Positions and Scenarios are two of the most powerful tools in PlaybookOS. They allow you to move beyond a simple “found/not found” analysis and handle the real-world complexity of contracts — where context, business lines, and negotiation nuance all matter.
Why Positions Exist
Sometimes it’s not enough to simply know that a clause exists. You need to look deeper into what that clause says before deciding what to do. That’s where Positions come in.
Think of a Position as a “nested analysis” or a follow-up question.
Example:
Your top-level topic might search for any clause that sets a limitation of liability.
A Position allows you to ask:
“Does this clause cap liability at 1x fees or 3x fees?”
“Does it exclude carve-outs for confidentiality or IP breaches?”
Positions are only triggered if the top-level topic is found and the outcome action is set to Proceed. This keeps your task list clean — you won’t drill down unless there’s something to review.
The Anatomy of a Position
A Position looks and feels like a topic, but scoped only to the clauses that matched the parent topic. Each Position includes:
Title & Description – A clear name for the sub-analysis (e.g., “Liability Cap Includes Carve-Outs”) and 2–4 sentences describing why it matters.
Criteria – The additional “search within a search” that narrows results to exactly what you care about. Outcomes – Final actions based on whether your criteria were found or not (e.g., “If carve-outs are missing, Add standard carve-out language”).
This layered approach gives you precision without overloading the playbook with dozens of separate topics.
Why Scenarios Matter
Negotiation isn’t always black and white. Scenarios let you define different ways to handle the same outcome based on business context.
Example:
You may have different fallback clauses depending on:
- Whether you’re contracting in North America vs. APAC.
- Whether the counterparty is a strategic partner or a vendor.
- Whether you’re selling a product or providing a service.
Each Scenario can include:
- Internal Commentary – Guidance just for your legal team.
- External Commentary – Clear, counterparty-facing talking points.
- Clauses & Fallbacks – Sample language marked as Favorable, Fallback, or Approval Required.
- AI Instructions – Targeted redline prompts that DocJuris can use to generate edits.
This gives reviewers a “choose your own adventure” experience when working through complex provisions.
Best Practices
Keep Top-Level Criteria Broad: Use a simple search for the concept (e.g., “Find all liability limitation clauses”) so you capture everything and can drill down in Positions.
Use Positions for Nuance: Positions are perfect for jurisdiction-specific rules, carve-out checks, or numerical thresholds.
Scenarios for Human Context: If the right answer depends on region, business unit, or deal type, put that logic into Scenarios so reviewers have clear guidance.
Putting It Together
When a contract is analyzed:
- The topic finds relevant clauses.
- The outcome decides what to do (Accept, Edit, Proceed, etc.).
- If Proceed is chosen, Positions provide a second layer of review.
- Scenarios present the right guidance or fallback clause based on context.
Here’s a simple way to think about the relationship:
Topics → Outcomes → (Proceed) → Positions → Scenarios