This contract tip is about creating multiple contract playbooks.
Playbooks are essential for anyone negotiating contracts. Mine include checklists and remind me of drafting nuances. They have my best clause drafts so I don't have to recreate them each time.
I also create playbooks for my business teams. The playbooks spell out for others what changes they are approved to make without involving me.
My preferred approach is to create three different types of playbooks. The different versions align with different levels of contract negotiation authority.
1. Front-line - In most companies, the front-line employees who deal with customers and vendors are allowed to make some changes upon request. I give them a document that explains what those are.
2. Their management - Their management team is typically trusted with more room to make changes without Legal approval. We limit these playbooks to people we trust not to concede everything right away.
3. Legal - We usually have a playbook for Legal on what other changes are approved. We also identify those that require vetting with the appropriate executive.
Do you have different playbooks for your different teams?
