Client Onboarding Checklist & Project Information Form — Free Resource

A good onboarding process should do more than welcome the client. It should confirm who is involved, how decisions will be made, what information already exists, which documents are missing, and what both parties need to prepare before work begins.

The Client Onboarding Checklist & Project Information Form gives architecture and interior studios a structured, customisable way to collect that information after appointment and before the kick-off meeting.

It combines the client-facing form, document checklist, project-specific questions, kick-off preparation, and internal studio review in one connected resource.

Download the free Client Onboarding Checklist & Project Information Form here.

What Good Client Onboarding Should Achieve

A useful onboarding form should help the studio and client begin with the same understanding of the project.

It should clarify:

• Who the client, stakeholders, and decision-makers are

• What the project is intended to achieve

• Which priorities and requirements are non-negotiable

• What information and documentation already exist

• Which consultants, contractors, or specialists are involved

• What the current budget and programme assumptions are

• How communication, feedback, and approvals will work

• Which confidentiality, privacy, or publicity requirements apply

• What must be prepared before the kick-off meeting

The purpose is not to ask every possible question. It is to collect the information needed to make the next project stage clear, responsible, and well prepared.

When to Send the Form

Send the onboarding form after the studio’s actual appointment conditions have been completed, such as:

• The agreement has been signed

• The required initial payment has been received

• The appointment has been formally confirmed

• The main client contact has been identified

• The provisional project-start window has been agreed

The form supports the onboarding process. It does not replace the signed agreement, professional advice, approved brief, programme, or formal project instructions.

A Simple Onboarding Workflow

Use the resource as a repeatable process rather than sending the complete master document to every client.

1. Duplicate the master template

2. Remove sections that do not apply

3. Add any project-specific questions

4. Insert the studio’s privacy, communication, and secure-upload links

5. Send the form to the main client contact

6. Review the completed answers and identify gaps

7. Request any missing information

8. Summarise the key points for the project team

9. Use the summary to prepare the kick-off meeting

This gives the studio a consistent starting structure while allowing the form to remain proportionate to each appointment.

The Information to Collect Before Kick-Off

1. Client, Stakeholder, and Decision Details

Record the main client contact, legal contracting name, invoice details, additional stakeholders, and the people authorised to approve design, budget, and programme decisions.

Useful questions include:

• Who is the primary client contact?

• Who has final design approval?

• Who approves budget or commercial changes?

• Who will consolidate feedback?

• Are landlord, board, investor, operator, or family approvals required?

• What information is normally needed before a decision can be made?

Clarifying authority early helps prevent conflicting instructions and unclear approvals later.

2. Project Overview and Goals

Ask the client to explain what they are planning, why the project is happening now, and what a successful result should achieve.

A simple prompt is:

At the end of this project, we will consider it successful if [outcome].

The form should also capture:

• Project type and location

• Approximate size

• Current and proposed use

• Current project stage

• Site or property status

• Appointed services

• Three main priorities

• Non-negotiable requirements

• Areas where the client is open to alternatives

3. Users, Activities, and Experience

A useful brief goes beyond how the project should look. It should record who will use the space, what they need to do there, and which practical or experiential problems the design should address.

Ask:

• Who will use the space?

• Which activities happen regularly?

• What is currently difficult or inefficient?

• What should feel easy and intuitive?

• What should feel private?

• What should visitors, residents, employees, or guests remember?

• Are there accessibility, security, acoustic, or privacy considerations?

4. Existing Information and Documents

Collect the documents that affect the project and record what is still missing.

Depending on the appointment, this may include:

• Existing plans and measured surveys

• Site photographs and videos

• Lease or landlord information

• Structural and building-services information

• Fire, accessibility, or condition reports

• Previous design work

• Brand or operational guidelines

• Equipment schedules

• Existing programme and budget information

• Planning or authority correspondence

Clients should mark unavailable information as Not available yet rather than guessing. Confidential material should be shared through an appropriate secure system.

5. Programme and Budget Context

Record the dates the client is working towards and distinguish genuinely fixed deadlines from preferred ones.

Ask what is driving each date and whether the programme accounts for design, approvals, procurement, consultant input, construction, installation, and client decisions.

For budget, clarify:

• The working range and currency

• What the figure includes and excludes

• Whether contingency is included

• Who approved the range

• Whether external cost advice is available

• Which outcomes must be protected

• Which elements could be phased or reconsidered

This records the client’s current context. It is not a quotation, cost plan, or guarantee.

6. Communication, Confidentiality, and Publicity

Agree how information and decisions will be recorded before the project becomes busy.

Confirm:

• The formal communication channel

• The file-sharing location

• The method used for instructions and approvals

• The process for urgent issues

• Meeting preferences and availability

• Accessibility or format requirements

• Confidentiality restrictions

• Photography and publicity permissions

• Who may access sensitive information

Marketing consent should remain separate from essential project communication.

Adapt the Form to the Project Type

The full resource includes optional question modules for:

• Residential projects

• Hospitality and F&B projects

• Workplace projects

• Retail projects

• Architecture and new-build projects

Use only the module that applies. Conditional logic can make digital forms shorter by showing questions according to the selected project type, site status, contractor appointment, and confidentiality requirements.

Do Not Ask for Information You Do Not Need

A longer form is not automatically a better form.

Remove:

• Questions unrelated to the appointed service

• Information already collected and verified

• Duplicated contract terms

• Sensitive information the studio does not need

• Technical or legal questions the studio cannot responsibly interpret

Keep required fields to the genuine minimum, explain why sensitive questions are being asked, and provide a secure alternative for confidential uploads.

What Is Included in the Free Resource

The complete template contains:

• A master client onboarding checklist

• Core project information form

• Stakeholder and decision-maker form

• Document request checklist

• Communication preferences form

• Five project-type question modules

• Kick-off preparation checklist

• Client acknowledgement section

• Studio internal review checklist

• One-page onboarding summary

• Customisation and implementation guidance

• Suggested conditional logic

• Final quality-control checklist

The content is platform-independent and can be adapted for Notion, a fillable PDF, Google or Microsoft Forms, Typeform, Tally, a client portal, or another secure system.

The Bottom Line

A clear start does not guarantee a problem-free project, but it gives the studio and client a shared foundation for the work ahead.

The strongest onboarding forms do not attempt to collect everything the studio could possibly know. They confirm the people, information, priorities, responsibilities, and immediate actions needed to begin the next stage well.