Client onboarding checklist
A client onboarding checklist lists everything that must be agreed and received before work starts: the signed scope, payment, account access, who approves work, when content arrives, how feedback is given and where requests go. Most scope creep starts in a kickoff that skipped these.
Copy the client onboarding and kickoff checklist
Swap the [bracketed] parts for your details. Paste it into an email, a doc or your contract.
CLIENT ONBOARDING AND KICKOFF CHECKLIST Client: [name] Project or plan: [name] Kickoff date: [date] BEFORE KICKOFF [ ] Proposal accepted and scope of work signed [ ] Deposit or first invoice paid [ ] Client added to invoicing and project tools [ ] Welcome email sent with the kickoff agenda PEOPLE [ ] Main contact: [name, email] [ ] Final approver (signs off work and change requests): [name] [ ] Who else gives feedback, and how it reaches us: [one consolidated list via the main contact] [ ] Our project lead: [name] SCOPE (read through together) [ ] Deliverables and quantities confirmed [ ] Exclusions read out: "these are quoted separately" [ ] Revision rounds, and what counts as a round [ ] Monthly hours or caps, and how we report usage [ ] How extra work is quoted and approved ACCESS AND ASSETS [ ] Logins: [website / hosting / domain / analytics / ad accounts / social] [ ] Brand assets: logo files, fonts, colours, guidelines [ ] Existing content and photography [ ] Access given by invite with the right permission level (no passwords by email) CONTENT AND DEADLINES [ ] Content due from the client: [what] by [date] [ ] Feedback turnaround: [3] business days per round [ ] Key milestones: [date], [date], [date] [ ] If content or feedback is late, dates move by the same number of days COMMUNICATION [ ] Where requests go: [request link or email], not DMs or calls [ ] Update rhythm: [weekly email / fortnightly call] [ ] Working hours and response times [ ] Escalation contact on both sides AFTER KICKOFF [ ] Kickoff notes sent within 24 hours, with decisions and dates [ ] Timeline shared [ ] First deliverable date confirmed
Five questions every kickoff must answer
If any of these is still open after kickoff, it will turn into a dispute later.
Who approves the work?
One named person. Everyone else’s feedback reaches you through them.
When does content arrive?
Dates for copy, images and access, and what happens to the timeline if they slip.
What isn’t included?
The exclusions, read out loud, with “quoted separately” attached.
Where do requests go?
One channel. Requests made in DMs or on calls get written up there.
How is extra work approved?
A quote and a written yes before anything starts.
How to run onboarding with this checklist
- 1
Send it before kickoff
Clients come prepared with access, assets and the right people.
- 2
Book 45–60 minutes
Enough to walk through scope, people and dates without rushing.
- 3
Read the exclusions aloud
It feels awkward for 30 seconds and saves weeks later.
- 4
Collect access safely
Ask to be invited to accounts or use a password manager. Never passwords by email.
- 5
Send notes within 24 hours
Decisions, dates and owners in writing, while everyone remembers.
- 6
Open the request channel
Share the link or address requests should go to, and use it from day one.
Creepless checks every request against your scope
Clients send requests through their own private link. Each one is checked against the plan you set and marked included, extra or needs review. Extras get a suggested price and a drafted reply, and the client approves the quote before work starts. Free for 2 clients, no card needed.
Client onboarding and kickoff checklist, answered
More free templates: see all templates, or read what scope creep is.
What is client onboarding?
The steps between a signed proposal and the start of work: agreeing scope and people, collecting access and content, setting deadlines and explaining how requests and approvals work.
What should happen in a kickoff meeting?
Confirm deliverables and exclusions, name the approver, agree content and feedback deadlines, set the communication rhythm, and explain how extra work is quoted. Send written notes afterwards.
What should I ask a new client during onboarding?
Who approves work, who else gives feedback, when content and access will arrive, what success looks like, any fixed deadlines, and where they’d like updates.
How long should client onboarding take?
For most agency projects, one kickoff meeting plus a few days to collect access and assets. Retainers often onboard in the first week of the first month.
How should I collect client logins securely?
Ask the client to invite you to each account with your own login, or share access through a password manager. Avoid passwords in email or chat.
How does onboarding prevent scope creep?
It puts the exclusions, revision limits, approver and request process on record before the first request arrives, so extras are recognised and quoted instead of absorbed.
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