A document management system and method are disclosed herein. An example of the document management system includes a composite document generation module that generates a composite document and a secret seed that is associated with an owner or initiator of the composite document, and a key derivation module that derives, from the secret seed and using a key derivation function, at least one of a key for encryption, a key for decryption, a key for signature, or a key for verification for a participant of a workflow associated with the composite document.