Meridian Partners
Project Plan In Progress Priority: Tier 1 Operational Systems

Client Onboarding Operating System

Last Updated: February 27, 2026
Client: Alex Chen Builds: 3 First Identified: January 15, 2026 Target Completion: April 10, 2026
Matrix Validation — February 21, 2026
The onboarding constraint cluster traces to a single upstream cause: no standardized intake process. New clients enter through three different channels (referral, website, partner) with no consistent information capture. This creates cascading issues — delayed kickoffs, missing documentation, and repeated client requests for the same information. Session 4 confirmed that the recent loss of a mid-market client was directly tied to a 3-week onboarding delay caused by incomplete intake.
1
Upstream Causes
2
Secondary Constraints
1
Downstream Effects
3
Patterns Detected

GPS — Scoped to Initiative

Position
Build 1 in review. Alex approved the intake form structure. Waiting on CRM access to implement the automation layer. Team has been briefed on the new process but hasn't started using it yet.
Direction
Moving toward a single-entry onboarding workflow that eliminates the 3-channel inconsistency. Build 2 (kickoff template) is designed and ready to implement once Build 1 is live.
Speed
On track. CRM access is the only blocker. If received by March 3, Build 1 goes live Week 8 as planned. Alex is responsive — turnaround on reviews has been under 48 hours.

Current State vs. Target State

Current State
New clients enter through 3 channels with no consistent intake form — information capture varies by who handles the inquiry
Kickoff meetings happen without a standard agenda — team members improvise based on experience, leading to missed items
Client status during onboarding is tracked informally via Slack messages and email threads — no single source of truth
Average time from signed agreement to first deliverable is 18 days — Alex estimates it should be under 10
Target State
Single intake form captures all required information regardless of channel — auto-creates CRM record and triggers workflow Build 1
Standardized kickoff template with pre-populated client data, required agenda items, and follow-up task generation Build 2
Onboarding dashboard shows every active client's status, next action, and days since signing — visible to entire team Build 3
Target time from signed agreement to first deliverable under 10 business days Build 1 Build 2

Deployment Plan

Done Active Now Next | Owns Designs (Kathryn) Approves (Alex) Executes / Support
Build 1 This Week
Unified Client Intake Process
Deliverable A — The Process
Intake Form + CRM Automation
Single intake form that works across all three channels (referral, website, partner). Auto-creates a CRM record with all required fields, triggers the onboarding checklist, and notifies the assigned team member.
Why: Eliminates the inconsistency that caused the mid-market client loss. Every new client enters the same way regardless of source.
Deliverable B — The Visibility Tool
Intake Completion Tracker
Simple dashboard showing which intake fields are complete vs. pending for each new client. Flags incomplete intakes after 48 hours.
Resolves: C1 (No standardized intake) directly · Begins resolving C3 (Delayed kickoffs) by ensuring complete information before kickoff
Maya Torres — Owns Post-Deploy Kathryn — Design + Implement Alex — Review Feb 28
Design
Review
Implement
QC1
Train
QC2
Live
Optimize
Design: Complete — intake form structure approved by Alex. Review: Complete — Alex confirmed field list Feb 21. Implement: In progress — waiting on CRM admin access to build automation. QC1: Test with 2 dummy clients. Train: Maya + Jordan walkthrough. QC2: Monitor first 3 real intakes. Live: All channels use new form. Optimize: Review after 10 intakes.
Build 2 Week 9 — Mar 10–14 Solve Together with Build 1
Standardized Kickoff Template
Deliverable A — The Process
Kickoff Meeting Template + Task Generator
Pre-populated meeting template that pulls client data from the intake form. Required agenda sections, role assignments, and automatic follow-up task creation in the project management tool.
Resolves: C2 (No standard kickoff) directly · Resolves C3 (Delayed kickoffs) in combination with Build 1
Jordan Park — Owns Post-Deploy Kathryn — Design + Implement Alex — Review Mar 14
Design
Review
Implement
QC1
Train
QC2
Live
Optimize
Design: Complete — template structure drafted. Review: Scheduled Mar 10 with Alex. Implement: Build automation after review. QC1: Run template with dummy data. Train: Jordan + team walkthrough. QC2: Shadow first 2 real kickoffs. Live: All kickoffs use template. Optimize: After 5 kickoffs.
Build 3 Week 11 — Mar 24–28
Onboarding Status Dashboard
Deliverable A — The Visibility Tool
Team Onboarding Dashboard
Central view showing every client in onboarding: current stage, assigned team member, days since signing, next action due, and any flags. Replaces the Slack/email status tracking.
Resolves: C4 (No visibility into onboarding status) directly
Alex Chen — Owns Post-Deploy Kathryn — Design + Implement Alex — Review Mar 28
Design
Review
Implement
QC1
Train
QC2
Live
Optimize
Design: After Build 2 review. Review: With Alex. Implement: Build in CRM. QC1: Verify data accuracy. Train: Full team. QC2: One week parallel run. Live: Replace Slack tracking. Optimize: After 2 weeks live.
Build Sequence Rationale
Build 1 (intake) must go first because Build 2 (kickoff) depends on intake data being captured consistently. Build 3 (dashboard) comes last because it aggregates data from both upstream processes — it can't show accurate status if the intake and kickoff processes aren't standardized first. Builds 1 and 2 are marked "Solve Together" because the intake form fields directly determine what the kickoff template can auto-populate.

Constraints — Scoped to Initiative

Source: CPM February 21, 2026
🔄 Recurring
📈 Escalating
🌳 Same Root Cause
🔗 Solve Together
Upstream / C1 / Primary
No Standardized Intake Process
🔄 Recurring · 📈 Escalating · 🌳 Root cause of C2, C3, C4 · → Build 1
Secondary / C2
No Standard Kickoff Structure
🔄 Recurring · 🔗 Solve with C1 · → Build 2
Secondary / C3
Delayed Client Kickoffs
📈 Escalating · 🌳 Caused by C1 + C2 · → Build 1 + Build 2
Downstream / C4
No Visibility Into Onboarding Status
🔄 Recurring · → Build 3

Recurring Themes — Scoped to Initiative

Critical — needs action Emerging — watching
Channel-Dependent Experience
Sessions 2, 3, 4: Alex described different onboarding experiences based on referral source. Partner-referred clients get more hand-holding; website leads get less. The quality gap is creating retention risk in the website segment.
Team Capacity Ceiling
Session 4: Maya mentioned she's at capacity with 6 active onboardings. If intake volume increases (which Alex expects after the new website launches), the manual parts of the current process won't scale. Build 1 automation may relieve this, but worth monitoring.

Stakeholders

Alex Chen
Founder / Managing Partner. Decision-maker on all process changes. Reviews and approves every build before deployment.
Approves All Builds
Maya Torres
Client Success Lead. Handles most onboarding interactions. Will own the intake process post-deploy.
Owns Build 1
Jordan Park
Senior Associate. Runs kickoff meetings. Will own the kickoff template post-deploy.
Owns Build 2
Kathryn Brown
Advisory OS advisor. Designs and implements all builds. Quality control.
Designs All Builds

Pre-work

Still Needed
CRM admin access (HubSpot)
Need admin-level access to create custom objects, workflows, and the intake form automation. Without this, Build 1 implementation is blocked.
Needed for Build 1 — since Feb 21
Future Builds
Project management tool access
For Build 2 — kickoff template will auto-create tasks. Need to confirm which tool (Asana or Monday).
Received
Current intake questions (all 3 channels) — Feb 14
Sample client folder structure — Feb 14
Team role descriptions — Feb 7

Evidence — Key Quotes

"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."
Alex Chen · February 21, 2026 · Client retention
"When someone comes through a partner referral, I know exactly what to ask. Website leads are different every time — I'm guessing what they need."
Maya Torres · February 14, 2026 · Intake inconsistency
"I don't have a way to see which clients are stuck in onboarding. I find out when someone complains."
Alex Chen · February 7, 2026 · Visibility gap

Product Constraints (Coaching, Not Builds)

Decision Bottleneck
"Let Me Check With Alex"
When: Maya and Jordan default to checking with Alex before making process decisions, even when they have the authority. Watch for: Post-deploy, if the team reverts to asking Alex about intake form exceptions instead of following the documented process.
Tool Resistance
"The CRM Isn't for Us"
When: Jordan expressed skepticism about HubSpot in Session 3 — "we're not really a CRM company." Watch for: Workarounds that bypass the CRM intake form. If the team creates side channels, the standardization breaks.

Notes

Tool Access

HubSpot (CRM) — Alex is admin. Maya and Jordan are users. Need admin invite for Kathryn. Project management tool TBD — Alex deciding between Asana and Monday by March 7.

Timing

New website launching mid-April. Alex wants onboarding system live before that to handle expected increase in website leads. This creates a hard deadline for Build 1 + Build 2.

Commercial Context

$1,500/month. Weekly sessions (Tuesdays). Engagement started January 2026. Alex signed a 4-month initial commitment through April.

Actions

Kathryn Alex Maya
Send CRM admin invite to Kathryn
Alex Outstanding since Feb 21
Build intake form in HubSpot once access is granted
Kathryn Blocked — waiting on CRM access
Confirm intake form field list is complete
Alex Completed: Feb 21
Document current intake questions for all 3 channels
Maya Completed: Feb 14
Draft unified intake form structure for Alex review
Kathryn Completed: Feb 18

Timeline

Week 5 — Feb 3–7
Discovery + Current State Mapping
Mapped all 3 intake channels. Documented current process gaps. Identified stakeholders.
Week 6 — Feb 10–14
Build 1 Design + Build 2 Design
Designed unified intake form structure. Drafted kickoff template. Maya provided current intake questions.
Week 7 — Feb 24–28
Build 1 Review + Implementation Start
Alex approved intake form design. Awaiting CRM access to begin implementation. Alex: send CRM admin invite this week.
Week 8 — Mar 3–7
Build 1 Implementation + QC
Build intake form automation in HubSpot. QC1 with dummy clients. Train Maya + Jordan.
Week 9 — Mar 10–14
Build 1 Live + Build 2 Review
Intake form goes live. Begin Build 2 review with Alex. Alex reviews kickoff template Mar 10.
Week 10 — Mar 17–21
Build 2 Implementation + QC
Build kickoff template automation. QC1 with dummy data. Train Jordan.
Week 11 — Mar 24–28
Build 2 Live + Build 3 Design + Review
Kickoff template goes live. Design onboarding dashboard. Alex reviews dashboard design Mar 28.
Week 13 — Apr 7–10
Build 3 Live + System Complete
Dashboard live. Full onboarding system operational before website launch mid-April.