Understanding Document Status and Lifecycle in BreezeDoc
BreezeDoc documents move through a clear lifecycle from creation to completion. Understanding these stages helps you track document progress, identify issues, and manage your signing workflows effectively. This guide explains each status, how documents transition between stages, and what happens at each step.
Document Lifecycle Overview
Every BreezeDoc document follows this basic lifecycle:
- Creation – Document uploaded or created from template
- Configuration – Fields added, recipients assigned
- Draft – Prepared but not sent to recipients
- Sent – Emailed to recipients for signing
- In Progress – Recipients are viewing and signing
- Completed – All recipients have signed
- (Optional) Expired – Past expiration date before completion
- (Optional) Deleted – Removed from active documents
Prerequisites
- Account: Active BreezeDoc account
- Documents: Understanding of document creation process
- Access: Document owner or team member permissions
Document Statuses Explained
Draft (Not Sent)
Definition: Document has been created but not yet sent to any recipients.
Characteristics:
- No recipients notified: Recipients have not received signing emails
- Fully editable: Can modify fields, recipients, settings freely
- Not sent: No signing invitations have been sent yet
- Recipients may exist: Recipients can be added but not yet sent to
- No completion possible: Cannot be completed until sent
How to Identify:
- Filter documents by "Not sent" status
- Check document list – drafts show no sent date
- Recipients have not received signing invitations
Next Actions:
- Add or modify fields
- Assign recipients
- Set expiration date
- Send document to recipients
Sent
Definition: Document has been sent to recipients but signing is not yet complete.
Characteristics:
- Recipients notified: At least one recipient has received signing email
- Limited editing: Cannot modify fields or recipients after sending
- Invitations sent: Signing emails have been delivered to recipients
- Not yet completed: No recipients have finished signing yet, or some are still pending
- Active signing links: Recipients can access signing pages
How to Identify:
- Filter documents by "Sent" status
- Document shows sent date but no completion date
- Activity log shows "sent" events but no "completed" events
What Happens:
- Recipients receive email with signing link
- Document marked as sent in your dashboard
- Activity tracking begins (opens, views recorded)
- Reminders sent automatically (Pro/Agency plans)
Next Actions:
- Monitor activity to see if recipients opened document
- Wait for recipients to complete signing
- Resend reminder emails if needed
- Clone and resend if modifications needed
In Progress
Definition: Recipients are actively viewing or signing the document, and it hasn't expired.
Characteristics:
- Active engagement: Recipients have opened or are signing the document
- Partial completion possible: Some recipients may have completed, others haven't
- Not expired: Document deadline has not passed
- Mixed recipient states: Some recipients have signed, others are still pending
- Awaiting action: At least one recipient still needs to sign
How to Identify:
- Filter documents by "In progress" status
- Activity log shows "viewed" or "opened" events
- Some recipients have signed, others haven't
- Document deadline is still in the future
What Happens:
- Recipients view document and fill fields
- Activity events recorded (viewed, opened, completed)
- Sequential signing: Next recipient notified when previous completes
- Parallel signing: All recipients can sign simultaneously
Next Actions:
- Check activity log to see who has signed
- Send reminders to incomplete recipients
- Monitor progress toward completion
- Extend expiration date if nearing deadline
Completed
Definition: All recipients have signed the document, and the final PDF has been generated.
Characteristics:
- All recipients signed: Every recipient has completed their signature
- Document finalized: Document has been marked as complete
- Final PDF created: A permanent, tamper-proof PDF has been generated
- Locked from editing: Cannot modify fields or resend
- Completion emails sent: All recipients and owner receive final PDF via email
How to Identify:
- Filter documents by "Completed" status
- Document shows completion date in list
- Activity log shows all recipients have "completed" events
- Green checkmark or "Completed" badge in UI
What Happens Automatically:
- Final PDF generated with all signature/field values
- PDF stored permanently with random filename
- Document marked as complete in the system
- Completion emails sent to all recipients with PDF attachment
- Owner receives completion email with PDF and activity log
- CC recipients receive PDF and activity log (if configured)
- Activity log marked as complete
Next Actions:
- Download final PDF for records
- Review activity log for audit trail
- Archive or delete document if no longer needed
- Use as template for similar documents
Expired
Definition: Document has passed its expiration date without being completed by all recipients.
Characteristics:
- Past deadline: The document deadline has passed
- Signing blocked: Recipients cannot complete the document
- Not automatically deleted: Document remains in your list
- May be partially signed: Some recipients may have completed before expiration
- Expired page shown: Recipients see expiration message instead of signing page
How to Identify:
- Filter documents by "Expired" status
- Document shows expiration date in the past
- Recipients see "This document has expired" message
What Happens:
- Recipients cannot access signing page (redirected to expired page)
- Expiration warning emails sent 3 days before expiration (automatic)
- Document marked with expired status in filters
- No further activity tracking for signing (opens still tracked)
Next Actions:
- Clone document to create new copy with extended expiration
- Resend cloned document to recipients who didn't complete
- Delete expired document if no longer needed
- Review why document expired (slow response, too short deadline)
Deleted (Soft Deleted)
Definition: Document has been removed from your active list but is retained for compliance and potential recovery.
Characteristics:
- Archived: Removed from view but retained for compliance
- Hidden from lists: Does not appear in Documents page
- Links broken: Recipients see 404 error when accessing signing links
- Recoverable: Can be restored by admin if needed (not exposed in UI)
- Data retained: Document data is preserved for audit and compliance purposes
How to Delete:
- Go to Documents page.
- Find the document to delete.
- Click More ➜ Delete.
- Confirm deletion.
- Document removed from list immediately.
What Happens:
- Document marked as deleted in the system
- Document hidden from all filters and searches
- Recipient signing links return 404 error
- Document data is retained for compliance purposes
Important Notes:
- Cannot be undone in UI: No "restore" button for users
- Permanent for recipients: Signing links stop working immediately
- Not counted in limits: Deleted documents don't count toward monthly plan limits
- Compliance data retained: Audit information is preserved for legal purposes
Document Lifecycle Transitions
Creation → Draft
Trigger: Upload PDF or create from template
What happens:
- Document is created and saved
- PDF file stored and converted to images for editor
- Document appears in "Not sent" filter
- Unique slug generated for URLs
Draft → Sent
Trigger: Click "Send" button after adding recipients
What happens:
- Each recipient is marked as invited
- Email sent to recipients with signing link
- Document moved to "Sent" filter
- Fields and recipients locked from editing
- Activity tracking begins
Sent → In Progress
Trigger: Recipient opens document signing link
What happens:
- "Opened" event recorded in activity log
- Recipient is marked as having viewed the document
- Document shown in "In progress" filter
- Recipient can view and fill fields
In Progress → Completed
Trigger: Last recipient submits completed document
What happens:
- Final recipient is marked as having signed
- System confirms all recipients have completed signing
- Final PDF is automatically generated
- Document marked as complete in the system
- Completion emails sent to all parties
- Document moved to "Completed" filter
Any Status → Expired
Trigger: Document deadline passes
What happens:
- Recipients see expired page when accessing signing link
- Document appears in "Expired" filter
- 3-day warning email sent automatically before expiration
- Signing functionality disabled
- Document remains in current partial state (if some signed)
Any Status → Deleted
Trigger: User clicks Delete button
What happens:
- Document is marked as deleted
- Document hidden from all lists and filters
- Recipient links return 404 error
- Data retained for compliance
Activity Tracking
BreezeDoc tracks key events throughout the document lifecycle. You can view this information in the Activity tab of any document.
Document Events
- Created: When the document was first uploaded or created from a template
- Sent: When signing invitations were sent to recipients
- Completed: When all recipients finished signing
- Deadline: The expiration date set for the document (default: 90 days)
Recipient Events
- Invited: When the signing invitation was sent
- Opened: When the recipient first opened the signing link
- Signed: When the recipient completed their signature
Activity Log
The Activity page shows a detailed timeline of all events with exact dates and times. Use this to:
- Track who has viewed the document
- See exactly when each recipient signed
- Monitor document progress
- Generate audit trails for compliance
Best Practices for Managing Document Lifecycle
Setting Expiration Dates
- Default 90 days: BreezeDoc sets expiration to +90 days by default
- Adjust based on urgency: Use 7-14 days for urgent contracts, 30-60 for standard
- Consider recipient availability: Allow time for busy executives or international signers
- Set reminders: Pro/Agency plans auto-send reminders to increase completion rate
Monitoring Document Progress
- Check "In progress" daily: Review documents awaiting completion
- Use activity logs: See who opened but hasn't signed
- Send manual reminders: Follow up with recipients via email if taking too long
- Monitor expiration dates: Extend or resend documents approaching deadline
Handling Incomplete Documents
- Clone expired documents: Create new copy with extended expiration
- Review blocking issues: Check if emails bounced or addresses are incorrect
- Contact slow signers: Reach out via phone/email to understand delays
- Simplify if needed: Reduce required fields if causing recipient confusion
Archiving Completed Documents
- Download PDFs: Save completed documents to local/cloud storage
- Export activity logs: Keep audit trails for compliance
- Delete old documents: Remove clutter from dashboard after archiving
- Use consistent naming: Include completion date in downloaded filenames
Troubleshooting Status Issues
Issue: Document stuck in "Sent" status for days
Fix: Check activity log to see if recipients opened email. Verify email addresses are correct. Ask recipients to check spam/junk folder. Resend document if needed.
Issue: Document shows "Completed" but I can't download PDF
Fix: Check completion email for PDF attachment. Use "Download" button in document activity page. Verify all recipients actually completed (check activity log). Contact support if PDF generation failed.
Issue: Document expired before recipient could sign
Fix: Clone document via More ➜ Clone. Update expiration date to future date. Resend to recipients who didn't complete. Original expired document cannot be modified.
Issue: One recipient completed but document not marked complete
Fix: Check if all recipients have signed – document needs 100% completion. Review activity log to identify incomplete recipients. Send reminders to outstanding signers. Verify sequential signing order if enabled.
Issue: Accidentally deleted document, need to recover
Fix: Deleted documents cannot be restored through the interface. Contact BreezeDoc support with document ID/name. Support can restore the document if needed. Prevention: be careful with delete action (no undo).
Issue: Document shows in wrong status filter
Fix: Refresh page to update status. Check expiration date – expired docs won't show in "In progress". Verify all recipients were actually sent signing invitations. Clear browser cache if status persists incorrectly.
FAQ
Q: Can I edit a document after sending it?
A: No. Documents are locked once sent to prevent tampering. To make changes, clone the document, edit the clone, and resend to recipients.
Q: What happens if only some recipients complete before expiration?
A: The document enters "Expired" status. Partially signed documents are not finalized. Clone and resend to incomplete recipients with extended deadline.
Q: How long does BreezeDoc store completed documents?
A: Completed documents are stored indefinitely unless you delete them. Deleted documents are archived (retained for compliance purposes).
Q: Can recipients still access completed documents?
A: Yes. Recipient signing links remain active after completion, showing a confirmation page. They receive the final PDF via email when all signers complete.
Q: What's the difference between "Sent" and "In Progress"?
A: "Sent" means recipients received emails but haven't opened documents yet. "In Progress" means recipients have viewed the signing page and may be actively signing.
Q: Do deleted documents count toward my monthly limit?
A: No. Only sent documents (not deleted) count toward your plan's monthly document limit. Deleting a sent document does not refund the count.
Q: Can I see the exact time each recipient signed?
A: Yes. Go to document Activity page to see detailed timeline with exact timestamps for sent, opened, viewed, and completed events per recipient.
Need more help? Contact our support team – we're here to help!