Posted By : Mads Jakobsen 18.02.2026

The 60-Second Contract Pre-Flight Checklist

Introductory Note

Welcome to another G.O.A.T. Hack! 🐐

We love making you the Greatest Of All Time at handling contracts—without the boring bits. Today’s mission: save yourself days of back-and-forth with a simple ritual you can do in under a minute.

The 60-Second Contract Pre-Flight Checklist

(Because “sent the wrong version to the wrong person” is a pain you only need to experience once.)

Most contract delays don’t happen because the deal is complicated.

They happen because of tiny avoidable misses:

• wrong legal entity name
• a blank date field
• pricing doesn’t match the appendix
• the signer is out of office (or… not the signer)
• you hit send with the “almost final” version

The result? A thread with 14 replies, two “quick calls,” and at least one “can you resend that PDF?”

So here’s the fix: a 60-second Contract Pre-Flight Checklist you run every time right before you send a contract for signature.

It’s fast, it’s simple, and it makes you look wildly organized (aka: GOAT status).

Why a Pre-Flight Checklist Works (Even If You “Already Know This Stuff”)

Checklists aren’t for beginners. They’re for busy people.

Pilots don’t do pre-flight checks because they forgot how planes work. They do them because the cost of a miss is high—and the miss is usually small.

Contracts are the same. One tiny error can:

• delay signature by days
• trigger unnecessary negotiation
• create version confusion
• increase compliance risk
• make your customer think, “Wait… are they sloppy?”

This checklist prevents the common facepalm moments before they happen.

The 60-Second Contract Pre-Flight Checklist (Copy/Paste)

Set a timer if you want. You’ll be done before your coffee cools down.

1) Parties: Are the Legal Names Correct?

Check:

• correct company legal entity (not the brand name)
• correct counterparty legal name
• correct addresses (if included)
• correct signatory name/title

Why it matters:
Wrong entity names are one of the fastest ways to trigger legal review—or cause the other side to delay while they “confirm internally.”

Micro-tip:
If you’re unsure, copy the legal entity from their invoice, purchase order, or vendor onboarding doc.

2) Dates: Are the Key Dates Filled and Logically Consistent?

Check:

• effective date (when the agreement starts)
• term length (e.g., 12 months)
• end date / expiry date (if applicable)
• renewal clause references the right dates

Why it matters:
Blank or conflicting dates cause two things: confusion and legal involvement. Both slow everything down.

GOAT move (optional feature tie-in, not forced):
If your signing tool supports contract lifecycle dates (effective + end dates), set them when you send—so the contract doesn’t disappear into a folder and surprise you later when it’s about to expire. (This is where GoatSign’s Contract Lifecycle Management is genuinely useful, because it keeps the “after signing” timeline visible.)

3) Money & Scope: Does the “What” Match the “How Much”?

Check:

• pricing matches the scope described
• currency is correct (and consistent)
• payment terms are present (net 15/30, due dates, etc.)
• appendices don’t contradict the main body

Why it matters:
Misaligned scope and pricing creates instant negotiation—even if both sides are aligned in principle.

Fast scan trick:
Read only the headings + numbers first. Most mistakes live there.

4) The “Gotcha” Clauses: Are Your Deal-Breakers Aligned?

You don’t need to reread every clause every time. Just scan the usual friction points.

Check:

• termination notice period
• limitation of liability
• auto-renewal language
• governing law (if relevant)
• data processing / confidentiality (if relevant)

Why it matters:
If something here looks unusual, the contract can stall at the finish line.

GOAT move:
If you have standard fallback language, use it consistently. Consistency = faster approvals.

5) Signers & Signing Order: Are You Sending It to the Right Humans?

Check:

• correct signer email(s)
• correct signer role (economic buyer vs legal approver)
• signing order makes sense (sequential vs parallel)
• anyone who needs to “approve” internally can do so without becoming a signer

Why it matters:
Wrong signer = dead stop.

Where a new feature actually helps:
Even great teams occasionally send to the wrong person. If your tool supports it, being able to replace a recipient before they sign saves you from canceling and restarting the whole process—and keeps the audit trail clean. (GoatSign’s Change Signing Recipients feature is perfect for this exact “oops-proofing” moment.)

6) Security Level: Does the Signing Method Match the Risk?

Not every contract needs the same level of verification.

Check:

• is email verification enough here?
• does this contract include sensitive personal data?
• is this high value/high risk?

Why it matters:
Over-securing can slow completion. Under-securing can create risk.

Optional (when it makes sense):
If your tool lets you choose recipient authentication per signer, use stronger verification for higher-risk agreements (e.g., access code, SMS, or ID verification) and keep it simple for routine ones.

7) One Source of Truth: Are You Sending the Final Version in the Cleanest Way?

Check:

• this is the final approved version
• no tracked changes showing
• the signer won’t be confused by multiple attachments
• everyone is signing the same document

Why it matters:
Version confusion is the silent killer of signing speed.

GOAT rule:
If possible, send a single signing link instead of emailing attachments back and forth.

The Checklist in One View (Save This)

Here’s the super condensed version you can paste into your notes:

60-second pre-flight:
Parties correct
Dates consistent
Scope + pricing match
Deal-breaker clauses sane
Right signers + order
Security matches risk
One final version (one signing link)

Common “Pre-Flight Fails” (and How to Prevent Them)

“They said they never received it”
Fix: confirm email, resend through the tool, avoid attachments that get lost in threads.

“We signed the wrong version”
Fix: stop sending multiple PDFs. Use one controlled signing flow.

“Wrong signer”
Fix: confirm the signer in writing before sending. And if you mess up, use recipient replacement (before signing) instead of restarting.

“It expired / lapsed and we didn’t notice”
Fix: record effective and end dates, and set reminders for renewal/expiration.

Actionable Takeaways

• The fastest way to speed up contracts is to prevent avoidable delays
• A 60-second checklist beats a 6-day email thread
• Focus on: parties, dates, scope/pricing, key clauses, signers, security, and a single final version
• Use lifecycle dates and reminders when available so contracts don’t “vanish after signing”

🐐 G.O.A.T. Hack

Make this checklist a rule: no contract gets sent until Pre-Flight is done. Bonus: put it in your team Slack as a pinned message, or add it to your CRM deal checklist.