How to organize secure and efficient document flow for a remote IT team

65% of IT professionals work entirely remotely. The flexibility of this model of collaboration brings many advantages, but at the same time raises questions about internal processes, especially when it comes to working with documents. In this article, we look at how to organize document management in a remote IT team so that it is clear, secure, and legally compliant.

Challenges in organizing document flow for remote IT teams

While IT companies are more or less coping with establishing daily communication and managing projects, document management remains a “gray area” for many — a complex and often underdeveloped process. The lack of a physical office where documents can be signed “live” or simply handed over in person creates a number of challenges:

• Low process efficiency and delays in document flow
  Manual exchange of scanned copies by mail, the need to print, sign, scan, and send documents physically or electronically without a centralized system — all this slows down the processes of approval, signing contracts, and exchanging internal documents. Time zone differences only exacerbate these delays.
• Loss of version control and chaos in storage
  Without a single centralized repository and clear rules, documents are scattered across email inboxes, local folders, and various cloud services. It becomes difficult to find the right version of a document, track change history, and ensure that the team is working with up-to-date information. This creates confusion and can lead to errors.
• Risks of documents losing their legal validity
  Incorrect use of electronic signatures, failure to follow signing procedures, and lack of proper storage of electronic originals can call into question the legal validity of important documents, which in the future can lead to disputes and financial losses.

How to ensure legal document flow when working with remote employees

Ukrainian IT companies use three models of team collaboration. Each of them has its own document flow format:

1. Hired employees

In this case, the company enters into an employment contract with the employee and

• keeps other mandatory documents:
• orders of the manager (on hiring, vacation, business trips, etc.);
• employee applications (for vacation, dismissal);
  time sheets.

Traditionally, document flow in this model was paper-based, but today a significant part of HR documents can be converted into electronic form.

2. FOP (individual entrepreneur)

In the FOP model, the company acts as the customer, and the FOP contractor provides certain services or performs specific work for remuneration.

Legally, the cooperation is confirmed by:

• a contract for the provision of services or performance of work (with attachments);
• acts of acceptance and transfer of services provided/work performed;
• invoices for payment.

These documents confirm the fact of cooperation and serve as the basis for calculations and recognition of the company’s expenses.

3. Gig specialists (available only to residents of Dія.City)

The model involves the conclusion of a gig contract and the preparation of documents recording the performance of tasks, such as acceptance and transfer certificates.

A DOU study shows that there are 298,461 IT specialists in Ukraine, of which 262,093 operate as sole proprietors. As we can see, sole proprietorship remains the most popular model for remote cooperation. To help businesses get everything right, IT lawyers at Stalirov&Co have created a guide to drafting service agreements.

Guide to drafting a service agreement — key sections

✅️ Chapter 1. Clear definition of the subject matter of the agreement: what exactly does the sole proprietor do?

This section of the agreement should describe the specific services that the sole proprietor undertakes to provide. For IT, these may include, for example:

• software development,
• UI/UX design,
• testing,
• technical consulting.

The more precisely the subject of the contract is formulated, the less room there is for ambiguous interpretation of the scope of work. This protects the company in situations where the individual entrepreneur has not done enough work, citing that it was not part of their tasks.

However, for the flexibility of IT projects, the main contract specifies a broad list of possible services, and details regarding specific tasks, scope of work, and deadlines are specified separately in the technical specifications (TS). This approach allows you to quickly change priorities and tasks without having to re-sign the contract each time.

✅️ Chapter 2. Determining the status of the contractor: not an employee, but an individual entrepreneur

The contract must clearly state that the contractor is an independent business entity (individual entrepreneur) and is not an employee of the company.

This is an important legal nuance that helps the company avoid the risk of reclassifying the cooperation as an employment relationship.

If the regulatory authorities (tax or State Labor Service) consider that cooperation with an individual entrepreneur has the characteristics of an employment relationship, the company may face:

• fines,
• additional tax charges,
• the obligation to provide the individual entrepreneur with social guarantees as for a regular employee.

To avoid this, the wording in the contract must clearly reflect the contractual, rather than the employment, model of cooperation.

✅️ Chapter 3. Procedure for performing and accepting services: how to record the results of work?

This section of the contract defines/describes:

• the process of setting tasks: how tasks are set (through technical specifications, Jira, messengers, etc.);
• the procedure for providing services: how the contractor provides services;
• the procedure for accepting services: how they are accepted by the customer.

The main document confirming the fact of performance of work and its scope is the Act of Acceptance and Transfer of Services Provided. It serves as:

• the basis for payment;
• proof of service provision;
• justification of expenses in the company’s tax accounting.

To avoid disputes, the contract should provide for a clear procedure for accepting the results of work:

• deadlines for completion and signing of the act;
• the possibility of a reasoned refusal;
• deadlines for eliminating deficiencies.

A clear acceptance procedure protects against poor-quality work and unfounded claims by the Contractor.

For remote collaboration, it is critically important to provide for the signing of Acts in electronic form — this simplifies the process and reduces the risk of delays.

✅️ Chapter 4. Intellectual property: who owns the created code or design?

This section of the contract stipulates that all property rights to intellectual property (program code, design, documentation, etc.) created by the individual entrepreneur during the performance of the contract are transferred to the Customer from the moment of their creation or from the moment of signing the Act.

This is direct protection of your main asset — the results of the IT team’s work. Without a clearly defined transfer of property rights to intellectual property, the individual entrepreneur may be considered a co-owner or sole owner of the created product, which will make its further use, commercialization, and protection impossible or significantly more difficult.

✅️ Chapter 5. Confidentiality (NDA): how to protect trade secrets?

IT companies often draw up a separate NDA (non-disclosure agreement), but the issue of confidentiality can also be part of the main contract. The NDA defines what information is considered confidential (technology, customer base, financial data, development plans) and obliges the individual entrepreneur not to disclose, transfer to third parties, or use this information for their own purposes.

Your trade secrets are part of your competitive advantage. Remote work increases the risk of information leaks. A proper NDA with a clear definition of confidential information and responsibility for its disclosure is vital for protecting your business.

✅️ Chapter 6. Non-Compete / Non-Solicitation: how to protect your business and team?

Such clauses in the contract prohibit the contractor from soliciting your customers or employees during the term of the contract and for a certain period after its expiration; providing similar services to your direct competitors or creating a similar business.

It is important that such restrictions are reasonable in terms of duration and geography so that they are recognized as valid under the law.

✅️ Chapter 7. Liability of the parties: what to do in case of violations?

This section defines the types of liability (fines, penalties, compensation for damages) for non-performance or improper performance of the terms of the contract. For example, delay in payment, violation of the terms of service provision, disclosure of confidential information.

This disciplines both parties and provides tools for influence in case of violations. Clearly defined liability is an incentive for proper performance of the contract and a mechanism for compensating for possible losses.

✅️ Chapter 8. Processing of personal data: if an individual entrepreneur works with user data

If, while providing services, an individual entrepreneur gains access to the personal data of employees or customers of an IT company, this section establishes their obligations to protect this data in accordance with Ukrainian law and the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation, the general regulation on data protection in the European Union).

Improper processing of personal data is a direct path to fines and reputational damage. When an individual entrepreneur as a processor has access to data, you as the controller are responsible for the actions of the individual entrepreneur. This section obliges them to take security measures, not to transfer data without your permission, and to act strictly according to your instructions.

✅️ Chapter 9. Electronic document management: define the EDM service

To ensure the legal validity of remote signing, it is important to provide for the possibility of electronic document management in the contract.

The text should state that the parties agree to use an electronic format for interaction and specify the EDM service through which documents will be exchanged — for example, Vchasno. This clause guarantees the legal validity of signed documents and simplifies remote collaboration.

How to organize electronic document management with Vchasno?

The Vchasno service allows you to convert document management to electronic format while preserving the legal validity of each document. This is especially relevant for remote collaboration with sole proprietors and IT specialists.

What you can do in Vchasno:

1. Sign contracts and acts with sole proprietors. You simply upload the finished act into the system, send it to the individual entrepreneur, they sign it with their electronic signature, and you sign it with yours. The document becomes legally valid in a matter of minutes, regardless of the geographical location of the parties.
2. Exchange invoices, attachments, and other documents. All accompanying documents can also be easily created, sent, and signed electronically.
3. Store documents centrally. All your electronic documents are stored centrally in a secure cloud environment with a high level of security, accessible only to authorized persons. This solves the problem of scattered files and increases data security.
4. Control the status of each document. You can see the status of a document in real time (sent, signed, rejected) and have access to the history of actions, which makes document flow transparent and manageable.
5. Guarantee legal validity. Since Vchasno works with CEP/UEP, documents signed through the system have the same legal force as paper documents with wet signatures, which fully complies with Ukrainian legislation and protects your business.

Conclusions

Remote work is not only freedom, but also a challenge in terms of document flow. Document flow “without an office” and digital tools can turn into real chaos with document searches, document loss, security risks, and legal uncertainties. Vchasno simplifies all these tasks — from concluding a contract to storing every signed document.

Organizing document management for a remote IT team begins with clearly defining relationships and paying attention to key points in contracts — from subject matter and intellectual property to confidentiality and liability.

But electronic document management services help turn legal rules into a convenient workflow, enabling you to quickly, securely, and, most importantly, legally sign acts, contracts, and exchange other important documents regardless of location.

The combination of a solid legal foundation and effective digital tools is the key to secure, transparent, and maximally efficient document management with a remote IT team. This will free you from unnecessary worries, allowing you to focus on what matters most — creating cool products and scaling your business.