Getting Started with Dynamic Forms

Dynamic Forms are one of the foundational components of the ClayHR platform. They enable organizations to collect structured information, automate business processes, coordinate multiple participants, capture approvals and electronic signatures, and maintain accurate employee records—all within a single configurable solution.

Whether you're onboarding new hires, processing employee requests, collecting policy acknowledgements, conducting performance evaluations, or managing compliance documentation, Dynamic Forms provide a flexible framework for standardizing and automating virtually any HR or business process.

Unlike traditional electronic forms that simply collect responses, Dynamic Forms integrate with employee records, workflows, approvals, analytics, notifications, and reporting, making them an essential building block for digital HR operations.

This article introduces the core concepts behind Dynamic Forms and explains how they fit into the ClayHR platform. More detailed implementation topics are covered in dedicated articles linked at the end of this guide.

IN THIS ARTICLE

1. Dynamic Forms vs. Fillable PDF Forms
2. Where Dynamic Forms Are Used
3. Understanding Dynamic Form Types
   • Single-Participant Forms
   • Multi-Participant Forms
   • Public Forms
   • Assignment-Based Forms
   • Employee-Visible Forms
   • Hidden Forms
4. Core Capabilities
5. Common Business Uses
6. Related Articles

1. Dynamic Forms vs. Fillable PDF Forms

ClayHR supports two complementary approaches for collecting information.

Dynamic Forms

Dynamic Forms are created directly within ClayHR using the built-in Form Designer.

Rather than acting as standalone documents, they become fully integrated with the platform and can participate in workflows, approvals, employee records, notifications, dashboards, analytics, reporting, and business automation.

Because they collect structured information instead of static documents, Dynamic Forms can automatically update employee records, trigger business processes, and become part of a larger digital workflow.

Dynamic Forms are the recommended solution for most HR and business processes.

Fillable PDF Forms

ClayHR also supports fillable PDF forms for situations where organizations must preserve an existing document layout.

This is particularly useful when working with:

• Government forms
• Regulatory documents
• Tax forms
• Customer-required documents
• Vendor paperwork
• Other standardized PDF documents

Fillable PDF Forms allow users to complete official documents electronically while maintaining their original appearance.

This article focuses on Dynamic Forms.

2. Where Dynamic Forms Are Used

Dynamic Forms can support virtually every stage of the employee lifecycle, as well as many operational business processes.

Common examples include:

• Employee onboarding
• Employee offboarding
• Travel requests
• Equipment requests
• Policy acknowledgements
• Compliance documentation
• Internal service requests
• Benefits enrollment
• Candidate information collection
• IT provisioning requests

Because Dynamic Forms integrate directly with workflows and employee records, the same form can collect information, obtain approvals, update records, notify participants, and generate reports without requiring multiple disconnected systems.

3. Understanding Dynamic Form Types

Although every Dynamic Form is designed using the same Form Designer, forms can be categorized in several different ways depending on how they are completed, made available, and displayed.

These classifications are independent and can be combined to support virtually any business process.

3.1 By Number of Participants

Single-Participant Forms

A Single-Participant Form is completed entirely by one individual.

One participant provides all required information before submitting the form.

Typical examples include:

• PTO requests
• Personal information updates
• Expense reimbursement requests
• Employee acknowledgements
• Emergency contact updates

Multi-Participant Forms

A Multi-Participant Form allows multiple individuals to contribute information to the same form.

Each participant completes only the sections assigned to them while all information is stored within a single consolidated form.

Examples include:

• Employee onboarding
• Performance reviews
• Promotion requests
• Hiring approvals
• Equipment provisioning
• Exit processes

A new hire onboarding form, for example, may include sections completed by:

• The employee
• Human Resources
• The hiring manager
• IT
• Facilities

Each participant only sees the sections relevant to their responsibilities.

3.2 By Availability

Availability determines how users gain access to a form.

Public Forms

Public Forms are always available for authorized users to initiate whenever needed.

Examples include:

• Leave requests
• Expense claims
• Equipment requests
• HR service requests

Users simply open the form whenever they wish to start a new request.

Assignment-Based Forms

Assignment-Based Forms are only available after they have been assigned to a specific user.

Assignments may occur manually or automatically through workflows, onboarding, offboarding, performance reviews, compliance programs, or other business processes.

Examples include:

• New hire onboarding forms
• Annual policy acknowledgements
• Performance review questionnaires
• Compliance certifications
• Exit interviews

Users cannot initiate these forms unless they have been assigned.

Visit this article to learn more about How to Assign Forms One by One or In Bulk

3.3 By Employee Visibility

Visibility determines whether employees can view completed forms within their own employee profile.

Employee-Visible Forms

These forms remain available to employees after submission, allowing them to review completed information and previously signed documents.

Typical examples include:

• Benefits enrollment
• Personal information forms
• Signed acknowledgements
• Employee agreements

Hidden Forms

Hidden Forms are stored within the employee record but are not visible to the employee.

These forms are typically used for confidential HR or management processes while remaining accessible to authorized users.

Examples include:

• Internal HR documentation
• Investigation records
• Administrative evaluations
• Confidential compliance records

4. Core Capabilities

Dynamic Forms are significantly more powerful than traditional electronic forms. They combine structured data collection with workflow automation, collaboration, approvals, reporting, and employee data management.

Rich Field Types

Dynamic Forms support a wide variety of field types for collecting virtually any type of information.

Common field types include:

• Single-line text
• Multi-line text
• Numbers
• Currency
• Dates
• Times
• Date & Time
• Dropdown lists
• Radio buttons
• Checkboxes
• Multi-select lists
• User lookups
• Department lookups
• Location lookups
• File uploads
• Images
• Labels and instructional text

Fields can be grouped into logical sections, marked as required or optional, and validated before submission.

5. Smart Data Integration

Unlike standalone forms, Dynamic Forms both retrieve existing employee information and update employee records after submission.

Prefill Existing Information

Fields can automatically display information already stored within ClayHR.

Users simply review or update existing information instead of entering it again.

Examples include:

• Employee Name
• Employee ID
• Job Title
• Department
• Manager
• Work Location
• Hire Date
• Contact Information
• Custom Employee Fields

Prefilling reduces typing, improves accuracy, and provides a better user experience.

Update Employee Records

Responses submitted through Dynamic Forms can automatically populate structured information throughout ClayHR.

Depending on the form design, submitted information can update:

• Standard employee fields
• Custom employee fields
• Custom tables
• Other configurable employee data structures

Rather than remaining as static documents, submitted information becomes part of the organization's employee data.

6. Multi-Participant Collaboration

Multiple individuals can contribute information to the same form throughout a business process.

For example:

• Employee completes personal information.
• Manager reviews and approves.
• HR enters employment details.
• IT provisions equipment.
• Facilities assigns workspace.

Each participant works only on their assigned sections while contributing to one centralized form.

Role-Based Assignment

Sections are typically assigned to organizational roles rather than specific individuals.

When the form is initiated, ClayHR automatically determines the appropriate participant.

Assignments can target:

• The Employee (User)
• The Employee's Manager
• The Manager's Manager
• The Employee's Head of Department
• Members of a specified User Group
• A specific named user

Because assignments are role-based, one form can be reused across the entire organization without modification.

Responsibilities may also be reassigned at the section level whenever delegation or organizational changes require it.

7. Electronic Signatures

Forms may require one or multiple electronic signatures during completion.

Typical applications include:

• Policy acknowledgements
• Employment agreements
• Equipment responsibility
• Compliance documentation
• Employee certifications

Each signature becomes part of the form's permanent audit history.

8. Approvals and Conditional Routing

Dynamic Forms support configurable approval processes.

Participants can:

• Approve
• Reject
• Return for changes
• Provide comments

Approval outcomes can automatically determine how the process continues.

For example:

• Approved requests continue to HR.
• Rejected requests close automatically.
• Additional approvals can be required based on business rules.
• Requests can be returned to employees for additional information.

This allows organizations to automate complex decision-making without manual intervention.

9. Form Deadlines

Each participant or section may include completion deadlines.

ClayHR supports:

Soft Deadlines

Generate reminders and notifications while allowing work to continue after the target date.

Hard Deadlines

Enforce completion requirements before subsequent stages of the process may continue.

Deadlines help organizations improve response times and maintain service-level expectations.

10. Analytics and Reporting

Every response collected through Dynamic Forms becomes structured data that can be analyzed throughout ClayHR.

Organizations can:

• Report on individual responses
• Track completion rates
• Measure approval times
• Identify overdue forms
• Analyze departmental trends
• Build dashboards
• Export information for further analysis

Because responses become structured data instead of static documents, Dynamic Forms provide valuable operational insights in addition to supporting business processes.

11. Common Business Uses

Dynamic Forms can be implemented throughout the employee lifecycle and across virtually every department.

Common implementations include:

• Employee onboarding
• Employee offboarding
• Career development
• Internal approvals
• HR service requests
• Equipment allocation
• Compliance documentation
• Benefits enrollment
• Skills assessments
• Candidate information collection
• Employee profile updates

Because Dynamic Forms integrate with Workflows, Approvals, Notifications, Employee Records, and Reporting, organizations can automate complete business processes from beginning to end.

12. Other Functionalities

Completing forms on behalf of others

‍

13. Related Articles

This article provides a high-level introduction to Dynamic Forms. The following articles explore individual topics in greater detail:

• Designing Dynamic Forms
• Understanding Dynamic Form Fields
• Multi-Participant Forms
• Smart Data Integration
• Dynamic Form Approvals
• Electronic Signatures
• Deadlines and Notifications
• Dynamic Form Analytics
• Dynamic Forms and Workflows
• Dynamic Forms Best Practices

Together, these articles provide a comprehensive guide to designing, managing, and automating forms throughout the ClayHR platform.

One recommendation based on the rest of your KB: I would add a diagram near the beginning of the article showing how Dynamic Forms sit at the center of the platform, connected to Employee Records, Workflows, Approvals, Notifications, Analytics, Electronic Signatures, and Reports. Your other "Getting Started" articles are largely text-based; adding one conceptual diagram here would make this article stand out and help readers immediately understand that Forms are not just data-entry screens but a core platform capability.

‍