Document Handling and Workflow Security

Secure document handling begins before signing and continues after signature completion. Verify document contents carefully before signing—digital signatures create strong evidence of agreement that's difficult to repudiate. Never sign blank documents or documents with fields that might be filled later. If documents require post-signature additions, use signature fields that allow incremental signatures without invalidating existing ones.

Document integrity checks should become routine practice. Before signing, verify documents haven't been tampered with during transmission. After receiving signed documents, immediately validate signatures to ensure authenticity. Save copies of validated signed documents in secure storage—later changes to validation infrastructure might affect future verification. Include signature validation reports with archived documents to provide evidence of validity at receipt time.

Workflow design significantly impacts signature security. Implement approval chains that match business requirements without creating unnecessary complexity. Use parallel signing when order doesn't matter, reducing delays. Configure signature fields to enforce required signers and signing order. Enable completion notifications so all parties know when documents are fully executed. Design workflows that prevent common errors like signing in wrong fields or skipping required signatures.