Field study · How teams actually manage contracts · ClauseCrew
R / FIELD STUDY 2026OPEN · IRB-LITE

How does your team actually manage contracts in the real world?

A short, independent research project. I’m talking to operators in construction, the creative sector and the NGO world about how contracts, suppliers and compliance get handled in practice, not in theory. No pitch, no product demo, no follow-up sales call.

30–45 min conversation Remote, voice only Anonymised by default No sales follow-up
Hand-drawn flatlay of an interview clipboard, voice recorder, sticky notes and a flowchart linking contracts, people and spreadsheets
field notes
R.1 / WHY THIS STUDY

The gap between the manual and the inbox.

Every organisation has a policy document somewhere that says how contracts should be reviewed, stored, renewed, escalated. Almost no one runs that way. The real workflow lives in spreadsheets, group chats, a shared drive nobody owns, and the head of one person who has been there longest.

This study is a serious attempt to map that gap, honestly, across enough organisations to spot patterns. The output will be a short, plain-English report shared back with every participant.

R.2 / WHO IS DOING THIS

Independent, not vendor-led.

My background is in contract management for SMBs and NGOs. I’m running this study as a researcher first, because the published material on this topic is mostly written by software vendors with something to sell. I’d like a clearer picture before forming any opinion of my own.

“I’m here to listen,
not to pitch”

R.3 / PARTICIPANTS

Who I’d most like to hear from.

If any of these sound like you, your half hour would genuinely move this study forward.

01

Construction PMs & QSs

02

Studio & agency owners

03

NGO operations leads

04

Finance / office managers

Junior, senior, in-house or solo, all welcome. What matters is that you touch contracts, suppliers, licences, or compliance as part of how you actually spend your week.

R.4 / QUESTIONS

The kind of thing we’ll talk about.

Conversational, not a survey. You can skip anything.

Q.01
Walk me through the last contract you signed.
Who drafted it, who reviewed it, who signed, where does it live now?
~ 8 min
Q.02
How do you know when something is about to renew?
Calendar reminder, a person, a spreadsheet, or honestly, you don’t?
~ 5 min
Q.03
When something goes wrong, what usually went wrong first?
A missing clause, a missed date, a supplier who drifted, or something else?
~ 7 min
Q.04
What does “compliance” even mean inside your team?
Whose job is it? When does it become real, when is it theatre?
~ 5 min
Q.05
If you had a free pair of hands for a day, what would you fix?
The honest answer, not the budget-pitch answer.
~ 5 min
R.5 / WHAT YOU GET

Why it’s worth your time.

Small things, but real ones.

  • An early copy of the report.

    Short, plain-English, anonymised. Sent to every participant before it goes anywhere else.

  • A one-page contract-hygiene checklist.

    The working draft we’re refining through these interviews. Yours to keep, sector-specific.

  • A small donation, if you prefer.

    If a thank-you feels off in your role, I’ll donate £20 to a charity of your choice instead.

  • Honest answers in return.

    If anything you describe sounds avoidable, I’ll tell you what I’ve seen others do, no strings.

R.6 / HOW IT WORKS

The protocol, in plain English.

No tricks, no recordings shared, no quotes attributed without permission. If at any point you want to pull out, your input is deleted, no questions asked.

“your name never
leaves my notebook”

Format
30–45 minute video or phone call, one-to-one.
Recording
Only with your explicit consent, for note-taking. Deleted within 14 days.
Anonymity
Default. Your organisation is never named in the report without written approval.
Data
Notes stored encrypted. No third-party trackers on this page.
Sales
None. You will not be added to a mailing list or contacted with an offer.
Withdraw
Email any time. Your input is removed within 7 days.
R.7 / TAKE PART

Three ways to get involved.

Pick whichever fits the half-hour you actually have.

OPTION A

Book a 30-min call

Pick a slot that suits you. Calendar opens in a new window.

OPTION B

Leave your details

Prefer I reach out? Drop your name and sector below and I’ll write personally.

OPTION C

Pass it on

Not your area? Forward this page to one person in your network who’d have opinions.

OPTION D

Just give the headline

No time for a call? Tell me the one thing about contracts in your sector you wish someone studied.

Prefer email? Write to research@clausecrew.com with the subject line “field study”. I read everything personally.