Resources · Client onboarding checklist
Start client work
with fewer unknowns.
A practical kickoff process for freelancers and small marketing teams. Use it after discussing the brief and before promising a delivery date.
01 / Step
Agree the result and boundaries.
Write the business goal, exact deliverables, included revisions and what sits outside the scope. A vague promise such as “manage marketing” needs a more specific definition.
Example: “Prepare a four-week content plan, eight creative briefs and one review meeting.” Publishing and paid advertising can be separate responsibilities.
02 / Step
Collect the inputs the work needs.
Ask for the audience, offer, brand assets, existing content, channel links and any earlier results that can guide the work. Mark missing items with an owner and expected date.
Keep client files in the agreed workspace. Request access through the service’s own role controls rather than asking someone to send passwords.
03 / Step
Set one review process.
Choose the decision-maker, the place for feedback and the time needed for review. Agree how a missed approval deadline changes the schedule.
One consolidated feedback list is easier to act on than conflicting comments across several chats.
04 / Step
Prepare the first delivery.
Create the project, add the first tasks and make dependencies visible. Send a kickoff summary that records the agreed scope, inputs, dates and next action.
Review the plan after the first delivery. Update the workflow using what actually happened, not only what was assumed at kickoff.
Copy this working template.
Fill in the decisions you know. Give the unknowns an owner and a next step.
CLIENT KICKOFF Client / project: Business goal: Deliverables and formats: Out of scope: Required inputs (owner / due date): Access needed (service / role): Decision-maker: Feedback channel: Included review rounds: Approval time needed: First delivery date: Next action (owner / due date):
A good onboarding checklist makes decisions visible. It does not replace the service agreement or create permission to use client assets beyond the agreed purpose.
Keep the next step useful.
Use the checklist in the tools you have, or connect the plan to projects and focus in Your Daily OS.