How electronic signatures work in a business process

Start with function, not appearance

An electronic signature is information in electronic form used by a person to sign. In everyday workflows it might be a typed name, a drawn mark, a click accompanied by clear consent, or a cryptographic signing process. The visible mark is only part of the picture. The surrounding evidence helps answer which document was presented, what action the person took and what happened afterwards.

UK discussions often distinguish the broad category of electronic signatures from specific digital-signature technology. The retained eIDAS framework defines electronic signatures and more specialised forms; the official text is available on legislation.gov.uk. The right method depends on risk and formalities, not on choosing the most technical label.

A typical six-stage workflow

1. Finalise the document. Establish which version is approved for signature.
2. Select recipients. Confirm contact details, roles, authority and any witness requirements.
3. Associate actions with the document. Place and assign fields so each person sees what they must complete.
4. Present and capture intent. Give the recipient an opportunity to review, consent and perform the signing action.
5. Complete the route. Invite later recipients if signing is sequential and determine when all required steps are finished.
6. Retain the result. Preserve the completed document and relevant supporting records under an agreed policy.

Orbis Sign supports this pattern for supported PDFs, with assigned fields, sequential or parallel routing, browser invitations, statuses and completed-document access. The software does not make the legal and operational decisions at stages one, two and six for you.

Intent, identity, authority and integrity are different

Intent asks whether the person meant to sign. Identity or attribution asks who performed the action. Authority asks whether that person could act for the relevant party. Integrity asks whether the document or record changed. Evidence relevant to one question does not automatically settle the others.

For example, access through a particular email inbox may support attribution but does not guarantee that only the named person used it. A completion hash may help relate evidence to particular bytes but does not prove authority. A well-worded consent step supports intent but does not repair an unauthorised contract version.

When formalities require attention

Some documents require witnesses, deeds formalities, particular signatories, registration, notarisation or another prescribed process. Parties may also agree their own execution method. The Law Commission’s electronic execution of documents project is an authoritative starting point for England and Wales, but transaction-specific advice may still be necessary.

Before adopting any platform, write down how approved documents enter it, who verifies recipients, how exceptions are escalated and where records leave the platform. Then assess the software capabilities against that process.