Understanding Parties and Actions in a Pactvera
When creating a Pactvera, it’s important to understand how parties and actions work together. This article explains the relationship between the two and how they control who does what in an agreement.
What Are Parties?
Parties are the individuals or organizations involved in a Pactvera.
They are defined at the agreement level when you create the Pactvera and remain consistent across all documents and forms.
Each party represents:
- A person, or
- An organization
Once added, the party list becomes the foundation for assigning actions throughout the Pactvera.
What Are Actions?
Actions define what each party is required to do.
Actions are assigned within documents or forms, but always apply to the parties already added to the Pactvera.
Available actions include:
- Needs to Sign — The party must complete and sign
- Needs to View — The party must open and review
- Receives a Copy — The party receives the final agreement after completion
Only Sign and View actions are required for the Pactvera to be completed.
How Parties and Actions Work Together
The relationship is simple:
- Step 1: Add parties to the Pactvera
- Step 2: Assign actions to those parties within each document or form
Documents and forms do not create new participants. They only assign tasks to the existing party list.
This ensures consistency across the entire agreement.
How Actions Are Completed
The way an action is fulfilled depends on the type of party:
If the party is an individual
- That person receives the request
- They complete the action directly
If the party is an organization
- The request is sent to the organization
- An authorized individual within that organization completes the action
If the party is within your own organization
- You must select the appropriate authorized signer or participant when assigning the action
This ensures that all actions are completed by the correct, authorized person.
Why This Structure Matters
Separating parties and actions ensures that:
- The same parties can be used across multiple documents and forms
- Each document or form can define different responsibilities
- Actions are always tied to the correct participant
- The agreement remains consistent and easy to manage
This structure also helps prevent errors, such as assigning tasks to the wrong person or duplicating participants.
Example
A Pactvera with two parties:
- Buyer (individual)
- Seller (organization)
You might assign:
- Buyer → Needs to Sign (on the contract)
- Seller → Needs to Sign (on the contract, completed by an authorized signer)
- Buyer → Needs to View (on a disclosure form)
Each document or form uses the same parties, but assigns different actions.
Summary
- Parties define who is involved in the Pactvera
- Actions define what each party must do
- Parties are added once at the agreement level
- Actions are assigned within each document or form
Understanding this structure helps ensure your Pactvera is set up correctly and completed without delays.