# CLIENT ONBOARDING CHECKLIST

> **Disclaimer — not legal advice.** This template is provided free of charge, as is and with no warranty of any kind, and using it creates no attorney-client relationship. It is jurisdiction-neutral: you are responsible for adapting it, for your own legal and tax compliance, and for having a qualified professional in your jurisdiction review it before you rely on it. Full terms: https://trycolo.co/terms-of-use

**Client:** [CLIENT COMPANY NAME]  |  **Project:** [PROJECT NAME]  |  **Start date (deposit cleared):** [DATE]
**Owner:** [YOUR NAME]  |  **Client main contact:** [NAME], [TITLE], [EMAIL]  |  **Target: live in [5] working days**

Onboarding starts when the deposit clears and ends when the first deliverable is in the client's hands. Tick every box. Anything still open on Day 5 goes on the risk line at the bottom.

## Day plan at a glance

| Day | Focus | Done when |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Day 1 | Welcome email + packet, invoice receipt, kickoff booked | Client has a reply within [2] hours of the deposit clearing |
| Day 2 | Access, credentials, assets, NDA if needed | You can log in to everything you need without asking again |
| Day 3 | Kickoff call ([30] min, agenda sent in advance) | Notes and decisions circulated same day |
| Day 4 | Discovery written up into a brief or SOW | Brief sent to the client for approval |
| Day 5 | Internal setup complete + first deliverable sent | Client has received something real |

---

## 1. Welcome email and packet — Day 1

- [ ] Send the welcome email within [2] hours of the deposit clearing — owner: [YOU] — due: [DATE]
- [ ] Attach or link the welcome packet (contents below)
- [ ] Send the deposit payment receipt / paid invoice confirmation
- [ ] Confirm the project start date and the target completion date in writing
- [ ] Share the project workspace / client portal URL and confirm the client can log in
- [ ] Introduce anyone else who will touch the project ([SUBCONTRACTOR / PARTNER NAME], role)
- [ ] Book the kickoff call — send the invite the same day, do not wait for a reply

**Welcome packet contents (one or two pages max)**

| Section | What it says |
| --- | --- |
| What happens next | The [5]-day onboarding plan above, in client language |
| Who to talk to | You, your hours, response time ([1] business day), holiday cover |
| How to give feedback | One consolidated list, in [TOOL / PORTAL], within [5] business days |
| How approvals work | [CLIENT APPROVER NAME] approves; [N] revision rounds included |
| Where everything lives | Portal URL, file location, invoice history |
| Payment schedule | Deposit paid, next invoice [DATE], terms Net [14] |

## 2. Access and credentials — Day 2

- [ ] File sharing: [GOOGLE DRIVE / DROPBOX / SHAREPOINT] folder created and shared with [NAMES]
- [ ] Communication channel agreed: [SLACK / TEAMS / EMAIL / PORTAL] — and a "no scope changes by DM" rule stated
- [ ] Brand assets received: logo files, fonts (with licences), colour values, brand guidelines
- [ ] Existing content / data received: [COPY / IMAGES / EXPORTS / ANALYTICS]
- [ ] Platform access: [CMS / HOSTING / ANALYTICS / AD ACCOUNT / REPO] — request read or admin as needed
- [ ] Logins delivered securely via [PASSWORD MANAGER / SHARED VAULT] — never plain email or chat
- [ ] NDA signed if required — [ ] not needed  [ ] sent [DATE]  [ ] signed [DATE]
- [ ] Contract and signed proposal filed in the project record
- [ ] Client billing entity, billing email and PO requirement confirmed for future invoices
- [ ] Access checklist re-tested by actually logging in to each system

## 3. Kickoff call — Day 3

- [ ] Calendar invite sent with agenda attached ([30] minutes, [DATE] [TIME] [TIMEZONE])
- [ ] Required attendees confirmed, including anyone with approval rights
- [ ] Agenda covered on the call:
- [ ] — Introductions and roles ([5] min)
- [ ] — Project goals and definition of success ([10] min)
- [ ] — Scope recap: what is in, what is out ([5] min)
- [ ] — Process: milestones, feedback windows, revision rounds ([5] min)
- [ ] — Risks, constraints, immovable dates ([5] min)
- [ ] Decisions and actions written up and sent the same day
- [ ] First milestone date confirmed in writing by the client
- [ ] Recurring check-in scheduled: [WEEKLY / FORTNIGHTLY], [DAY] at [TIME]

## 4. Discovery and brief intake — Day 3-4

Ask all of these. The boring ones are the ones that prevent week-three surprises.

| # | Question | Answer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | What does success look like for you personally on this project? | [ANSWER] |
| 2 | **Who else needs to approve this work?** | [NAMES AND ROLES] |
| 3 | **What is the absolute drop-dead date, and what happens if we miss it?** | [DATE + CONSEQUENCE] |
| 4 | **What does success look like internally — who are you reporting results to?** | [ANSWER] |
| 5 | What has been tried before, and why did it not work? | [ANSWER] |
| 6 | What must not change? (brand rules, legal copy, existing systems) | [ANSWER] |
| 7 | Who are your top [3] competitors and what do you envy about them? | [ANSWER] |
| 8 | What would make you say "this was worth it" in [6] months? | [ANSWER] |
| 9 | Any known blockers — holidays, freezes, budget approvals, reorganisations? | [ANSWER] |
| 10 | How do you prefer to receive updates, and how often? | [ANSWER] |

- [ ] Answers written up into a [CREATIVE BRIEF / STATEMENT OF WORK]
- [ ] Brief sent to the client for written approval — due [DATE]
- [ ] Brief approved by [CLIENT APPROVER NAME] on [DATE]
- [ ] Anything discovered that changes scope logged as a change order, not absorbed

## 5. Internal project setup — Day 4-5

- [ ] Project created in [WORKSPACE / TOOL] with the client's name and code [PROJECT CODE]
- [ ] Tasks scaffolded from the scope in the contract or SOW
- [ ] Milestones dated and mapped to the payment schedule
- [ ] Invoice schedule set: next invoice [DATE], amount [CURRENCY] [AMOUNT]
- [ ] Time tracking enabled (even on fixed-fee work — it is how you learn what the job really costs)
- [ ] Budget and margin baseline recorded: [N] hours planned at [CURRENCY] [EFFECTIVE RATE]
- [ ] Files, contract, brief and assets filed in one place
- [ ] Calendar blocked for the first work sprint
- [ ] Subcontractors briefed and under NDA if applicable
- [ ] Risk register started (see bottom of this checklist)

## 6. First-week deliverable handoff — Day 5

- [ ] Low-risk first deliverable chosen: [ ] kickoff summary  [ ] strategy outline  [ ] draft style frame  [ ] project plan  [ ] [OTHER]
- [ ] Deliverable sent to the client by [DATE] with a one-line "here is what to look at, here is what I need back"
- [ ] Feedback deadline stated: [DATE]
- [ ] Next milestone and next contact date confirmed
- [ ] Onboarding retrospective: anything that took longer than it should have → fix the checklist

**Onboarding complete — confirmed by:** ____________________  **Date:** [DATE]

---

## Open risks at end of onboarding

| # | Risk / still outstanding | Owner | Needed by | Impact if late |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [e.g. analytics access not granted] | [NAME] | [DATE] | [e.g. baseline metrics missing from brief] |
| 2 | [RISK] | [NAME] | [DATE] | [IMPACT] |

## Repeat-client version (lightweight)

- [ ] Skip the welcome packet — they already have it
- [ ] Keep the kickoff call — the project is different even if the client is not
- [ ] Re-confirm success criteria and approvers for this specific engagement
- [ ] Confirm access still works and assets are current
- [ ] Confirm billing details, PO number and payment terms have not changed

---

### How to use this template

1. Copy it per client and keep the ticked copy in the project record — it is your evidence of what was agreed and when.
2. Never start substantive work before the kickoff call, even when the client is in a hurry.
3. If a box is still unticked on Day 5, it goes on the risk table — unticked boxes do not disappear, they turn into week-three surprises.
4. Hand this checklist to the first contractor you hire; it is how onboarding becomes delegable.

*Template provided by Colo (trycolo.co). Not legal advice — review with a qualified professional in your jurisdiction.*