Document Comments: Collaborative Review and Feedback Workflows

Comments enable asynchronous document review. Legal reviews contracts. Stakeholders provide feedback. Clients suggest changes. All before sending for signature.

Why Comments Matter

Traditional review workflows use email. Draft contract attached. Reviewers reply with feedback. Version confusion ensues. "Which draft has the latest changes?" becomes the constant question.

Comments centralize feedback. All discussion stays with the document. No email threads. No version chaos. Every reviewer sees all feedback in one place.

Comments work asynchronously. Legal reviews Monday morning. Finance adds feedback Tuesday afternoon. HR responds Wednesday. No scheduling meetings for simple approvals.

Who Can Comment

Everyone with document access can add comments.

Viewers can comment: This is crucial. Viewers cannot edit or send documents. But they can comment. Perfect for reviewers who provide feedback without document control.

Editors can comment: Beyond creating documents, Editors participate in review discussions.

Administrators and Owners can comment: Full access includes commenting on any document they can view.

External viewers can comment: Share a draft agreement with a client. Client reviews as external Viewer. They comment with questions and suggestions. No workspace membership needed.

This universal commenting access enables flexible review workflows.

Adding Comments

Open the document. Navigate to document detail view where you see document content and settings.

Find comments section. Look for comments panel or icon. Usually on right side or bottom of interface.

Type your comment. Enter feedback, questions, or approvals.

Post the comment. Click "Add comment" or "Post." Comment appears immediately.

Others see your comment. Team members with access see comments in chronological order.

Comment Workflows

Legal Review Process

Sales creates customer contract. Draft terms based on customer needs.

Add Legal as Viewer. Legal team member gets access without document control. They review but cannot accidentally modify or send.

Legal adds comments: "Update indemnification clause per company policy" and "Payment terms need Finance approval."

Sales revises document. Makes changes based on Legal feedback.

Legal comments again: "Approved for signing."

Sales sends for signature. Proceeds confidently with Legal approval documented.

This workflow prevents sending contracts with legal issues. Legal reviews efficiently without taking over document ownership.

Stakeholder Feedback

HR drafts company policy update. New work-from-home policy affects everyone.

Share with management team as Viewers. Department heads across company get access.

Multiple managers add comments: - CFO: "Budget impact looks acceptable." - CTO: "Tech infrastructure supports this." - Operations: "Suggest adding section on equipment returns."

HR incorporates feedback. Updates policy draft based on comments.

HR responds to comments: "Equipment return section added. Thank you."

Management comments final approval: "Approved."

HR sends to all employees. Policy goes out with stakeholder buy-in documented.

Comments replace approval meetings. Stakeholders review on their schedule. HR gets written approval trail.

Client Collaboration

Legal drafts service agreement for client project.

Share draft with client as external Viewer. Client accesses document without joining workspace.

Client comments: "Can we extend payment terms to 45 days instead of 30?"

Legal discusses internally. Team evaluates request.

Legal replies to comment: "45-day terms approved. Updating document."

Legal revises document. Changes payment clause.

Client comments: "Looks good, ready to proceed."

Legal sends for signature. Both parties sign final version.

Comments enable negotiation directly in document. No separate email chains. All discussion context preserved.

Internal Questions

Team member creates vendor contract. Unsure if pricing is current.

Adds comment: "Is $5,000/month still our standard rate for this service level?"

Manager sees comment notification. Reviews and responds.

Manager replies: "Yes, Finance approved this rate last month."

Team member proceeds confidently. Question answered, documented in comments.

Comments clarify confusion without scheduling meetings or sending separate messages.

Comment Features

Timestamps: Every comment shows who posted and when. Tracks review timeline.

@Mentions: Tag specific people to get their attention. "@JohnDoe can you review section 3?" sends notification to John.

Threaded conversations: Reply to specific comments. Nested discussion keeps related feedback together.

Email notifications: Team members receive alerts when someone comments. Keeps reviews moving without constant checking.

Comment history: All comments preserved. Cannot delete. Maintains transparency and audit trail.

Chronological order: Comments appear oldest to newest. Shows review progression clearly.

Best Practices

Be specific. Reference page numbers, section headers, or clause numbers. "Update section 3.2 payment terms" is clearer than "Fix payment section."

Provide actionable feedback. "Change this" is less helpful than "Change payment terms from 30 to 45 days per client request."

Use @mentions for urgency. Tag people when their input is specifically needed. Gets their attention faster than generic comments.

Reply promptly. Comments work best when people respond quickly. Check daily for active documents.

Mark resolution. If system supports it, mark comments as resolved after addressing. Keeps thread clean.

Summarize decisions. Use final comment to confirm agreements. "Updated per Legal feedback. Approved for signing."

Keep it professional. Comments create audit trails. Write as if regulators or clients might read them later.

Approval Workflows

No formal approval routing in Agrello. Implement via process.

Step 1: Creator prepares document in Draft.

Step 2: Add reviewers as Viewers (or share with specific people).

Step 3: Reviewers add comments with feedback or approval.

Step 4: Creator revises document based on comments.

Step 5: Creator replies to comments explaining changes.

Step 6: Reviewers comment final approval.

Step 7: Creator sends for signing.

This informal process works for most approval needs. Comments document each approval step.

For complex multi-stage approvals, consider sequential signing after review. Legal approves via comment. Document goes to CFO as first signer (requiring their signature approval). Then to other parties.

Comment Visibility

Workspace members with access see all comments. If someone has folder access, they see comments on folder documents.

External viewers see comments on their documents only. Client shared on one contract doesn't see comments on other contracts.

Comments are not in signed output. Final signed PDF or ASIC file sent to signers does not include comment threads. Comments stay in Agrello workspace for internal reference.

Audit trail includes comments. Comment activity appears in document audit trail. Who commented, when, and what they said.

When to Use Comments

Multi-stakeholder review: When several people need to provide input before finalizing.

Legal approval: Getting legal sign-off before sending customer contracts.

Executive review: High-value contracts needing executive approval.

Client negotiation: Discussing terms with clients before final agreement.

Team questions: Clarifying details with colleagues.

Version feedback: Suggesting improvements to templates or standard documents.

When Not to Use Comments

Urgent real-time discussion: Comments are asynchronous. For urgent decisions, use meetings or instant messaging.

Complex negotiations: If discussion requires back-and-forth over many points, schedule a call. Comments work for simpler feedback.

Highly sensitive feedback: If feedback is politically sensitive or performance-related, discuss privately rather than in comments that create audit trails.

Post-signing questions: Once document is signed, comments on the signed document don't reach signers. Use email for post-signing communication.

Troubleshooting

Reviewer doesn't see comment option: Verify they have at least Viewer access to document. No access = no commenting.

Comments not appearing: Refresh browser. Check if looking at correct document version.

Notifications not arriving: Check email spam folders. Verify notification settings enabled.

Cannot @mention someone: They might not be workspace member. @mentions typically work for workspace members only.

Need to delete comment: Most systems don't allow comment deletion for audit purposes. If truly necessary, contact support.

External viewer can't access: Verify sharing link sent correctly. Check if document access settings allow external viewers.