Prepared: February 7, 2026 · Updated: February 27, 2026
Standardizing how new clients move from signed agreement to first deliverable
In Progress
From Your Constraint Briefs
"We lost the Hensley account because it took us three weeks to get them onboarded. By the time we had our kickoff, they'd already started looking at alternatives."
Right now, new clients come in through three different channels — referrals, your website, and partner introductions — and each one captures different information in a different way. That means kickoff meetings start without a complete picture, follow-ups get delayed, and there's no single place to see where each new client stands. These three builds create one consistent path from signed agreement to first deliverable, with a dashboard so you always know the status.
Where You Are vs. Where We're Going
Today
New clients enter through three channels and each one captures different information — the experience depends on who handles the inquiry
Kickoff meetings don't follow a consistent structure — team members cover different items depending on memory and experience
Client status during onboarding is tracked through Slack messages and email threads — no single view of where things stand
Average time from signed agreement to first deliverable is roughly 18 days
After These Builds
One intake form captures everything needed regardless of how the client found you — the experience is consistent every time
Every kickoff follows the same template, pre-loaded with the client's information, with automatic follow-up tasks
A dashboard shows every client in onboarding: their stage, next action, and how long since signing
Target: signed agreement to first deliverable in under 10 business days
How Each Build Gets Deployed
Kathryn You (Alex) Maya / Team
Design
Review
Implement
QC Round 1
Train
QC Round 2
Team Runs It
Optimize
Your part is the review step — you'll see each build before it goes to your team, and we'll make any changes you want before implementation. After that, we train the team, verify it works in practice, and then it's theirs to run. You'll always see it before anyone else does.
What We're Building
Build 1
This Week
Unified Client Intake Process
One intake form that works the same way whether a client comes through a referral, your website, or a partner introduction. It captures everything the team needs up front, creates the client record automatically, and kicks off the onboarding checklist.
The Process
Intake Form + Automation
Single form that creates a CRM record, triggers the onboarding checklist, and notifies the assigned team member — all automatically.
The Visibility Tool
Intake Completion Tracker
Shows which fields are complete for each new client. Flags incomplete intakes after 48 hours so nothing falls through the cracks.
What Changes
Every new client gets the same onboarding experience from day one. No more guessing what information you have — the form ensures it's all captured before the kickoff gets scheduled.
Your review: Feb 28 · You've approved the form design — we're implementing the automation once we have CRM access
Build 2
Week 9 — Mar 10–14
Standardized Kickoff Template
A kickoff meeting template that pulls in the client's information from the intake form. Required agenda items, role assignments, and automatic follow-up task creation so nothing gets missed after the meeting.
What Changes
Every kickoff covers the same ground, with the client's information already loaded. No more improvising, and follow-up tasks are created automatically instead of relying on memory.
Your review: Mar 10 · Design is ready — you'll review the template structure and agenda items
Build 3
Week 11 — Mar 24–28
Onboarding Status Dashboard
A central view showing every client currently in onboarding: what stage they're in, who's responsible, how many days since they signed, and what needs to happen next. Replaces the Slack and email tracking.
What Changes
You'll be able to see the status of every onboarding at a glance — no more finding out a client is stuck because someone flags it in Slack. The dashboard shows it before it becomes a problem.
Your review: Mar 28 · We'll design this after Build 2 is in place, since the dashboard pulls data from both the intake and kickoff processes
What We Need from You
Still Needed
CRM admin access (HubSpot)
We need admin-level access to build the intake form automation and create the custom fields. This is the one thing blocking Build 1 from going live on schedule.
Coming Up
Project management tool decision (Asana vs. Monday)
Build 2 creates follow-up tasks automatically after kickoffs. We need to know which tool to connect before we start implementing that piece.
Received
Current intake questions (all 3 channels) — Feb 14
Sample client folder structure — Feb 14
Team role descriptions — Feb 7
Intake form field list approved — Feb 21
Questions We'll Work Through
Open
Which project management tool to connect for Build 2
You mentioned you're evaluating both Asana and Monday. We'll need a decision by early March so we can build the kickoff-to-task automation into the right platform.
Dashboard access levels
For Build 3 — should the entire team see all onboarding clients, or should it be filtered by assigned team member? We'll figure this out when we design the dashboard.
Resolved
Intake form fields? Finalized Feb 21 — 14 required fields covering contact, engagement scope, and team assignment
Who owns onboarding post-deploy? Maya Torres leads intake; Jordan Park leads kickoffs
Timeline
Week 5 — Feb 3–7
Discovery + Current State Review
We mapped your three intake channels, documented the gaps, and identified who does what.
Week 6 — Feb 10–14
Build 1 + Build 2 Design
Designed the intake form structure and drafted the kickoff template. Maya provided the current intake questions.
Week 7 — Feb 24–28
Build 1 Implementation
You approved the intake form design. We're building the automation once we have CRM access.
Action needed: CRM admin invite
Week 8 — Mar 3–7
Build 1 Testing + Training
We'll test the intake form with sample data, then train Maya and Jordan on the new process.
Week 9 — Mar 10–14
Build 1 Goes Live + Build 2 Review
New intake form goes live for all channels. You'll review the kickoff template.
Your review: kickoff template (Mar 10)
Week 10–11 — Mar 17–28
Build 2 Live + Build 3 Design
Kickoff template goes live. We design the onboarding dashboard.
Your review: dashboard design (Mar 28)
Week 13 — Apr 7–10
Full System Live
All three builds operational before your new website launches mid-April.