August for Word: Playbooks Guide

Learn how to apply Playbooks to review and redline legal documents directly in Microsoft Word using August.

Overview

Before using Playbooks in Word:

You must have the August Word add in installed.
Playbooks are created and maintained by your firm’s designated managers or administrators. Make sure you have access to the Playbooks you intend to use.

Playbooks streamline contract review by applying your firm’s standard positions, fallback clauses, and risk assessments. When you run a Playbook, August checks clauses against these rules and flags any deviations for your attention.

What Happens When You Use a Playbook

When you open a document in Word and run a Playbook, August analyzes each clause based on your firm’s predefined rules. Each rule produces one of three results:

Acceptable

The clause meets your firm’s standard position. No action needed.

Needs review

The clause does not fully align with the standard but may be acceptable with edits or context. Human review is recommended.

Not acceptable

The clause conflicts with firm standards and requires negotiation, revision, or redlining.

This produces a clear checklist that improves consistency and highlights risks.

How to Run a Playbook

Open the document in Word and display the August add in pane
Select the Playbooks or Contract Review tab
Choose a Playbook, such as Standard Commercial Contract, NDA Standard, or Master Services Agreement
Select Run Playbook
After processing, review the results summary including flags, guidance, and suggested edits

Reviewing Suggestions

Once the Playbook is complete:

Check each flag

Needs review: examine the clause and determine if revisions are required
Not acceptable: treat as a potential issue that requires redlines or negotiation
Acceptable: no further action unless you want to standardize the wording

Review guidance

Some Playbook rules include explanations to help you decide whether to accept or revise a clause.

Apply redlines or edits

Select Show suggestion to view proposed tracked changes or replacement language
Comments may be included based on the rule configuration
Use Word’s normal accept or reject tools to finalize changes

Mark clauses as reviewed

This helps track progress during the review.

Export a summary

Exports may include flagged clauses, suggested edits, reviewer notes, and structured data for diligence or internal records.

Exporting Results

You can export results as an Excel or CSV file containing:

Clause identifiers
Flags and risk levels
Suggested replacements or edits
Reviewer comments or annotations

Exports are useful for deal memos, due diligence tasks, and audit logs.

Frequently Asked Questions

I do not see any Playbooks. What should I do Contact your August administrator. Playbooks are assigned by role or permission.

Can I customize a Playbook Only users with Playbook Manager or equivalent permissions can create or edit Playbooks.

Why do some clauses receive Needs review instead of Acceptable These clauses may not match the standard text but still fall within acceptable ranges or require context based review.

Can I accept a clause flagged as Not acceptable Yes, but it may increase risk. Such clauses are flagged so you can make an informed decision.

Why Use Playbooks in Word with August

Improve consistency across contract reviews
Reduce time spent manually checking each clause
Keep a visible audit trail of flagged items and edits
Work directly inside Word without switching platforms
Increase efficiency while maintaining quality and control

Table of Contents

August for Word: Playbooks Guide