**Source URL:** https://qualityone.veevavault.help/en/lr/679759/index.md

# Working with External Collaborators for Document Review & Approval (Document Control)

[QualityOne Vaults](/en/lr/78612/) allow you to streamline temporary, short-term access to your Vault for external parties, such as suppliers, to review and approve documents on behalf of their company. With External Collaboration for Document Review & Approval, you can send document review and approval tasks to recognized external contacts who can then complete those tasks in Vault with minimal or no need to manage user account provisioning for those external parties.

Depending on your [Admin's configuration](/en/lr/679760/), object, field, and section labels may appear differently than the labels mentioned in this article.

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      <p><strong>Note</strong>: This feature set is not intended to replace long-term or regular day-to-day interaction with external parties within your Vault and is intended for those external parties who require infrequent access to Vault.</p>
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## About the External Collaboration Process {#process}

The External Collaboration process begins when an authorized Vault user sends a review or approval workflow task to up to five external contacts, triggering Vault to use an _External User_ license and automate the provisioning of the user account. A specialized email message invites the external contact to login to Vault to complete the assigned task. Vault then automatically inactivates the user account when the task has been completed and when the document reaches its [_Steady State_](/en/lr/14560/).

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      <p><strong>Note</strong>: This feature only supports Document Review and Document Approval tasks. If you require External Collaboration for QMS functionality, see <a href="/en/lr/76843/">Working with External Collaborators</a> for more information.</p>
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### User Account Provisioning Automation {#account-provisioning}

Vault sends document review and approval tasks to External Collaborators [you select][1] at specific lifecycle states within a lifecycle. If a _Person_ selected as an External Collaborator does not have a user account, Vault creates an account with an _External User_ license. If the _Person_ selected has an inactive user account, Vault activates the existing account. Next, Vault grants the user account access to the assigned document by adding membership to the _External Collaborator_ application role, as needed.

If configured by your Admin, Vault automatically deactivates an External Collaborator's user account when all assigned tasks are complete and when the document has reached its _Steady State_.

## Working with External Collaborators {#external-collaborators}

If configured by your Admin, when you add External Collaborators to a document, Vault automatically brings the External Collaborator into the workflow when there are relevant tasks for them to complete and removes the External Collaborators from the workflow when they do not have any more open tasks. 

### How to Add External Collaborators {#add-external-collaborator}

Depending on your Admin's configuration, you can initiate collaboration with up to five External Collaborators in the following ways:

* On a document of a document type configured for External Collaboration, add up to five _Persons_ to the _External Collaborators_ field in the _External Collaboration_ section of the _Document Information_ panel. If configured by your Admin, only _Persons_ who work with the relevant processes at the _Organization_ specified in the document's _Organization_ field are available to select.
* Through a document workflow prompt.
* Through a document action.
* Through a document state change.

### How to Remove External Collaborators {#remove-external-collaborator}

Depending on your Admin's configuration, you can deactivate External Collaborators in the following ways:

* Deleting the document assigned to the External Collaborators. 
* Removing the External Collaborators from the _External Collaborators_ field.
* Making the _Organization_ or _Person_ on an External Collaboration document inactive after selection.
* Through a workflow prompt.
* Through a document state change.

### Contact Lists {#contact-lists}

If configured by your Admin, you can define _Persons_ related to an _Organization_ record by creating a list of recognized external contacts at that organization who may be sent document review or approval tasks. To do this, add _Person_ records to the _Persons_ section of an _Organization_ record.

[1]: #add-external-collaborator