Sign and file a document
A workflow produces a document, asks someone to sign it through Sign, waits for the answer and then continues with the signed copy, which is filed in the Document Center (ECM).
Products, in order: Workflow → Sign → Workflow → Document Center (ECM).
This page only routes you between products. The instructions for each step are in the chapter it links to.
Before you start
- The workflow was set up by your company administrator with a Generate document phase followed by a Signature phase. Without a Signature phase this journey does not happen; the whole journey is optional.
- The Signature phase has the signer's name and contact, the channel (e-mail, SMS or WhatsApp) and, optionally, an expiry and a reminder.
- You are signed in with a profile that gives access to Workflow, and to Sign if you want to follow the envelope there. The signer needs no Cogneris account.
Steps
| # | Product | Who acts | What happens | Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Workflow | — (automatic) | The run reaches Generate document and produces the document to sign. | Track a document's state and routing |
| 2 | Workflow → Sign | — (automatic) | The run reaches Signature: Workflow creates the signature request in Sign and the run waits. In Sign, the request is grouped in a case — one case per workflow run. | Follow a case raised by Workflow |
| 3 | Sign | Signer | The signer receives a personal link on the configured channel, confirms their identity with a one-time code and signs — or declines, giving a reason. | Sign or decline a document |
| 4 | Workflow | — (automatic) | Workflow checks Sign for an answer at a regular interval (every two minutes by default), so the run resumes a few minutes after the signer answers, not instantly. | Track a document's state and routing |
| 5 | Workflow | — (automatic) | When signed, the run continues with the signed copy: a later phase that sends the document sends the signed one. | Workflow overview |
| 6 | Document Center | — (automatic) | Optional: only when the process's documents are in the Document Center — for example, it came from the Portal. The signed PDF is filed as a new version of the generated document, and the signature audit trail is filed beside it. The version list marks the signed version Signed. | Where the documents come from |
Expected result
- The run passes the Signature phase and continues to its next phase with the signed document.
- The signature is counted once, when the document is signed; see Billing and usage.
- For a process kept in the Document Center, the document gains a signed version and an audit trail document.
How to confirm it worked
- On the Workflow Runs page, the Signature column of the run shows the phase completed; Run detail shows the step as Completed. See Track a document's state and routing.
If something goes wrong
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The run stays waiting at Signature | The signer has not answered yet, or the answer has not been picked up yet (up to a few minutes) | Wait a few minutes. If the signer has not signed, a reminder can be sent from Sign; see Send a reminder. |
| Run detail shows an Error starting with signature_refused | The signer declined | The run ended as failed. Start a new process once the reason is resolved. |
| Run detail shows an Error starting with signature_expired | The request reached its expiry before the signer signed | The run ended as failed. Start a new process. |
| The run fails at Signature right away | The phase is missing the signer's name, e-mail or phone, or there is no Generate document phase before it | Ask your company administrator to correct the workflow. |
| A document signed directly in Sign is not in the Document Center | Only signatures requested by a workflow are filed in the Document Center | Expected. Envelopes created in Sign itself are kept in Sign; see Sign overview. |
Last reviewed 2026-10-09 · Version 0.1.0 · Owner: product-documentation