How I turn stakeholder input into usable documentation: interview, current-state map, an SOP, and an ownership matrix, with the automate-vs-human line drawn deliberately.
This is a demonstration of my method on a made-up company. Names, quotes, and details are invented to show the process. It is not a client engagement or a client result.
01The business and the process
Harbor & Vine Studio (fictional) is a five-person branding studio. When a client signs, onboarding happens differently every time depending on who picks it up. Kickoffs slip, assets get requested twice, and the designer often starts before the contract and deposit are actually confirmed. The exercise is to document how onboarding currently runs, then turn it into a repeatable SOP.
02Stakeholder input (discovery)
Short interviews with the three people who touch onboarding. Captured as input, not gospel: the point is to surface where the process actually breaks.
"Honestly, whoever closed the deal just starts emailing the client. There's no standard first message, so clients get a different experience every time." — Studio Owner
"I find out a project started when the designer asks me for the brand assets. By then the kickoff call should have already happened." — Account Manager
"Twice this year I started design work before the deposit cleared. Nobody told me it wasn't confirmed." — Lead Designer
03Current-state map, and where handoffs fail
Current state
Contract signedcloser emails client
→
Depositnot confirmed to team
→
Kickoffscheduled ad hoc, or skipped
→
Assetsrequested late, sometimes twice
→
Design startssometimes before deposit
Handoff 1 (closer → team): no signal that a deal closed, so the account manager learns late.
Handoff 2 (finance → team): deposit status isn't shared, so work can start unpaid.
No standard client-facing welcome, so first impressions vary by whoever picks it up.
04New Client Onboarding SOP
Trigger
Signed contract received (e-signature completed).
Owner
Account Manager owns the SOP end to end. Finance confirms deposit. Designer is downstream.
Tools used
The studio's existing stack: e-signature tool, shared CRM/project board, calendar/booking, and a shared intake form. No new software required.
Steps
Signed contract auto-creates a client record and an onboarding checklist on the project board.
Finance marks deposit "confirmed" on the record. Design cannot start until this flag is set.
Account Manager sends the standard welcome message and the intake form (brand assets, goals, timeline).
Kickoff call is booked from a single booking link within 2 business days of deposit confirmation.
Intake responses and assets are attached to the record; Account Manager reviews for completeness before handoff.
Account Manager hands off to the Lead Designer with a complete brief. Design begins.
Decision points
Deposit not confirmed within 5 business days → Account Manager follows up, work stays paused. Intake incomplete → Account Manager requests the specific missing items before booking kickoff.
Exceptions
Rush/existing clients may skip the intake form but still require the deposit-confirmed flag and a logged kickoff.
Troubleshooting
Design started with no "deposit confirmed" flag → pause, confirm with Finance, log the gap. Client unresponsive on intake → two follow-ups, then hold the slot and notify the Owner.
05Ownership matrix (RACI)
Step
Account Mgr
Finance
Designer
Owner
Create client record + checklist
R / A
-
-
I
Confirm deposit
I
R / A
-
I
Welcome + intake form
R / A
-
-
C
Book kickoff
R / A
-
C
I
Review intake completeness
R / A
-
C
-
Handoff to design + start
A
-
R
I
R = Responsible · A = Accountable · C = Consulted · I = Informed
06Improvement opportunities
Small, high-leverage changes that close the three broken handoffs without adding tools: a single "deposit confirmed" gate that blocks design start, an auto-created onboarding checklist off the signed contract, one standard welcome + intake, and one booking link. The redesigned process is intended to create a consistent onboarding path and reduce the owner's role as the fallback when handoffs are missed.
07What AI assists vs. what stays human judgment
AI-assisted synthesis
Transcribing and summarizing the discovery interviews
Drafting the first version of the current-state map and SOP from those notes
Generating the standard welcome message and intake questions for review
Flagging missing intake items against a checklist
Human judgment (kept)
Deciding which broken handoff matters most and how to gate it
Approving the SOP and who owns each step (the RACI calls)
Any client-facing message before it sends
Exceptions, rush requests, and unhappy-client moments
AI speeds up the synthesis and the first draft. A person still owns the judgment calls, the ownership decisions, and anything a client sees.