Sources used for this page

These records support the facts and comparisons above. Merchant-controlled records are labelled so you can separate product claims from independent evidence.

  1. Send a signature request — Merchant documentation · help.signaturely.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-21
  2. View and download the audit trail — Merchant documentation · help.signaturely.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-21