Introduction 5 their business processes, but most organizations fail to apply any process improvements to their contracts,6 which is ironic, given the importance of both contracts and business processes. Technology The contracts that you will encounter will either be electronic or hard copy. Hard copies are a relic from the past, at least for organizations based in the United States. Other than “we have always done things this way” (which is never a valid reason to continue anything), there are no reasons for an organization to prefer hard copies. We recommend that your organization immediately switch from hard copies to electronic copies as a way to avoid imposing unnecessary costs on your organization, both in terms of time (soft costs) and supplies/services (hard costs) (e.g., postage, ink, envelopes, etc.). If your organization does not have contract-management software, the authors recommend that you encourage appropriate officials at your organ ization to explore various options and purchase software that will allow your organization to process contracts more efficiently. And although no contract-management software is perfect, good options are available, and most options are far superior to paper-based contract processes. Regarding contract signatures, the authors recommend that your organ ization adopt a software solution, such as DocuSign. There are other electronic- signature solutions, but the authors do not have experience with those. We encourage you to explore available options and obtain the solution that works best for your organization. Microsoft Word and Adobe DC are common software programs that you will need to learn at an intermediate or advanced level if you work with con- tracts often. Many free tutorials on these products are available on YouTube and other websites. Language In the event you find yourself needing to draft contracts or edit clauses, the authors recommend that you refer to Adams’s A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting, Fourth Edition (MSCD) as the authoritative source for contract drafting best practices. In the MSCD, Adams provides in-depth dis- cussions on all topics that are relevant to improving your contract drafting, such as how to avoid ambiguity or vagueness. In our opinion, the MSCD is intended to be read by attorneys and contract professionals, but the book is insightful and provides valuable guidance to anyone involved in reviewing, revising, negotiating, or drafting contracts. So, the authors encourage you to review MSCD often to ensure that you are familiar with the best prac- tices of contract drafting.
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