Required Access
To send an Agreement in Adobe Sign, users must have the appropriate Adobe Sign sending permissions assigned to their account.
Your ability to send an Agreement may depend on:
- Your assigned Adobe Sign role
- Your group membership
- Whether your account is licensed for sending
- Access to the document or template you're attempting to use
- Any organizational restrictions configured by CPCC
If you can access Adobe Sign but do not see the option to send an Agreement, contact the ITS Service Desk or your Adobe Sign administrator.
Adobe Sign allows you to send documents to one or more recipients for review, completion, and/or signature. While the overall process is similar to DocuSign, some terminology and steps are different.
In Adobe Sign, the document transaction you send is called an Agreement. Think of an Agreement as the document you are sending to your recipients for action.
The general process is:
Select or upload a document → Add recipients → Configure fields → Review → Send → Track the Agreement
Before You Begin
Before sending an Agreement, make sure you have:
- The document you want to send
- The names and email addresses of your recipients
- Determined who needs to sign, complete, or review the document
- Determined the order in which recipients should receive the document, if applicable
- Any required information or fields that recipients need to complete
If the document is used frequently, check whether an approved template is already available before uploading and preparing a new document.
Step 1: Select Your Document
Depending on your process, you may either:
- Upload a document from your computer, or
- Select an existing template
When should I use a template?
If your department regularly sends the same document, use the approved template whenever possible.
Templates can already contain:
- Signature fields
- Date fields
- Text fields
- Required fields
- Recipient information
- Other predefined settings
This reduces the amount of preparation required each time the document is sent.
Step 2: Add Your Recipients
Enter the people who need to take action on the document.
Depending on the agreement, recipients may need to:
- Sign
- Complete information
- Approve
- Review
Pay attention to recipient order
If multiple people need to complete the document, verify whether they need to act sequentially or whether they can receive the document at the same time.
For example:
Sequential:
Employee → Supervisor → Department Chair
The supervisor receives the document after the employee completes their portion.
Parallel:
Employee and Supervisor
Both recipients can receive the document without waiting for the other person to complete their portion.
Always verify the recipient order before sending. Incorrect recipient order can delay the signing process.
Step 3: Add or Review Form Fields
Before sending the Agreement, make sure the document contains all required fields.
Common fields include:
- Signature
- Initials
- Date
- Name
- Email
- Text
- Checkbox
If you are using a template, many of these fields may already be configured.
Important: Make sure each field is assigned to the correct recipient. For example, if a form requires both an employee signature and a supervisor signature, verify that each signature field is assigned to the appropriate person.
Step 4: Review the Agreement
Before selecting Send, review the entire Agreement.
Check:
- Recipient names and email addresses
- Recipient order
- Document
- Signature fields
- Required fields
- Field assignments
- Email/message
- Any deadlines or other settings
This is your final opportunity to catch errors before the Agreement is sent.
Step 5: Send the Agreement
Once everything has been reviewed, send the Agreement.
Recipients will receive an email directing them to the document and can complete their assigned actions electronically.
The Agreement can then be monitored through Adobe Sign.
Step 6: Track the Agreement
After sending, you can monitor the status of the Agreement.
Depending on the current status, you may be able to:
- View the Agreement
- Check who has completed their portion
- Send reminders
- Cancel the Agreement
- Take other available management actions
Important: Sending an Agreement does not mean the process is complete. Use Adobe Sign to monitor the Agreement until all required actions have been completed.
Common Questions
Can I change an Agreement after I send it?
The options available to modify an Agreement depend on its status and your permissions. If an error is discovered after sending, review the available management options before sending a replacement Agreement.
Do I need to create a new document every time?
No. If the same document is used repeatedly, an approved Template may be available.
What's the difference between a Template and an Agreement?
A Template is a reusable starting point. An Agreement is the actual transaction sent to recipients.
Template → Agreement → Recipient completes/signs
What if I can't find the template I need?
You may not have access to the template. See Adobe Sign: Understanding Sharing, Permissions, and Template Access for information about template access.