CLM calm: building better, more predictable contract processes 

Contracting is fast-paced, complicated, and critical to revenue—yet it often feels overwhelming. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way for your business. In a recent webinar, experts from Conga and Epiq shared how organizations can cut through the chaos, simplify processes, and turn contracting challenges into clear, manageable steps with Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM).

People, process, and data-first (then technology)

Contract frustration often stems less from technology than from broken processes, as Karthik Radhakrishnan, Senior Director, CLM R&D and Chief Architect at Epiq points out: “When a CLM isn’t delivering value, the real question is: “Is the application failing…or is the process flawed? More often than not, the issues lie with people and process, or a mix of both,” he says.

Jason Smith, Global Director, CLM Product Launch and Legaltech Evangelist at Conga, agrees: “Contract management isn’t just about getting it signed. Too often, the signed document disappears into a cabinet or someone’s SharePoint folder until a renewal, dispute, or lawsuit drags it back into the spotlight. That’s reactive management, and it’s expensive.”

The thing about contracts is that they rarely cause problems on day one. The trouble comes later during disputes, renewals, or expirations.

Take a common scenario:  

A software license that’s no longer needs auto-renews. The renewal date slips by unnoticed. Suddenly, the organization is locked into an expensive contract for another year, with no leverage to renegotiate.

That’s when the scramble begins. Everyone needs to know what was agreed upon. Too often, the answer is: We can’t find the contract. Stress levels rise. Leaders start asking uncomfortable questions: Why is this contract still active?

Confusion spreads, and frustration grows. Finger-pointing follows—until the full extent of risk exposure becomes painfully clear.

Jason likens this situation to the all-too-common gym membership problem: You sign up in January, stop going in February, and years later realize you’ve been paying for something you don’t use. Companies do the same thing with contracts, only on a much larger scale.

True contract lifecycle management goes beyond creation and signature. It’s about proactive oversight, preventing hidden costs, and reducing risk before problems arise.

Core roles in the contracting lifecycle

Next, our panel took a closer look at the roles of the three primary stakeholders driving the contracting lifecycle: sales, legal, and contracts managers.

Sales teams: operationalizing revenue

Sales teams aren’t just responsible for executing contracts; they also have to operationalize the revenue that flows from them. A strong CLM tool can accelerate deal velocity by streamlining the path to signature.

Jason cites a Forrester Total Economic Impact study showing that Conga’s CLM helped reduce the time required to complete contracts. Notable results included:

Reducing average contract work from 25 hours to 15

Shrinking NDA turnaround from two weeks to just 8 minutes through self-service

Some companies realized $4 million in value simply from time saved.

But Karthik cautions, “Software won’t fix broken processes. It will simply scale and accelerate whatever exists, irrespective of whether it’s good or bad. Without strong processes, automation can actually magnify inefficiencies and put your organization in a worse position.”

Legal teams: the referees

Legal teams live in a constant balancing act: pushing contracts through on time while quietly managing risks that may not surface until months later. When a deal goes wrong, the question is usually What did legal miss? The issues are often rooted in issues like missing templates, unflagged risks, or overlooked legacy documents.

These hidden risks are the ticking time bombs of contracting. If you can’t even locate contracts, you can’t identify problems quickly. And legal isn’t just managing contracts—they’re also juggling litigation, e-discovery, and matter management.

“Here’s the paradox,” says Jason. “When legal succeeds, nothing bad happens. No disputes, no penalties, no reputational damage. And because nothing bad happens, their value often goes unseen. Like referees, they’re most visible when they blow their whistle and stop the game. For the crowd, it feels like an interruption, but without the ref, the game would unravel. Fouls would go unchecked, disputes would escalate, and the integrity of the match would collapse.”

Standardization and better CLM processes are the equivalent of giving referees clearer rules and better visibility. Client studies show the power of standardization:  

“Static files on SharePoint aren’t enough because sales teams often use outdated versions,” explains Jason. “True CLM standardization means clause libraries, rule-driven playbooks, and data-triggered compliance. For example, if a customer is in California, the system automatically inserts CCPA language into the contract without sales needing to know the regulation.”  

Contract managers: the bridge

Contract managers straddle the gap between sales and legal, balancing influence from both sides while trying to keep deals moving. Their role goes well beyond pushing documents from point A to point B; it also falls to them to manage the entire relationship with counterparties.

Here, the importance of centralizing contract intelligence becomes amplified. “This goes beyond storing documents,” notes Karthik, “It’s about consolidating thousands of agreements into a single source of truth, with instant access to obligations, renewals, and counterparties. And when AI capabilities are layered on top, organizations can analyze contracts at scale and really see some impressive efficiency improvements.”

Jason shares some results that speak for themselves:

One client reduced human error by 70% and cut contract cycle times from 14 days to 90 minutes.  

Another accelerated their contract lifecycle by 40% and improved reporting speed by 92%—turning what used to be an archaeological dig into instant insights.

“One of my favorite examples comes from an oncology unit that produced cancer drugs,” he adds. “They were bogged down by PDF contracts and slow processes. By adopting Conga CLM, they reduced clinical trial agreement timelines by 50–80%, which meant life-saving treatments could get to market faster.”

The nonlinear path to CLM maturity

The panel’s dialogue moved to CLM maturity and how organizations move from ad hoc contracting (stage 1) to a more optimized state.  

As Jason points out, the journey isn’t always linear or holistic. “It’s quite possible for a company to be at stage 3 in terms of people, stage 1 in process, and stage 4 in technology. Gaining maturity is about breaking down each dimension and pinpointing where manual gaps remain and where structure exists.”

Real progress happens when your processes are structured, roles are defined, and you apply technology thoughtfully where it fits, not forced. After all, as Jason points out, loving chocolate and loving garlic doesn’t mean they belong in the same pot! Technology must be fit for purpose.

Karthik adds that technology can automate 75% of contracting tasks, but discipline is still required for the remaining 25%. “Adoption succeeds when technology complements process, not just replaces it,” he says.

The speakers emphasized the balance required in the maturity journey. Ad hoc isn’t always bad. Low-volume, strategic contracts may always need human judgment, and that’s OK. But routine, repeatable tasks should be automated and structured.  

Ultimately, CLM maturity means aligning people, process, technology, and data—then layering automation and AI where they’ll deliver the most value.

The AI maturity journey

Your AI maturity journey should follow a similar course. “Don’t just look for what AI can do,” stresses Karthik. “Start by defining your problems. For example, if you want to find contracts, first ensure all contracts are in one place. AI can’t search effectively if your documents are scattered.

“Equally, if you want AI to help you flag risky contract language, you need standard templates or at least basic rules. Without standardization, AI can’t reliably identify or route risky clauses. Defined processes are essential for automation.”

Data quality is critical. Simply storing contracts together and adding metadata isn’t enough. The metadata must accurately reflect the document content for AI to provide valuable insights. Historical context is also key, especially when you’re migrating or negotiating contracts. AI can’t recommend terms if past negotiations aren’t stored.  

“My point here is this,” concludes Karthik. 

In closing

As our experts explored, contracting doesn’t have to be chaotic. By aligning people, process, data, and technology, you can move from reactive management to proactive oversight and actionable intelligence. That means less risk, faster deals, and opportunities to unlock new business value. If you’re ready to simplify your contracting journey, let’s talk.