Documentaal + iManage Integration
Create governed documents in Microsoft 365 and archive them seamlessly in iManage.
iManage is the leading Document Management System (DMS) for legal, financial, accounting, consulting and professional services organisations.
iManage provides:
- Secure document storage
- Matter/case management
- Advanced retention
- Classification & metadata
- Versioning & audit trails
- Professional search capabilities
Documentaal handles BEFORE archiving:
- Document creation
- Template governance
- Metadata enforcement
- Compliance during creation
- Microsoft 365-native workflows
Once a document is final, Documentaal delivers it — complete, validated and compliant — straight into the correct iManage workspace.
Documentaal → SharePoint → iManage Workflow
Word/Outlook
Document Creation
Documentaal
Governance & Automation
iManage
Archive & Retention
1. Why organisations need Documentaal + iManage
iManage is excellent for storing, securing and managing finalised documents. But iManage is not designed for document creation.
Common issues without Documentaal:
- • Users start from outdated templates
- • Documents lack required clauses
- • Matter metadata is missing or inconsistent
- • Formatting varies across teams
- • Approval steps are unclear
- • Compliance footing is weak
- • Incorrect files land in the wrong matter folder
Documentaal ensures:
- Only correct, approved, consistent documents enter iManage
- Matter metadata is always complete
- Content is validated before it reaches the DMS
- Lifecycle rules can be applied immediately
- Compliance is enforced at the source
2. How the Documentaal → iManage workflow works
Governed document creation inside Microsoft 365
Users create documents in Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Teams.
Documentaal ensures:
- • Correct templates
- • Structured content blocks
- • Conditional logic
- • Dynamic data binding
- • AI-supported structural validation
- • Locked legal/compliance clauses
Metadata applied (including matter metadata)
Documentaal injects metadata such as:
Documents stored in SharePoint (governed stage)
SharePoint handles versioning, auditing, lifecycle setup, file validation, and sensitivity labels.
This ensures documents are governed BEFORE archiving.
Seamless delivery to iManage
Once a document is final, Documentaal exports the file to:
- • The correct workspace
- • The correct matter folder
- • With the correct iManage metadata
- • In the finalised, approved state
Integration via: Power Automate, iManage API, iManage Work integrations, DMS-specific routing rules
iManage applies DMS governance
iManage handles:
3. What Documentaal adds on top of iManage
iManage is the system of record. Documentaal is the creation, governance, and automation layer.
Documentaal ensures:
- • Approved templates
- • Consistent documents
- • Data-driven content
- • Structured generation
- • Correct metadata
- • Correct classification
- • Correct formatting
- • Correct clauses
- • Correct SharePoint lifecycle
iManage ensures:
- • Long-term archiving
- • Secure matter handling
- • Professional search
- • Version control
- • Case/matter governance
- • Retention and legal hold
Together, they form a complete lifecycle.
4. Benefits for legal, financial and professional services teams
Legal
- • No more outdated templates
- • Consistent contract and litigation documents
- • Correct matter metadata
- • Improved auditability
- • Reduced compliance risk
Financial institutions
- • KYC and compliance documents generated correctly
- • Lifecycle managed inside Microsoft 365
- • Consistent outputs across teams
Consulting / Professional services
- • Proposal documents
- • Advice reports
- • Engagement letters
- • Structured client communication
IT & compliance
- • Reduced support load
- • Unified governance across Microsoft 365
- • Seamless connection to iManage
- • No shadow systems
- • Complete audit chain
5. iManage + Documentaal + SharePoint: a unified lifecycle
Documentaal
Document creation + structure + compliance
SharePoint
Governed storage + retention setup + metadata authority
iManage
Matter/workspace archive + long-term lifecycle management
This creates a closed-loop, compliant document ecosystem.
6. Summary
Documentaal ensures that only correct, complete, compliant and structured documents enter iManage — with all metadata in place.
With Documentaal + iManage, organisations get:
Documentaal creates the document.
iManage safeguards it.
Ready to connect Documentaal with iManage?
See how Documentaal can transform your document creation workflow and deliver compliant documents directly to iManage.
Request a Demo