> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.clivanta.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Glossary

> The core terms Clivanta uses — and what they mean.

Clivanta uses precise language for the pieces of the request-and-response loop. These are the terms you'll see throughout the product and this documentation.

<ResponseField name="Firm" type="tenant root">
  An audit, accounting, tax, or compliance practice that uses Clivanta to collect evidence from its clients. The Firm is the top-level tenant — all data belongs to a Firm and is isolated from every other Firm.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="Client" type="entity">
  A company or individual the Firm serves — the entity that provides documents and evidence. A Client can have multiple **Client Users** and appears across multiple **Engagements** over time.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="User" type="person">
  A person acting in the system. A **Firm User** has a role — Partner/Admin, Manager, or Staff. A **Client User** logs into the portal to respond to requests.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="Client Owner" type="role">
  The single primary Client User for a Client — the default assignee for new requests and the one Client User who can see all of that Client's items. Exactly one per Client, and always present.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="Engagement" type="service agreement">
  A long-lived service relationship between a Firm and a Client for a defined service type — e.g. "Acme Ltd — Statutory Audit". It defines *what* service is provided and how often. It is the unit of work that recurring services chain through.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="Period" type="unit of work">
  A specific occurrence of work under an Engagement — "VAT Q1 2026", "March 2026 Accounting". The Period is what actually gets completed: it carries the request items, the internal tasks, and all documents and evidence.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="Pack" type="reusable template">
  A firm-level, reusable procedure for a service type — the standard request items, instructions, and required documents. When a Period is created, the Pack's items are copied in as a snapshot, so later Pack edits never rewrite existing work.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="Group" type="heading">
  A named category within a Pack or an Engagement that organises related request items or internal tasks under one heading (e.g. "Bank Statements").
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="Request Item" type="atomic unit">
  A single ask within a Period — the smallest unit of evidence collection. It carries an explicit status (`draft → requested → submitted → accepted | needs revision`), its files with version history, two comment threads (client-facing and internal), and an immutable activity log.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="Document" type="file">
  A raw file uploaded by a Client — not yet accepted as evidence.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="Evidence" type="accepted record">
  A Document that the Firm has accepted against a Request Item. Accepted evidence is part of the permanent record for the Period, with reviewer identity and timestamp.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="Internal Work / Task" type="firm-only">
  The firm-only area within a Period for the firm's own work. A **Task** has a simple done/not-done state, an assignee, and internal comments — never visible to clients.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="Counterpart" type="portal user">
  A client-side user responding through the portal. The Counterpart Portal is where clients see outstanding requests and upload.
</ResponseField>