Trigger
Quote accepted and filed in the Prospective folder
1
Pre-Signing Setup
Firm Administrator
This phase begins when an accepted quote lands in the Prospective folder. The client record, primary contact, and onboarding project are created in Financial Cents, the proposal is drafted, and the engagement goes out for signature. Ends with an External handoff from Firm Administrator to Client. Transferred: the proposal and engagement letter for signature. Acceptance criteria: the client signs and their ACH details are captured through the Bank Transfer Authorization Form, the one-time billing form.
PROCESS 1.1
Client Record Creation Process
Claude locates the Quote PDF in the Prospective folder and extracts packages, fees, cleanup range, and earliest start date.
End state
Quote terms captured for the client record and proposal draft
Claude prompts for legal name, primary contact name, email, phone, signing date, monthly draft date, cleanup start date, and package choice.
Trigger
Quote extraction complete
End state
All operational fields confirmed and recorded
Claude creates the client record and default contact via the Financial Cents API.
Trigger
Operational details confirmed
End state
Client and contact visible in Financial Cents
Claude instantiates the onboarding project from the firm template; Firm Admin tasks auto-assign to the firm administrator.
Trigger
Client record created
End state
Onboarding project open with tasks assigned
PROCESS 1.2
Proposal Preparation Process
Claude writes the proposal content to a handoff file for the administrator to build from.
Trigger
Client record and quote terms available
End state
Proposal draft written to the handoffs folder
Claude generates the internal handoff doc capturing everything gathered so far. The handoff content also feeds the Client Onboarding Dossier app through a Perm File fill-in doc that is pasted in before the kickoff.
Trigger
Proposal draft complete
End state
Handoff doc written to the handoffs folder
Manual step: the administrator enters all billing details before sending the engagement. The engagement begins on receipt of the signed letter and deposit, with the Bank Transfer Authorization Form serving as the one-time ACH form. When the client signs, payment processing starts automatically: the onboarding fee charges at engagement and monthly drafts run on the 5th.
Trigger
Proposal content drafted
End state
Engagement letter with the client and payment processing configured to start on signature
2
Post-Signing Setup
Firm Administrator + Lead Accountant
External handoff in
This phase begins with an External handoff from Client to Firm Administrator. Transferred: the signed engagement PDF. Acceptance criteria: signed PDF discovered and filed to the Perm File. The client's Google Shared Drive and Financial Cents workspace are fully wired: folder structure, engagement filing, resources, portal visibility, and QBO hygiene. Clients arriving without QuickBooks Online, or on QuickBooks Desktop or Sage, run the platform setup and conversion work here before cleanup can begin. Ends when the client's digital workspace is complete and verified.
PROCESS 2.1
Drive Setup Process
Manual step in the Drive UI: create the Shared Drive named exactly the legal name, then add the team account as Manager.
Trigger
Signed engagement received
End state
Shared Drive exists with team manager access
Claude copies 11 folders and 4 seed files from the firm's client template.
Trigger
Shared Drive created
End state
Standard folder structure present in the client drive
Claude auto-discovers the signed PDF, renames both copies to the standard engagement filename, and files them.
Trigger
Folder structure in place
End state
Engagement PDF filed in both locations
Claude relocates the prospect materials and flags any Drive-Trash stragglers from unreadable files.
Trigger
Engagement filed
End state
Client fully moved from Prospective to Active Clients
PROCESS 2.2
Financial Cents Wiring Process
Claude posts the Drive URL to the client's resources via the API.
Trigger
Shared Drive complete
End state
Drive resource visible on the client record
Claude creates the Engagement Letters folder and uploads the signed PDF via the API, then visibility to the client is verified manually in the UI.
Trigger
Drive resource posted
End state
Engagement visible to the primary contact in the portal
Template customization is more involved than workspace build. The administrator applies client tags, assigns tier-and-service-appropriate templates, excludes 1099 templates for Basic packages, and then tailors templates per client. The administrator's own onboarding-setup template tracks which steps are automated versus manual.
Trigger
Client record live and tier known from the quote
End state
Client carries the correct tag set and template assignments for their package
Manual step so QBO sends no stray invoices to the client during service.
Trigger
Client QBO file accessible
End state
No client email on the QBO file
The checklist template carries 13 client tasks: EIN letter, QuickBooks desktop file when converting, prior-year business return, tax portal access (OK TAP, OK EZTax, EFTPS), payroll and employee details when the firm administers payroll, points of contact and roles, formation documents, employee handbook, portal setup, create an accounting login for read-only bank access, securely share credentials where read-only access is unavailable, credit card credentials, and loan credentials and documents.
Trigger
Portal verified
End state
Client checklist live in the client portal
PROCESS 2.3
Accounting Platform Setup Process
Template-traced to Financial Cents template 7454924. Template roles: Admin and Lead Accountant. Purchase and provision the wholesale QBO subscription, select the subscription level, set up the account from business information, turn off QBO Financing Services, connect bank accounts, customize the chart of accounts, invite the client, and provide usage instructions.
Trigger
Engagement signed for a client without a QBO subscription
End state
Client QBO account live with connected feeds and client access
Template-traced to Financial Cents template 8966471. Prepare the QuickBooks Desktop file, create the fresh QBO company file, choose the correct version, migrate data, compare reports, review data loss, and send QBO how-tos to the client.
Trigger
Engagement signed for a client on QuickBooks Desktop
End state
Books migrated to QuickBooks Online and verified against source reports
Template-traced to Financial Cents template 8966482. Export Sage data to CSV, clean the data to QuickBooks Online requirements, import it, reconcile against Sage records, test the transfer, and train the client on QuickBooks Online.
Trigger
Engagement signed for a client on Sage
End state
Books migrated to QuickBooks Online and reconciled against Sage records
3
Team Assignment and Welcome
Owner + Firm Administrator
Role handoff in
This phase begins with a Role handoff within firm administration, from setup work to team assignment and welcome work. Transferred: the wired client workspace and the quote terms. Acceptance criteria: workspace verified complete. The pod is assigned against role capacity, then the tier welcome packet and email go out; pod assignment itself is only partially documented.
PROCESS 3.1
Team Assignment Process
Check the internal capacity app before pod assignment. Budgets currently live in the master tracker per the workshop, while the team handoff example draws budgeted hours from the per-client Service Fee Template, refined by the lead after kickoff. Which source is canonical is unconfirmed.
Trigger
Client ready for pod assignment
End state
Capacity reviewed for the available service roles
Assign the client pod for recurring service. Standard pods include staff, lead, and controller, with a CFO added when the engagement includes one. Real firm artifacts announce the assigned pod in the welcome packet team page and team handoff email.
Trigger
Capacity reviewed
End state
Client pod assigned for welcome and handoff
PROCESS 3.2
Welcome Packet Creation Process
Claude copies the Basic, Full Service, or Premium package master in Canva. No CFO Partner Canva master is documented; which packet master serves CFO Partner clients rides with the tier-label reconciliation question.
Trigger
Team and tier confirmed
End state
Working Canva design created
Claude re-parses the Bios folder, uploads the three team bio images, swaps the client name on the cover and closing pages, and places controller, lead, and staff blocks. The welcome packet includes a team page with all three roles' bios and direct contacts, mission and values, what-we-need-from-you, the 20th-of-month delivery promise, the portal explainer with magic-link sign-in and 2FA guidance, what-we-provide, and the owner welcome letter.
Trigger
Working design created
End state
Design personalized for the client and team
Claude moves the design to the Welcome-Packets folder, exports letter-format PDF, and files it.
Trigger
Design personalized
End state
Welcome packet PDF in the Perm File
PROCESS 3.3
Welcome Email Process
Claude renders the email; the cleanup deposit date is the 20th of the month before the first monthly draft. The documented welcome email includes the billing rundown, with onboarding paid at signing, cleanup deposit as 50 percent of the lower range with its draft date, and monthly fee auto-draft on the 5th. It names the lead and controller, while the staff accountant may deliberately stay "to be determined" client-facing until monthly services begin, per the template convention. The email also sets what's next: a separate portal-setup checklist email, lead schedules the kickoff, sensitive data goes through the portal only, and the firm administrator owns bank-access and portal questions.
Trigger
Welcome packet exported
End state
Welcome email text saved to the Perm File
Manual step: review the Canva output, re-export if needed, then send the email with the PDF attached. The send copies the assigned team, including lead, controller, and staff where named, plus the owner.
Trigger
Email rendered and packet exported
End state
Client has the welcome packet and email
Manual step: groups are unsupported by the API, so the client is added to the lead's, controller's, and staff's client groups in the UI.
Trigger
Welcome email sent
End state
Client appears in the assigned team's groups
4
Internal Team Handoff
Firm Administrator
This phase begins when the welcome email has gone out and the pod is confirmed. The Sales Onboarding workbook, budgeted hours, and the team handoff email are produced here; together they form the Functional handoff from Firm Administrator to the assigned service team that Phase 7 receives. Acceptance criteria: the Sales Onboarding Service resource is linked on the client's onboarding project in Financial Cents. Ends when the assigned team has everything needed to run the kickoff.
PROCESS 4.1
Sales Onboarding Workbook Process
Claude creates the client copies in the Perm File and Active Clients respectively.
Trigger
Welcome email sent
End state
Client copies of both workbooks exist
Claude first reads the Engagement PDF, Quote PDF, Service Fee workbook, and notes document, then fills both tabs, pulling budgeted hours from the Monthly Accounting Services tier block.
Trigger
Client workbook copies created
End state
Workbook tabs complete
Claude replaces the template link on the onboarding project with the client-specific workbook URL, then position is verified manually in the UI.
Trigger
Workbook filled
End state
Client onboarding project links the client workbook
PROCESS 4.2
Team Handoff Email Process
Claude pulls the primary contact's email and phone fresh from Financial Cents and drafts the email to the Perm File. The documented handoff email sections cover who's involved, including client contacts, external tax preparer and permission-to-contact status, related entities and scope boundaries; billing per the engagement; tier scope with explicit exclusions; cleanup scope; software and bank-feed state; team with budgeted hours from the Service Fee Template, which the lead refines after kickoff; kickoff action items such as EIN, board contacts, tax preparer permission, most recent return, credit-card statements, payroll vendor, incumbent-bookkeeper handoff timing where the client has one, and sample JE attachments; and things-to-know.
Trigger
Workbook complete
End state
Handoff email draft in the Perm File
Manual step, sent only after the client welcome email has gone out.
Trigger
Welcome email confirmed sent
End state
Assigned team notified and handed the client
5
Administrative Completion
Firm Administrator
This phase begins when the team handoff completes and the manual admin checklist opens; the work shifts from automated setup back to hands-on administration within Firm Administrator ownership. Entry criteria: the wired client workspace and open manual admin checklist are ready, and every manual admin item must be checked in the onboarding project. Dashboards, app access, credentials, recurring schedules, and billing verification all land here. Ends when credentials are tested, the team is notified, and fees are confirmed paid or scheduled.
PROCESS 5.1
Dashboard and App Setup Process
Manual steps: add the client to the firm client dashboard, add the client to the profitability dashboard, and complete the About section with profitability as-of date and budgeted time.
Trigger
Team handoff complete
End state
Client present and configured on firm dashboards
Manual step: the specific app list per tier is not documented and is an open question.
Trigger
Dashboard setup complete
End state
Client live in firm apps with team access granted
PROCESS 5.2
Credential and Schedule Setup Process
Manual step: adjust dates and recurrence for Weekly Bookkeeping, Monthly Accounting, and Tax Return projects.
Trigger
Client apps live
End state
Recurring projects scheduled correctly
Manual step: credentials go to the Financial Cents client vault and the firm's credential system. The welcome packet asks clients to request accountant logins from each bank and card issuer for statement and image access, plus OK Tap, EZ Tax Express, and EFTPS logins. A blank per-client password-log spreadsheet ships in the firm's template folder while the workshop described vault systems; both positions stand, and current practice needs confirmation in the month-end map's credentials question.
Trigger
Recurring schedules set
End state
Credentials stored in both vaults
Manual step: confirm QBO is connected to all bank and credit card accounts.
Trigger
Credentials vaulted
End state
Working credentials and connected feeds confirmed
Manual step: notify the team of three in Financial Cents chat, then start the client's general chat with the right members.
Trigger
Credentials tested
End state
Team notified and client chat open
PROCESS 5.3
Billing Verification Process
Manual step: onboarding fee paid, cleanup deposit paid or scheduled. Payments run through Financial Cents ACH per the engagement setup; monthly drafts run on the 5th.
Trigger
Workspace setup complete
End state
Fees confirmed paid or scheduled
Manual step: the client joins the recurring statement retrieval project.
Trigger
Fees confirmed
End state
Client in the bank statement project
Manual step: name and address of the referring party go to the owner.
Trigger
Referral identified during intake
End state
Owner has the referral details
6
Kickoff Preparation
Firm Administrator + Client
This phase begins when the kickoff call is scheduled; kickoff prep is largely automated within Firm Administrator ownership. Entry criteria: kickoff date, received items, and the outstanding client checklist state are available. Acceptance criteria: outstanding items read from the client checklist in Financial Cents. The kickoff prep email is rendered and sent the day before the call. In parallel the client completes their onboarding checklist in the portal. Ends when the client walks into kickoff knowing exactly what is still outstanding.
PROCESS 6.1
Kickoff Prep Email Process
Claude collects the kickoff date and time, items received so far, and outstanding checklist items pasted from Financial Cents. The Client Onboarding Dossier's pre-kickoff readiness checklist frames the same work: QBO file and access, chart-of-accounts review and client sign-off on cleanup, bank and card feed status, how caught up the file is, tax returns current, prior-year returns on file, EIN, payroll running and access, current services confirmed, sales tax handling, portal access authorized with 2FA, and next steps assigned. The lead ticks items as access is confirmed, with a kickoff-readiness bar that fills as items complete.
Trigger
Kickoff call scheduled
End state
Inputs assembled for the prep email
Claude renders the email to the Perm File; the administrator sends it one day before kickoff.
Trigger
Inputs assembled
End state
Client has the prep email a day before the call
PROCESS 6.2
Client Checklist Completion Process
The client completes the portal checklist items: EIN letter, QuickBooks desktop file when converting, prior-year business return, tax portal access, payroll and employee details when applicable, points of contact and roles, formation documents, employee handbook, portal setup, create an accounting login for read-only bank access, securely share credentials where read-only access is unavailable, credit card credentials, and loan credentials and documents. The welcome email example announces the separate portal-setup checklist email, and TGF closed its client task, confirming this as active.
Trigger
Checklist live in the portal
End state
All client checklist items marked complete
7
Kickoff Call
Lead Accountant
Functional handoff in
This phase begins with a Functional handoff from Firm Administrator to Lead Accountant. Transferred: the complete client workspace, Sales Onboarding workbook, and outstanding items list. Acceptance criteria: lead accountant schedules the kickoff from the handoff email. This phase ends the workflow when the kickoff call is held, recapped, and the client enters recurring weekly and monthly service with a 90-day call scheduled.
PROCESS 7.1
Kickoff Call Process
Email scheduling options around the 20th via a Google Calendar appointment scheduler; add to the firm calendar and notify the administrator.
Trigger
Team handoff email received
End state
Kickoff on the calendar for client and team
Adjust the agenda to the client's needs in the Client Onboarding Dossier app, the Sales Onboarding dashboard that auto-saves per client. The dossier carries the 11-item agenda: welcome, client intro, meet the team of three, timeline and cleanup expectations, communication and portal 2FA, information gathering for credentials, loans, assets, EIN and prior return, payroll, and sales tax, monthly workflow walkthrough, two calibration questions, tools and training for Dext or Bill.com/QBO Bill Pay, open questions, and scheduling the 90-day call. The dossier app labels the pod Lead, Accountant, and Reviewer; these are presumed to map to Lead Accountant, Staff Accountant, and Controller, to confirm with the team. The kickoff introduces the client to the Financial Cents portal and sets the expectation that financials flow through the portal, not email. Portal adoption matters again at 1099 season; some clients refuse the portal, so external deliverables may need client-tailored packaging.
Trigger
Kickoff scheduled
End state
Agenda tailored for the call
The lead accountant runs the call against the tailored agenda and fills the dossier live during the call. The two calibration questions ask the client's comfort reading financials on a 1-to-5 scale and whether they prefer reports as numbers or charts.
Trigger
Kickoff date reached
End state
Kickoff call complete
Follow-up email recapping the call and listing what is still outstanding. Save the post-call PDF to the client Perm File as part of the recap step.
Trigger
Kickoff call held
End state
Client has the recap and outstanding list
Schedule it now or add the reminder to the cleanup template.
Trigger
Recap sent
End state
90-day call scheduled or reminder set
PROCESS 7.2
Client Tool Setup Process
If the client uses Dext, the lead assigns setup to the firm administrator.
Trigger
Kickoff call confirms document intake tooling
End state
Client live in Dext
Template-traced to Financial Cents template 8573106. Prepare training materials, schedule the session, send calendar invites, conduct training, gather feedback, and improve materials from feedback.
Trigger
Client set up in the document intake tool
End state
Client trained and using the intake tool
Extra Financial Cents or Dext users set up by the firm administrator when needed. The portal uses magic-link email sign-in with no passwords or apps, phone-number 2FA is encouraged, and sensitive material stays portal-only.
Trigger
Additional users identified at kickoff
End state
All client users have portal access
WORKFLOW MAP REVIEW
Notes & Assumptions
Sources and confidence
- Built from the Financial Cents "Client Onboarding" template (rebuilt 2026-07-03), Jennifer Sanders' Onboard-Client-Admin Checklist CSV (2026-07-06), the Client's Onboarding Checklist template, and the "Client - Kick-Off Call" template. Activity 3.1.1 remains draft because the capacity check is only partially documented; Activity 3.1.2 is active because the pod assignment appears in real welcome and handoff artifacts.
- Setup and conversion activities trace to the Financial Cents template family: Adding QBO Subscription (7454924), QBD to QBO Conversion (8966471), Sage to QBO Conversion (8966482), Dext Training (8573106). These are client-conditional projects TGF never carried, which is why the first drafts missed them.
- TGF Holdings ran the March version of this workflow: created March 13, tagged "Client info received" March 30, onboarding survey and 45-day check-in in April, closed May 11 with 32 of 32 tasks and the single client task complete.
- The whole map is marked DRAFT pending the follow-up review session (~2026-07-14).
Structure notes
- Process 6.2 is intentionally single-activity: client-owned external work with one deliverable, running parallel to the firm's prep.
- Process 3.2's copy/personalize/export steps are deliberately kept as separate activities: they map a Claude automation pipeline where each step is a separately checkpointed sub-skill.
Role notes
- Firm Administrator owns phases 1 through 6 per the template's auto-assignment. Confirmed by the team's description of the role as owning "the front."
- "Client" is used as the external party on process 6.2.
- Team assignment must exist by phase 3 for the welcome packet; the Team Assignment Process captures the partially documented assignment mechanism.
Assumptions to verify
- Phase ordering between 5 and 6 is inferred: the template lists manual admin items after kickoff prep, but the CSV orders prep last. Treated here as parallel tracks that both close before kickoff.
- The onboarding project TGF received in March came from an older template than the July 3 rebuild. Differences between the two versions are not mapped.
- Function split applied (2026-07-07 workshop): staff accounting, lead accounting, controller accounting, CFO, and advisory are mapped as distinct functions, so handoffs between them are typed Functional. The full split was confirmed by the operator on 2026-07-08 (staff accounting and lead accounting are their own functions); the earlier decision-record wording that kept staff/lead role-level is superseded.
- Add-on services (bill pay, invoicing, payroll administration, sales tax) are not in the normal quote and are deliberately activated 30 to 90 days after start, with a 30-day minimum. This affects when recurring schedules get extended with add-on templates.
- Financial Cents released an API update on 2026-07-07 that may allow automating parts of client setup; capabilities still need verification. Templates are also exportable to CSV.
- Several onboarding steps are already automated, including Drive folder structure creation and the engagement-to-payment chain.
FOR THE MAPPING SESSION
All open questions (6)
Phase 1: Pre-Signing Setup
Jump to phase ↑- Q4
The CSV's "create the onboarding project" step points at the Kick-Off Call template ID. Is that intentional chaining or a leftover to fix?
Phase 2: Post-Signing Setup
Jump to phase ↑- Q6
Which current clients came from QuickBooks Desktop or Sage, and how often do conversions actually occur?
Phase 3: Team Assignment and Welcome
Jump to phase ↑- Q2
Who makes the pod call for a new client, and when?
The welcome packet needs all three roles by phase 3.
Phase 5: Administrative Completion
Jump to phase ↑- Q1
Phase 5 says "set client up in various apps": which apps, and does the list vary by tier?
Phase 7: Kickoff Call
Jump to phase ↑- Q5
The 90-day call now lives in the Post Cleanup template; was TGF's 45-day check-in a one-off?
Workflow-wide
- Q3
What changed between the onboarding template TGF ran in March and the July 3 rebuild, and why?