ALAI Client Onboarding — Runbook

~~Purpose:~~Version: ~~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.0 ~~Audience:~~Created: 2026-07-28 Owner: John (~~primary),~~AI Director) / Alem Basic (~~approvals)~~CEO) Source process: processes/client-onboarding.md, ~~BizDev/PO/Tech Lead agents (delegated phases)~~processes/quick-ref/client-onboarding-quickref.md ~~Primary skill:~~Tooling: /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.onboard-client.js, searchSkill "<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>"
onboard-client

~~Client already exists → ask Alem which phase they're stuck in, resume from there.~~

~~No match → start at Phase 1.~~

1. Purpose

Every new ALAI client goes through 7 mandatory phases before development starts. No phase is skipped. Each phase has an owner, a required output, and a gate condition that must be true before moving to the next phase.

2. The 7 Phases

Phase 1: First Contact       -> gate: qualified lead
Phase 2: Discovery           -> gate: brief approved by client
Phase 3: NDA                 -> gate: NDA signed
Phase 4: Proposal            -> gate: proposal accepted
Phase 5: Contract            -> gate: contract signed + first payment
Phase 6: Project Setup       -> gate: project scaffolded + kick-off done
Phase 7: Development Start   -> SDLC pipeline takes over (gateprocesses/sdlc/)
before advancing — never skip)

~~(AlemMaster~~

#	Phase	Owner	Timeline	Gate ~~to advance~~
1	First Contact	BizDev	Respond within 24h	Lead qualified, discovery call ~~scheduled~~booked
2	Discovery	BA + PO	1-3 days	Project ~~brief~~Brief ~~written,~~written and approved by client ~~confirmed it reflects their needs~~
3	NDA	John	1 day	NDA signed by both ~~parties~~sides
4	Proposal	PO + Tech Lead	3-5 days	Client ~~accepted~~accepts proposal in writing
5	Contract	John	2-3 ~~approves)~~days	Contract signed both sides + first payment received (if milestone-based)
6	Project Setup	John + ~~Scrum~~SM	1 day	Project scaffolded, kick-off held, backlog ~~created~~created, all access granted
7	Development Start	~~Scrum Master~~SM + Tech Lead	Ongoing	N/A — SDLC ~~pipeline~~and (`~/ALAI/processes/sdlc/`)sprint ~~takes~~cadence take over

3. Phase Detail

Phase 1 — First Contact

NODE_PATH=~/system/node_modules
nodeClient ~/system/tools/sales-pipeline.jsreaches addout "<name>"(email, "<email>"referral, "<source>"direct)
"<description>"Record: NODE_PATH=~/system/node_modulesname, nodecompany, ~/system/tools/contacts.jscontact, addhow "<name>"they "<email>"found us

Quick qualification check: is budget/scope/timeline realistic?

Qualified --company> "<company>"schedule Discovery Call. Not qualified --type> clientpolite --notesdecline "Newwith lead:referral <description>"if

possible.

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

, lead status set qualified/not qualified

Phase 2 — Discovery

~~Write~~

discovery-notes.md

Discovery call/meeting with client

Understand: problem, goals, users, budget, timeline

Define project type (web app, mobile app, API, landing page, etc.) and acandidate ~~10-section~~tech project-brief.mdstack

Write the Project Brief (client info, problem, proposed solution, users, platforms, ~~key~~top 5-10 features, integrations, budget range, timeline, success metrics).

~~Then:~~

Output:

NODE_PATH=~clients/<CLIENT>/system/node_modulesintake/discovery-notes.md, nodeclients/<CLIENT>/intake/project-brief.md

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

Phase 3 — NDA


Fill NDA template (NODE_PATH=~/system/node_moduleslegal/nda-template.md) nodewith ~/system/tools/docusign.jsclient createdetails
"<CLIENT>"Send ndato --fieldclient CLIENT_NAME="<name>"for --field CLIENT_EMAIL="<email>"

~~Mandatory:~~ ~~send~~signature via Documenso (skill: /send-for-signing) ~~skill.~~

Store ~~Never~~signed ~~send~~copy

Output: ~~signing~~clients/<CLIENT>/legal/nda-signed.md ~~document~~+ ~~manually.~~

signed PDF

Hard rule: technical details and access credentials are NOT shared before NDA is signed.

Phase 4 — Proposal

~~sections:~~

Based ~~Executive~~on ~~Summary,~~Project ~~Scope~~Brief, define: scope of ~~Work,~~work, ~~Tech~~tech ~~Stack,~~stack ~~Phases & Milestones, Timeline, Pricing~~decision (~~25%~~with ~~MVA if NOK)~~rationale), ~~Payment~~phases/milestones, ~~Schedule, Out of Scope, Assumptions, Validity.~~

~~CEO gate — non-negotiable:~~ ~~show Alem scope +~~timeline, pricing ~~+ timeline and get an~~(fixed/hourly/milestone), explicit ~~"GO"/"SEND"~~in-scope ~~before~~vs itout-of-scope, ~~goes~~assumptions, validity period

Review by John, then present to ~~the~~client

~~client.~~

Output: ~~Never~~clients/<CLIENT>/intake/proposal.md

~~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


Fill Contract template (NODE_PATH=~/system/node_moduleslegal/contract-template.md): nodescope ~/system/tools/docusign.jsfrom createproposal, "<CLIENT>"payment contractterms, --fieldIP CLIENT_NAME="<name>"ownership, #warranties
→ /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~~decided (client owns all ~~post-payment~~ / ALAI retains ~~framework-~~framework+tooling / license).

~~See~~

Send for review and signature

Receive first payment if milestone-based

Output: ~clients/<CLIENT>/ALAI/processes/client-onboarding.legal/contract-signed.md ~~Phase~~+ 5.

signed PDF

Phase 6 — Project Setup

Scaffold client directory:

NODE_PATH=~mkdir -p clients/<CLIENT>/system/node_modules node ~/system/tools/onboard-client.js new "<slug>" "<email>" "<source>" "<value>" "<description>"
# or scaffold only:
bash ~/system/template/scaffold.sh "<ProjectName>"{intake,legal,docs,src,designs,tests,comms/channels/standups,comms/meetings,comms/decisions,deployments}

Create project.json (name, type, description, tech_stack, platforms, team, phases, budget, timeline)

Kick-off ~~agenda:~~meeting: ~~scope~~client ~~review,~~+ PO + Tech Lead + John — cover scope/milestones, communication channels, ~~access/~~access & credentials, sprint cadence, escalation path. Notes →-> clients/<CLIENT>/comms/meetings/kick-off.md.

PO creates initial backlog from scope, prioritized (MoSCoW or numeric)

Output: scaffolded directory, project.json, kick-off notes, initial backlog

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 1Planning planning"(first --prioritysprint)
HTasks --routeassigned backendto agents per RACI

SDLC pipeline (processes/sdlc/

) takes over
Daily standups logged in comms/channels/standups/



4. Client Directory Structure (created in Phase 6)
Full standard: ~/ALAI/processes/client-document-structure.md
~/ALAI/clients/<CLIENT>/
├── intake/
(│   ├── first-contact,contact.md
│   ├── discovery-notes,notes.md
│   ├── project-brief,brief.md
proposal,│   ├── proposal.md
│   ├── client-materials/,        <- everything client provides, with README index
│   └── correspondence/)
├── legal/
(│   ├── drafts/,
│   └── signed/)
├── docs/          (specs/, research/){specs,research}/
├── designs/
├── src/
├── tests/
├── comms/         ({channels/standups/, meetings/, decisions/)standups,meetings,decisions}/
├── deployments/
└── project.json


Hard5. RulesRACI






















































































Activity BizDev BA PO Tech Lead SM John Alem
First Contact R I I - - A I
Discovery C R R C - A I
NDA - - - - - R/A I
Proposal - C R R - A A
Contract - - - - - R A
Project Setup - - I C R R/A I
Kick-off - C R R R A I

R = Responsible, A = Accountable, C = Consulted, I = Informed


6. Automation Hooks

PhasesNovi arelead never-> skippedcreates —clients/<CLIENT>/intake/ + notifies BizDev

Brief approved -> triggers NDA beforetemplate Proposal, always.fill
AlemNDA approvessigned every-> triggers Proposal and Contract (ZAKON #2) — pricing never goes out without explicit sign-off.creation
PipelineProposal advanceaccepted =-> gatetriggers passed,Contract not "probably done."fill
TestContract signingsigned docs-> firsttriggers —Project everySetup document to signature goes to [email protected] before the client copy.scaffold
NeverKick-off fabricatedone contact details — no email/org number on file → ask Alem, don't guess.

WON stage requires-> --approved flag on sales-pipeline.project-workflow.js advanceinit — enforced by the tool.

All NOK invoices carry 25% MVA — invoice-generator.js adds it automatically; verify the total.

ALAI branding on every client-facing document, email, and invoice.

StatusGuided Checks
end-to-end

Activity	BizDev	BA	PO	Tech Lead	SM	John	Alem
First Contact	R	I	I	-	-	A	I
Discovery	C	R	R	C	-	A	I
NDA	-	-	-	-	-	R/A	I
Proposal	-	C	R	R	-	A	A
Contract	-	-	-	-	-	R	A
Project Setup	-	-	I	C	R	R/A	I
Kick-off	-	C	R	R	R	A	I

execution: 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 timelineor "<Skill onboard-client>" NODE_PATH=~/system/node_modules(7-phase nodeinteractive ~/system/tools/unified-crm.jsworkflow).
client "<client>"

References7. Hard Rules

~~Full~~Mandatory for every client, no exceptions.

NDA before any technical detail is shared.

Alem approves every contract and every proposal (Accountable).

Pricing decided by Alem — team prepares options, does not set the number.

Cloud/tenant resources for this client go in the client's own tenant tree (~/clients-external/<client>/), never mixed with another tenant.

processes/client-onboarding.md — full source process

~~(RACI,~~

processes/quick-ref/client-onboarding-quickref.md ~~phase~~— ~~detail):~~1-page version

processes/client-document-structure.md

processes/sdlc/ — what happens after Phase 7

ALAI-CLIENT-INVOICE-CYCLE.md — billing once client is active

ALAI-CLIENT-INCIDENT-RESPONSE.md — support once client is live

Document Location: ~/ALAI/processes/client-onboarding.runbooks/ALAI-CLIENT-ONBOARDING.md

~~Skill:~~Access ~/.claude/skills/onboard-client/SKILL.md

Control:

~~Directory~~INTERNAL

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

ALAI Client Onboarding — Runbook

ALAI Client Onboarding — Runbook

Before You Start — Check State

1. Purpose

2. The 7 Phases

3. Phase Detail

Phase 1 — First Contact

Phase 2 — Discovery

Phase 3 — NDA

Phase 4 — Proposal

Phase 5 — Contract

Phase 6 — Project Setup

Phase 7 — Development Start

4. Client Directory Structure (created in Phase 6)

Hard5. RulesRACI

6. Automation Hooks

StatusGuided Checks

References7. Hard Rules

8. Related Documents

Status
Guided Checks