Overview
Multiple collaborators can edit the same agreement simultaneously via Microsoft Word. Users can then upload a new agreement version to LinkSquares using the LinkSquares Finalize add-in for Microsoft Word.
Note: The agreement must be a DOCX file that is shared via Microsoft OneDrive or Microsoft SharePoint in order for multiple users to edit simultaneously.
Process
Depending on an organization’s Microsoft practices and preferences, the process and experience of live editing may vary.
Generally, the live editing process will consist of sharing a document with relevant stakeholders, making collaborative edits, and uploading a new agreement version to LinkSquares.
To begin the live editing process, navigate to the shared repository where the relevant document is stored. Open the document.
Note: If the document is not yet stored in a shared repository, users will need to download the relevant version from LinkSquares Finalize and upload it to their preferred shared repository.
To learn more about downloading agreement versions from Finalize, reference our article on Finalize Individual Agreement View.
Click Share in the upper right-hand corner of the Word document.
Select either Share or Copy Link depending on how you would like to share the document with collaborators.
- Selecting Share will prompt you to enter the name or email of the collaborator(s) and add an optional message. Click Send to direct an email with access to the document to the outlined recipient(s).
- Selecting Copy Link will provide a shareable link that you can copy and provide to the collaborator(s) via your preferred method (e.g., Slack, Teams, email).
Once the document has been shared, each user will open it via the shared email or link and begin collaborating on the document.
Microsoft Word will provide a colorful user beacon at the top of the Word document window for each user that has the shared document open.
Each user will have a matching cursor to indicate where in the document they are located.
Any edits made to the document will appear in real-time for all users with the document open.
Users who are logged into the Word add-in will have a colorful user beacon at the top of the Word add-in and in the appropriate agreement version within the History tab.
When a new agreement version is ready to be uploaded to Finalize via the Word add-in, only one user should do so. Collaborators should communicate about who will upload a new agreement version when necessary.
When a new version of the document is uploaded, the Activity tab will notify users that a new version is available.
When a new version is uploaded, users can either continue editing in the originally shared document or move to the new agreement version.
If collaborators choose to continue editing the document that was originally shared, the new agreement version will act as a checkpoint of the editing done up to the point that the new version was uploaded. A new window with the new agreement version may open when it is uploaded. Users should close this window if they want to continue editing the originally shared document.
If collaborators continue to work out of the originally shared document, any comments or tasks that were linked to the agreement text will not be active. The comments and tasks will exist, but users cannot click on them to jump to the linked agreement text. Users must move to the new agreement version to access this functionality.
To learn more about linking comments and tasks to agreement text, reference our article on LinkSquares Finalize for Microsoft Word: Highlight and Assign Text.
If collaborators choose to move to the new agreement version to continue editing, the new version must be reshared with all necessary collaborators via the method described in this article to continue live editing.
Collaborators must ensure they are working out of the same agreement version so all edits are captured.