As a Team Captain, you are responsible for configuring signing settings, managing signatories, ensuring signatures are mapped and approved, and releasing signatures to produce the final executed document.
Who this guide is for:
This guide is intended for dealhead Users with the Team Captain designation who are responsible for managing document execution using dhSign.
📝 Note: If you are a Signatory who has been asked to approve or sign a document, see dhSign for Signatories instead.
Enabling dhSign on a Checklist Item
Signature Tracking is available only for documents that have dhSign enabled on their associated Checklist Item. When creating a Checklist Item, a Team Captain User must enable dhSign to indicate that the document will be signed using dealhead’s signature workflow. Once dhSign is enabled, Signature Tracking becomes available for that document.
💡 Tip: You can enable or disable dhSign for a Checklist Item at any time.
Choosing When Signatures Are Released
Within the Checklist Item settings, the Team Captain User selects when signatures are released. Two options are available:
At Milestone Completion: Signatures are released automatically when the associated Milestone is completed.
Manually: Signatures are released manually by a Team Captain User once all signing prerequisites are complete.
This setting controls when the final executed document is generated. All required signing steps must still be completed before signatures can be released. The selected release method is displayed at the top of the Signature Tracking interface so Team Captains always understand how and when execution will occur.
📝 Note: Changing the release method does not bypass signing requirements — all signatures must still be mapped and approved before execution can occur.
Fig 1. Enabling dhSign with Signature Release Settings
How Signature Tracking Works
Signature Tracking reflects different workflows depending on whether a Signatory uses dhSign or External signing.
dhSign Signatories
dhSign Signatories sign electronically within dealhead. This workflow requires direct action by the Signatory or their authorized representative. For a dhSign signature to be included in the executed document, the following steps must be completed:
Profile Signature is added. The Signatory must add a Profile Signature. This is the physical signature that will be placed onto the document. Only the Signatory can add a Profile Signature; this step cannot be completed by proxy.
Signature is Mapped. When the document stage is Ready for Signature, the signature must be mapped to the document. Mapping can be completed by any Team Captain User.
Signature is Approved. The signature must be approved by the Signatory or by an authorized proxy, such as an attorney from a Law Firm with an established Attorney-Client Relationship (set on Teams Tab).
⚠️ Important: All 3 required steps must be completed for every Signatory before signatures can be released.
External Signatories
External Signatories sign documents outside of dealhead using another method, such as wet ink signatures or third-party e-signing platforms (for example, DocuSign).
For an External Signatory to be included in the executed document, the following steps must be completed:
Signature Pages are obtained. The Team Captain User obtains the executed Signature Page(s) from the Signatory.
Signature is Mapped. When the document stage is Ready for Signature, the External Signatory is mapped to the document so a placeholder appears in the appropriate location.
Signature Pages are uploaded. The Team Captain User uploads the Signature Page(s) in the Approve/Upload modal in dealhead. Uploaded pages can be replaced or deleted if needed.
External Signatories may or may not be Project participants. They are not required to be Users on a Team within the Project.
📝 Note: Because External Signatories do not interact directly with dealhead, Team Captains are responsible for ensuring signature pages are complete, accurate, and properly uploaded.
⚠️ Important: Once all required steps are complete and signatures are released, the uploaded Signature Pages are appended to the Final/Executed document and referenced within the document based on Mapping.
Understanding the Signature Tracking Interface
Signature Release Status
At the top of the interface, Signature Tracking displays an overall Signature Release status.
Message | What it Means |
X Not Ready to Execute | One or more Signatories have not completed all required prerequisites OR negotiation stage is not "Ready for Signature" |
✔ Ready to Execute | All Signatories have completed the required steps and signatures can be released AND the negotiation stage is "Ready for Signature" |
✔ Released & Executed | Signatures have been released and the final executed document has been created. |
Per-Signatory Completion Indicator
Each column uses a simple indicator:
✔ indicates the step is complete
X indicates the step is incomplete or unavailable
Hovering over a status displays a tooltip with additional detail. Some statuses are clickable and open the relevant action, such as mapping or approval.
Signature Tracking Example
Figure 2, below, shows the Signature Tracking Interface on the side panel for the "Exhibit E" Checklist Item (Assignment and Assumption Agreement). With one glance, we can tell everything we need to know about the readiness of this document execution, including:
Negotiation Phase: The document itself is "Ready for Signature" meaning no more changes are expected.
Signature Release Status: In this example, it is Not Ready to Execute, meaning a) one or more Signatories are not Mapped or Approved; or b) Signature page(s) for External Signatories have not been uploaded.
Profile Signature: An indicator is shown for dealhead Users that do not have a signature associated with their User Profile. In this example, Mike Smith and Olivia Grant are dealhead Users, but they have not yet added their signatures.
Attorney-Client Authorization: In this example, it shows that Emma Sinclair has a signature in her profile, and she has also authorized designated attorney (as configured in the Teams Tab) to approve documents on her behalf.
Mapping Status: Mapping can be completed all at once (typical) or at different times. For each Signatory, the interface will show the Mapping Status, along with how many times their signature was Mapped to the document.
Approval Status: Approval status applies to dhSign Signatories, and the ability for any give User to Approve depends on a) the negotiation phase; b) their ability to access the Project (are they on a Team?); and c) Attorney-Client Relationship. For External Signatories, after signature page(s) are uploaded the status changes to "Uploaded".
Fig 2. Signature Tracking Interface
Figure 3, below, shows the Signature Tracking Interface when all signing, Mapping, and Approval requirements have been met.
Fig 3. Signature Tracking - Ready to Execute
Add/Edit Signatories
The Add/Edit Signatories Modal (Fig. 4, below) allows a Team Captain User to manage who is required to sign the document. Any number of Signatories can be added by entering their full email address. Each Signatory is assigned a Signing Method.
dhSign is selected by default. dhSign Signatories sign electronically within dealhead.
External may be selected when signature pages will be uploaded manually.
External signing follows a more traditional process in which executed signature pages are pre-collected (held in escrow) and uploaded by a Team Captain User.
Fig. 4. Add/Edit Signatories - Showing both dhSign and External Methods
Map/Remap
Signatures must be "Mapped" before they can appear in the final executed docume
nt. Mapping is available once the document reaches the Ready for Signature stage, which indicates the document is finalized and no further changes will be made.
⚠️ Important: Mapping cannot be completed until the document is finalized. Any changes to the document after mapping requires remapping.
As shown in Fig. 5 below, Mapping associates each Signatory with the location or locations where their signature will appear in the executed document.
For dhSign Signatories, mapping places the User's Profile Signature.
For External Signatories, mapping inserts a placeholder that references uploaded Signature Pages.
Fig 5. Signature Mapping Completed for 4 Signatories
Approve/Upload
The Approve/Upload action is used to approve signatures or upload executed Signature Pages.
For dhSign Signatories:
A Team Captain User can approve or withdraw the use of their own signature.
A Team Captain User may approve on behalf of other Signatories if an Attorney-Client Relationship has been established on the Teams tab, and the Signatory had authorized this when they created their Profile Signature.
dhSign Signatories who are not Project Users may approve from the dhSign page. They will automatically receive email instructions. Signatories that do not have Project access cannot approve their signature until the negotiation phase is "Ready for Signature" AND their signature is Mapped by a Team Captain.
For External Signatories:
A Team Captain User uploads executed Signature Page(s).
Uploaded pages may be deleted or replaced within the Approve/Upload modal.
💡 Tip: For External Signatories, upload clean, single-page signature PDFs whenever possible to simplify review and replacement.
⚠️ Important: Approval or upload alone does not execute the document. All pages of the document will be watermarked until an Executed/Final version is created based on the Signature Release Settings.
Releasing and Executing Signatures
Once all Signatories have completed their required steps, signatures can be released according to the Signature Release Settings.
If signatures are set to release at Milestone Completion, they are released automatically when the Milestone is completed.
If signatures are set to release manually, a Team Captain User cam releases them once all prerequisites are complete.
Releasing signatures generates 2 PDF documents available for immediate download:
The Final/Executed document
A Certificate of Completion
Certificate of Completion
When a document reaches Executed/Final status, dealhead automatically generates a Certificate of Completion. The Certificate of Completion is a standalone PDF that provides a complete audit trail of the signing process and can be downloaded alongside the executed document.
For detailed information, including audit data, integrity verification, and compliance details, check out dhSign - Certificate of Completion.