Electronic signatures (E-Signatures) is a functionality that allows users to sign at different stages of the analysis. For example, users can sign after analyzing, reviewing, and approving a workflow. This documentation provides guidance on how to use E-Signatures in OMIQ.
E-Signatures functionality is limited to Enterprise clients only. Please see our Enterprise details page to learn more: https://www.omiq.ai/enterprise.
1. Activate E-Signatures Functionality
The E-Signature functionality needs to be activated by OMIQ staff. Please contact support@omiq.ai to request this functionality to be activated in your server. With your request, please nominate a person to act as the E-Signature administrator. E-Signatures can only be set-up by an E-Signature administrator.
2. Configuring E-Signatures
E-Signatures are configured and managed in the Profile page by your E-Signature administrator.
E-Signatures are composed of OMIQ Groups authorized to sign for a particular E-Signature group. Please see our article How to Collaborate in OMIQ through Groups to learn more about OMIQ Groups.
The image above is a screenshot of the E-Signatures panel. Please note that, in this example, in the Groups panel, there are two available groups. These are OMIQ Groups that you are part of. In this example, you are part of the Approver Group and Reviewer Group.
The E-Signatures panel is only visible if you have an E-Signature administrator role.
2.1 Create E-Signature Groups
Click on Create E-Signature in the E-Signatures panel.
Provide a Display Name and Description (optional) for your E-Signature and Submit.
Repeat this step for your required number of E-Signatures.
In this example, the E-Signature administrator has created three E-Signature groups. These groups will hold the different authorized OMIQ Group(s) to sign for each group.
2.2 Authorize OMIQ Group(s) that can use E-Signature(s)
Click on the E-Signature that you want to authorize OMIQ Group(s) for that can sign for this E-signature. This will bring up the E-Signatures management page.
Click on Add Signer Groups.
Select the OMIQ Group that you want to include as authorized to sign for the current E-Signature.
Here, we are adding Lab Group 1, Lab Group 2, and Lab Group 3.
The E-Signature administrator can view all the available OMIQ Groups in the server.
Click Submit to add the selected OMIQ Groups as authorized Signer Groups. Repeat these steps to configure all your E-Signatures.
Members of the OMIQ Groups added here (Lab Group 1, 2, and 3) as Signer Groups are now authorized to sign as Analyzers.
2.3 Removing Signer Groups from an E-Signature
You can delete Signer Groups for an E-Signature.
Click on the E-Signature that you want to delete authorized Signer Group(s). This will bring up the E-Signatures management page. Click on Remove Signer Group button to remove the group as authorized signers for the E-Signature.
2.4 Deleting an E-Signature
Click on the E-Signature that you want to delete. This will bring up the E-Signatures management page. Click on Delete E-Signature.
You can only delete an E-Signature that has not been used.
3. Setting Up E-Signatures in a Workflow Template
3.1 Configuring a Workflow Template to have E-Signatures
E-Signatures are set-up in a draft workflow template.
- To learn how to create a workflow template, please see our support article on Creating and Using Workflow Templates.
- To learn how to convert a workflow template to a draft workflow template, please see our support article Editing Workflow Templates.
Once in the Draft Workflow Template, navigate to the Details tab of the workflow template. In the E-Signature Configuration Panel, click on Add E-Signature.
Select an E-Signature to add to the workflow. Click Submit.
Repeat the process to add all the E-Signatures you would want for the workflow. Please note that the order you add the E-Signatures is the order in which they would be signed.
The image above shows an E-Signature Configuration wherein the E-Signatures were added as Analyzers -> Reviewers -> Approver. This dictates the order of how the E-Signatures should be signed, i.e. an Approver can only sign after a Reviewer and a Reviewer can only sign after an Analyzer.
The order in which you add the E-Signature(s) dictate the order of signing.
3.2 Deleting E-Signature(s) from the Workflow Template
You can delete E-Signature(s) from a Draft Workflow Template.
Navigate to the navigate to the Details tab of the workflow template. In the E-Signature Configuration Panel, click on the Remove button corresponding to the E-Signature(s) that you want to delete from the workflow template.
3.3 Update Template Version
Once you are done with setting up the E-Signatures for the workflow template, click on Actions then select Template Actions. Click on Update Template Version. You can add a note (optional) for your template, and click Submit.
Any changes to the E-signature Configuration on a template will only reflect on new workflows. Previously created workflows will maintain the E-signature Configuration prior to changes in the template.
4. Using E-Signatures
4.1 Create a Workflow From a Workflow Template with E-Signatures Configured
Click on Create Workflow then select From Template. Choose the Template with configured E-Signatures that you would want to use. Click Submit.
Perform your data analysis.
You can add, delete, modify, and run any tasks while the workflow is unsigned.
4.2 Signing a Workflow With E-Signatures
Navigate to the Details tab of the workflow you would want to sign. If you are a member of the authorized group to sign for an E-Signature, you would see a green Sign button. The act of signing a workflow is systematic and follows the order in which the E-signatures were added in Step 3.1. The Sign button of the next E-Signature will not be visible until an authorized user of the previous E-Signature has signed.
Click on Sign button to sign the workflow.
The image above shows an example of the details page for a user who is authorized to sign as part of the Analyzers E-Signature.
You can choose to add a Note (optional). Clicking Sign will add your signature in the logs, along with any notes you have entered.
Once the signing process is started, the workflow and dataset is locked. The next E-Signature now becomes available to sign. If you are not an authorized user of an E-Signature, the Sign button is disabled.
As part of OMIQ Security, your workflow is not available to any other user unless you have shared this with them. This is true even if the other users are part of the E-Signature(s) configured in the workflow. Therefore, you would need to add the users that need to sign the workflow as collaborators. To learn more, please see our support article on How to Collaborate with Users in the Same OMIQ Server.
The image above shows an example of the signing process using E-Signatures. Once the workflow has been signed, the workflow and dataset becomes locked. The next E-Signature becomes available for signing. In this example, the user has only authorization to sign as an Analyzer therefore the next E-signature in the process (Reviewers) is disabled.
The image above shows a view of a user who is an authorized user for the Approver E-Signature. This is the last step in the signing process for this workflow. Once the user clicks on Sign, this will trigger a new dialogue box (see below). This act of signing is known as the terminal signature. This will permanently lock the workflow and dataset.
You can choose to add a Note (optional) as part of the signing process. Clicking on Sign will sign the workflow and permanently lock the workflow and dataset. This is the terminal signature and this cannot be revoked.
The image above shows a terminally signed workflow. Note that the workflow can no longer be unsigned.
If you would need to edit a terminally signed workflow, you cannot. You can, however, edit a copy of the workflow by duplicating a terminally signed workflow or create a new workflow based on the same template that was used to generate the terminally signed workflow. Either action would create a new workflow that is unsigned.
4.3 Unsigning a Workflow
Navigate to the Details tab of the workflow you would want to unsign. You can only unsign a workflow that you have signed for OR if you are an authorised signer of a E-Signature that is higher in the order of E-Signatures. The Unsign button is shown in red and is found next to a signed E-Signature.
Click on the Unsign button to unsign the workflow.
The image above is an example from a view point of an authorized user that is part of the Reviewers E-Signature. Note that the user has an option to Sign as a Reviewer or Unsign the Analyzer E-Signature. This is because the user is a member of the Reviewers E-signature group, which is higher in the signing order, therefore can unsign a previous E-signature.
A Note is required for unsigning. Clicking on Revoke will unsign the workflow and add this action, along with your note, in the logs.
The image above shows a workflow where an E-Signature has been revoked.
Once there are no actively signed E-Signatures, the workflow becomes unlocked and a user can then add, delete, modify, and run any tasks in the workflow.
The process of unsigning follows the reverse order to signing. This means that an authorized user from a previous E-Signature cannot unsign while a higher E-Signature has signed the workflow.
The image above is from the view of an authorized user for the Analyzers E-Signature. Here, there is an active E-Signature for the Reviewers E-Signature. As the user is not part of the authorized users for the Reviewers group, the user cannot unsign for the reviewer. Further, the user cannot unsign the Analyzer E-Signature since there is a current active E-signature for the higher group, Reviewers.
4.4 E-Signature Security Feature
As part of the security process in signing or unsigning a workflow, a user would need to re-authenticate their instance of OMIQ after a certain time period of logging in to OMIQ/re-authenticating an OMIQ session. This is set to 10 minutes.
Click on Re-Authenticate to re-authenticate your instance of OMIQ. This will bring up the sign-in page in a separate window. This window will automatically close once you enter your credentials. You can then proceed to sign/unsign the workflow.
4.5 View E-signatures Log
The signing process creates an immutable log that contains the time, signer details, and any notes. To access this log, navigate to the Details tab of the workflow. In the E-Signatures panel, click on View History.
You can download a copy of the E-Signature History. Click on Download PDF for a PDF version or Copy as Spreadsheet to copy the history as a spreadsheet.
The timestamps displayed in the logs are in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The date follows the format YYYY-MM-DD