The operating problem
Onboarding often stalls between sales and delivery. Define a small state machine with an owner, entry condition, and exit condition for every state. An engagement is ready only when the firm confirms all required conditions.
Use your own working copy
The free workbook for this process opens in a browser and works offline after download. It includes editable checks and notes, a text export, and a print view. It is a planning resource: it does not send messages, read account data, or run actions in business systems. No vendor account is needed to use the workbook.
Map the process
1. Create the candidate record
Normalize the inquiry, deduplicate against stable CRM identifiers, and record the requested service without accepting it automatically.
2. Run acceptance review
Assign conflict, independence, capacity, and scope checks to the appropriate staff. A system search supports the decision; it does not make it.
3. Prepare the engagement
Populate an approved document template with the selected scope. Staff checks names, fees, exclusions, and jurisdiction before release.
4. Wait for authoritative events
Process the e-sign provider completion event and the payment processor confirmation. Validate signatures, authenticate webhooks, and deduplicate callbacks.
5. Handoff to delivery
Create the task list only after the acceptance gate clears. Send a concise internal summary with secure links rather than client documents.
Information to check
These reference fields describe the process. Use invented values while planning. Keep real records in an appropriate private system; the public website does not need them.
| Reference field | Working record | Check before progressing |
|---|---|---|
| crm_contact_id | client_reference | Do not deduplicate on email alone |
| proposal_version | scope_version | Retain the accepted scope |
| envelope_id | engagement_reference | Use provider completion status |
| payment_event_id | retainer_status | Verify payment with the processor |
| acceptance_owner | review_owner | Explicit accountable staff member |
Acceptance checks
- An unsigned engagement cannot enter ready-to-work.
- A duplicate payment callback does not recreate the client.
- A declined acceptance review closes outstanding tasks.
- A proposal revision invalidates an old document draft.
Walk through a successful example, a duplicate, a missing item, an incorrect match, and an interrupted handoff with synthetic records. Record the expected result, observed result, owner, and recovery action. Checklists record your work; checking a box does not establish that an external action happened.
Ownership and review
Name the person responsible for the process and the person who can resolve an exception. Define which decisions require qualified professional review. Use stable references, limit access to private records, and document when work must stop. Educational material does not establish legal, accounting, tax, security, or regulatory compliance.
Run a measured pilot
Choose a small, reversible sample. Measure handling time, waiting time, review, rework, and errors before changing the process. Include the effort of maintaining the new method. Expand only when the observed result meets your acceptance criteria; a longer checklist is not proof of improved performance.
Use the free workflow planner to define your next step, or compare the assumptions in the opportunity calculator.