How to Configure Guardrails for Your Business Team
Set up automated rules that enable safe self-service while protecting against risk.
Time Required: 20-30 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate
Prerequisites: Legal or Admin role, understanding of company risk tolerance
Step 1: Identify Key Risk Areas
Before creating guardrails, determine what needs protection:
Common risk areas:
- Financial: Contract values, payment terms, discounts
- Legal: Liability caps, indemnification, IP rights
- Privacy: Data processing, retention, cross-border transfers
- Commercial: Term length, auto-renewal, exclusivity
Gather input from:
- Legal team (what terms are non-negotiable?)
- Finance team (what thresholds matter?)
- Compliance team (what regulatory requirements exist?)
- Business teams (what slows them down currently?)
Step 2: Create Your First Guardrail
Start with a simple, high-impact guardrail:
1. Go to "Guardrails" (left sidebar)
2. Click "Add Guardrail"
3. Create a financial guardrail:
- Name: "High-Value Contract Approval"
- Trigger: "Any contract with total value exceeding $100,000"
- Business Area: Financial
- Action: Special Approval
- Status: Enabled
1. Click "Create"
Your first guardrail is active!
Step 3: Create a "Block" Guardrail
For non-negotiable terms:
1. Click "Add Guardrail"
2. Create:
- Name: "Unlimited Liability Block"
- Trigger: "Contract includes unlimited liability or no liability cap"
- Business Area: Legal
- Action: Block
- Status: Enabled
1. Click "Create"
This prevents any contract with unlimited liability from proceeding without legal intervention.
Step 4: Create a "Flag" Guardrail
For items needing review but not blocking:
1. Click "Add Guardrail"
2. Create:
- Name: "Extended Payment Terms Review"
- Trigger: "Payment terms beyond Net 60 days"
- Business Area: Financial
- Action: Flag for Review
- Status: Enabled
1. Click "Create"
This alerts users but lets them proceed with acknowledgment.
Step 5: Build Department-Specific Guardrails
For Sales Team:
Guardrail: "Large Discount Approval"
Trigger: "Discount exceeds 25% from list price"
Area: Commercial
Action: Special Approval (VP Sales)
For Procurement:
Guardrail: "Multi-Year Commitment"
Trigger: "Contract term exceeds 24 months"
Area: Procurement
Action: Special Approval (CFO + Legal)
For HR:
Guardrail: "Extended Non-Compete"
Trigger: "Non-compete period exceeds 6 months"
Area: Legal
Action: Flag for Review
Create 3-5 guardrails per department based on their common scenarios.
Step 6: Test Your Guardrails
Before full rollout:
1. Disable all new guardrails temporarily
2. Work with one business user to test:
- Do guardrails trigger correctly?
- Are triggers clear and accurate?
- Is action appropriate (block vs. flag)?
1. Refine based on feedback
2. Enable once validated
Step 7: Communicate to Business Teams
Create simple guidance for users:
Email Template:
Subject: New Self-Service Guardrails for Contract Review
Team,
We've implemented automated guardrails to help you handle
routine contracts faster while ensuring compliance:
GREEN LIGHT - Proceed freely:
- Contracts under $100K
- Standard playbook terms
- Payment terms Net 30-60
YELLOW - Flag for review (can proceed with acknowledgment):
- Payment terms beyond Net 60
- Non-standard but reasonable terms
RED - Stop and get approval:
- Contracts over $100K
- Unlimited liability
- Multi-year commitments
Questions? Contact [email protected]
Happy contracting!
Legal Team
Step 8: Monitor and Adjust
After 2-4 weeks:
1. Review guardrail trigger rates (Settings > Audit Logs)
2. Identify patterns:
- Too many triggers? Threshold may be too low
- Never triggering? Threshold may be too high
- High override rate? Maybe too strict
1. Adjust thresholds and actions accordingly
2. Gather feedback from business users
Recommended Starter Set
For most organisations, start with these 5 guardrails:
1. High-Value Approval ($100K threshold, Special Approval)
2. Unlimited Liability Block (Always block)
3. Extended Payment Terms (>Net 60, Flag)
4. Large Discount (>25%, Special Approval)
5. Multi-Year Term (>24 months, Flag)
Add more as needed based on your specific risks.
Related: Guardrails feature guide | Best practices