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ALAI Client Onboarding — Runbook

ALAI Client Onboarding — Runbook

Purpose: Fast, actionable command sequence for taking a new client from first contact to Sprint 1. This is the operational runbook; the full 7-phase process with RACI, gates, and templates lives in ~/ALAI/processes/client-onboarding.md. Audience: John (primary), Alem (approvals), BizDev/PO/Tech Lead agents (delegated phases) Primary skill: /onboard-client (~/.claude/skills/onboard-client/SKILL.md) Last updated: 2026-07-28

Before You Start — Check State

Never assume a client is new. Check first:

# Already a contact?
NODE_PATH=~/system/node_modules node ~/system/tools/contacts.js search "<name>"

# Already in the sales pipeline?
NODE_PATH=~/system/node_modules node ~/system/tools/sales-pipeline.js list

# Already has a project scaffold?
ls ~/projects/ | grep -i "<name>"
  • Client already exists → ask Alem which phase they're stuck in, resume from there.
  • No match → start at Phase 1.

The 7 Phases (gate before advancing — never skip)

# Phase Owner Gate to advance
1 First Contact BizDev Lead qualified, discovery call scheduled
2 Discovery BA + PO Project brief written, client confirmed it reflects their needs
3 NDA John NDA signed by both parties
4 Proposal PO + Tech Lead Client accepted proposal in writing
5 Contract John (Alem approves) Contract signed + first payment received
6 Project Setup John + Scrum Master Project scaffolded, kick-off held, backlog created
7 Development Start Scrum Master + Tech Lead N/A — SDLC pipeline (~/ALAI/processes/sdlc/) takes over

Phase 1 — First Contact

NODE_PATH=~/system/node_modules node ~/system/tools/sales-pipeline.js add "<name>" "<email>" "<source>" "<description>"
NODE_PATH=~/system/node_modules node ~/system/tools/contacts.js add "<name>" "<email>" --company "<company>" --type client --notes "New lead: <description>"

Output: ~/ALAI/clients/<CLIENT>/intake/first-contact.md

Phase 2 — Discovery

Write discovery-notes.md and a 10-section project-brief.md (client info, problem, solution, users, platforms, key features, integrations, budget range, timeline, success metrics). Then:

NODE_PATH=~/system/node_modules node ~/system/tools/sales-pipeline.js advance <lead-id> "Discovery complete, brief sent"

Phase 3 — NDA

NODE_PATH=~/system/node_modules node ~/system/tools/docusign.js create "<CLIENT>" nda --field CLIENT_NAME="<name>" --field CLIENT_EMAIL="<email>"

Mandatory: send via /send-for-signing skill. Never send a signing document manually.

Phase 4 — Proposal

10 sections: Executive Summary, Scope of Work, Tech Stack, Phases & Milestones, Timeline, Pricing (25% MVA if NOK), Payment Schedule, Out of Scope, Assumptions, Validity.

CEO gate — non-negotiable: show Alem scope + pricing + timeline and get an explicit "GO"/"SEND" before it goes to the client. Never send pricing without approval.

NODE_PATH=~/system/node_modules node ~/system/tools/sales-pipeline.js advance <lead-id> "Proposal sent, awaiting response"

Phase 5 — Contract

NODE_PATH=~/system/node_modules node ~/system/tools/docusign.js create "<CLIENT>" contract --field CLIENT_NAME="<name>"
# → /send-for-signing
NODE_PATH=~/system/node_modules node ~/system/tools/invoice-generator.js create "<CLIENT>" <amount> NOK "Project kickoff payment"

IP ownership must be decided explicitly in the contract (client owns all post-payment / ALAI retains framework-tooling / license). See ~/ALAI/processes/client-onboarding.md Phase 5.

Phase 6 — Project Setup

NODE_PATH=~/system/node_modules node ~/system/tools/onboard-client.js new "<slug>" "<email>" "<source>" "<value>" "<description>"
# or scaffold only:
bash ~/system/template/scaffold.sh "<ProjectName>"

Kick-off agenda: scope review, communication channels, access/credentials, sprint cadence, escalation path. Notes → comms/meetings/kick-off.md.

Phase 7 — Development Start

NODE_PATH=~/system/node_modules node ~/system/tools/sales-pipeline.js advance <lead-id> "Contract signed, project started" --approved
node ~/system/tools/mc.js add "<CLIENT>: Sprint 1 planning" --priority H --route backend

Client Directory Structure (created in Phase 6)

Full standard: ~/ALAI/processes/client-document-structure.md

~/ALAI/clients/<CLIENT>/
├── intake/        (first-contact, discovery-notes, project-brief, proposal, client-materials/, correspondence/)
├── legal/         (drafts/, signed/)
├── docs/          (specs/, research/)
├── designs/  ├── src/  ├── tests/
├── comms/         (channels/standups/, meetings/, decisions/)
├── deployments/
└── project.json

Hard Rules

  1. Phases are never skipped — NDA before Proposal, always.
  2. Alem approves every Proposal and Contract (ZAKON #2) — pricing never goes out without explicit sign-off.
  3. Pipeline advance = gate passed, not "probably done."
  4. Test signing docs first — every document to signature goes to [email protected] before the client copy.
  5. Never fabricate contact details — no email/org number on file → ask Alem, don't guess.
  6. WON stage requires --approved flag on sales-pipeline.js advance — enforced by the tool.
  7. All NOK invoices carry 25% MVA — invoice-generator.js adds it automatically; verify the total.
  8. ALAI branding on every client-facing document, email, and invoice.

Status Checks

NODE_PATH=~/system/node_modules node ~/system/tools/sales-pipeline.js show <lead-id>
NODE_PATH=~/system/node_modules node ~/system/tools/onboard-client.js timeline "<client>"
NODE_PATH=~/system/node_modules node ~/system/tools/unified-crm.js client "<client>"

References

  • Full process (RACI, phase detail): ~/ALAI/processes/client-onboarding.md
  • Skill: ~/.claude/skills/onboard-client/SKILL.md
  • Directory standard: ~/ALAI/processes/client-document-structure.md
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