Client Onboarding Checklist: The First Two Weeks of a New Project
By the Brainfy Studio editorial team · Published
Most project problems start in the first two weeks: a deliverable nobody wrote down, a login that never arrived, a payment date the client didn't expect. Onboarding is the routine that gets those details agreed and recorded once, the same way, for every client.
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Open the invoice generatorBefore kick-off
- Send a welcome letter: who your contacts are, what happens next and when.
- Send the intake questionnaire: goals, how success will be measured, deadlines, and who approves work.
- Confirm the scope summary: deliverables with dates, what is in scope and what is not.
- Request access and assets: logins, files, brand material — tracked in one list.
- Agree the payment schedule and send the first invoice if a deposit is due.
At kick-off
Run the meeting from an agenda and end with an action list (who, what, by when). Confirm the communication plan: which channel for what, how fast each side replies, and when regular check-ins happen.
In the first two weeks
Check that every requested access item has arrived, deliver something small early, and ask for feedback on it using the approval form so the client sees how sign-off works before it matters.
What to agree in the communication plan
Write it down in one page and send it to everyone involved on both sides. Most friction later is about channels and response times, not the work itself.
| Item | Example of what to agree |
|---|---|
| Main channel | Email for decisions; chat only for quick questions |
| Response time | Replies within one working day; urgent issues by phone |
| Regular check-in | A 20-minute call every Monday |
| Who approves | One named approver on the client side, plus a backup |
| Where files live | One shared folder; no attachments as the final version |
| Out of hours | What counts as urgent and how to reach you |
Common onboarding gaps
- No named approver, so feedback arrives from several people and contradicts itself.
- Out-of-scope items not written down, so every extra looks like it was included.
- Access requested in scattered emails instead of one tracked list.
- Payment terms first mentioned on the first invoice.
Worked example: payment schedule for a $6,000 project
A six-week website project for $6,000 (before any tax). The proposal and scope summary state the same schedule, so the first invoice is no surprise.
| Milestone | Share | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deposit on signing | 40% | $2,400 | Day 0, before kick-off |
| Design approved | 30% | $1,800 | Approval form signed (planned week 3) |
| Launch | 30% | $1,800 | Site live (planned week 6) |
| Total | 100% | $6,000 |
Tie each payment to a clear event, write the event into the scope summary, and make the approval form the trigger for the middle payment. Payment terms and any tax depend on your contract and location.
Onboarding checklist
- Proposal or contract signed.
- Welcome letter sent.
- Intake questionnaire returned.
- Scope summary agreed, including what is out of scope.
- Communication plan agreed.
- Access and assets received.
- Kick-off held; action list sent.
- Deposit invoiced (if any) and received.
- First small deliverable approved.
Brainfy files for this task
Checked against the files customers download. Prices are current catalogue prices.
Client Onboarding Pack (Paid — $29.00)
DOCX + PDF · 4 files · US Letter and A4 · 10 pages per file
Welcome letter, intake questionnaire, project scope summary, communication plan, access and assets request, kick-off agenda, internal onboarding checklist and feedback/approval form.
Business Proposal Kit (Paid — $29.00)
DOCX · 4 files · US Letter and A4
For the step before onboarding: a 6-page proposal template with an investment table and payment schedule, and a 3-page writing guide.
Invoice and Quotation Templates (Paid — $19.00)
DOCX + XLSX · 5 files · sheets: Start Here, Invoice, Quote
Invoice and quote templates; the workbook calculates totals, the Word versions are for filling in.
Questions
How long should onboarding take?
For most small projects, the steps above fit in the first one to two weeks. The important part is doing them in the same order every time.
Should the client fill in the intake form or should I?
Send it to the client to complete, then go through it together at kick-off.
Can I edit the templates?
Yes. The Word files are editable; the PDFs are for printing or sending as they are.
Sources and method
Checklist and example are our own. The payment split is an illustration, not a recommendation; its arithmetic is checked by an automated test.
