Purpose
This SOP ensures every new client engagement is properly set up in our systems and ready to run — so nothing falls through the cracks between "contract signed" and "work actually begins," and so anyone on the team could pick up an onboarding if Priya were unavailable.##
When to Use This
Trigger this process as soon as a new client has signed an engagement agreement — before any actual client work begins.
Steps
- Create the Project. Add a new row in the Projects database. Fill in: Project name (Client — Engagement Type), Status = "Active," Deadline (if a fixed end date applies), Owner.
- Send the welcome packet. Email the client the engagement agreement (signed copy), a brief overview of what to expect in the first two weeks, and a request for any initial documents/data needed to begin work.
- Schedule the kickoff call. Once the client confirms availability, create a row in the Meetings database for the kickoff call — fill in Client, Project (linking to the Project you just created), Date, and Attendees.
- Run the kickoff call. (This step hands off to the "Meeting Prep & Follow-Up" SOP — follow that process for how to actually run the call itself.)
- Create initial action items. Immediately after the kickoff call, use the "+ Add Action Item" button on that Meeting row to generate the first tasks — e.g., anything the client requested, or any internal setup work identified during the call. Fill in Project and Due Date for each.
- Confirm access & files are in place. Make sure any shared folders, data access, or communication channels the client needs are set up before the next scheduled touchpoint.
- Mark onboarding complete. Once the client has a live Project, at least one completed kickoff Meeting, and initial Tasks in motion, onboarding is considered done — ongoing work continues under normal Meeting Prep/Follow-Up and Weekly Reporting processes.
Notes
- If a client engagement covers multiple workstreams (e.g., both strategy and ops review), create separate Project rows for each rather than combining them into one.
- Onboarding should typically be complete within the first 1–2 weeks of signing.