0/4
HR Consultancy Launch Programme · Stage 10 of 10
Onboard & Deliver Your First Work
Onboard your first client the right way, run the HR audit, deliver a real project inside scope, and get paid. This is the milestone the whole programme drives at.
How long
Ongoing, hours to days per client
You’ll have
A first client onboarded, delivered and paid
Steps
4 steps
Resources
3 resources
-
01 Step 01
Step 01
Onboard your first client
A clean onboarding sets the professional tone and puts the contract, data agreement and scope on record before any work starts.
Do it yourself
- Send your engagement terms (Module 4) and data agreement (Module 3) and get both signed by e-signature (Module 5).
- Confirm the scope in writing, and flag anything that would be referred out (Modules 1 and 4).
- Collect the client’s HR information securely into your portal (Module 7), taking only what the work needs (Module 3).
- Set expectations: timelines, points of contact, and how you will communicate.
Common mistake · Starting the work on a handshake, with no signed terms or data agreement in place.
Time2–4 hrs CostFree DifficultyMediumResource for this step
CHECKLISTNew client onboarding pack
The sequence that has to be finished before a client counts as "started". The engagement terms and data agreement are regulated: this is a signpost, not advice.
-
02 Step 02
Step 02
Run the first client’s HR audit
An audit of contracts, policies and data delivers immediate value and uncovers the paid project work.
Do it yourself
- Review the client’s employment contracts, staff handbook and policies, and data handling against current law (currency tracker, Module 4; template inventory, Module 5).
- Identify gaps and risks: missing or out-of-date policies, contracts that do not reflect the Employment Rights Act 2025 changes, data-retention issues.
- Prioritise the findings by risk and present them plainly.
- Turn the highest-priority gaps into a scoped proposal for the first project.
Common mistake · Auditing against outdated law, or delivering a fault-list with no prioritised, actionable recommendations.
Time4–8 hrs CostFree (billable if scoped as paid) DifficultyHardResource for this step
PDFHR audit worksheet
The centrepiece deliverable. For each area, record the current state, the gap or risk, its priority, and the recommended action. Check everything against current employment law (Module 4).
-
03 Step 03
Step 03
Deliver the first project
This is the actual paid work that proves the business: a contract set, a handbook, a policy, an investigation, or an HR-system setup.
Do it yourself
- Pick the first project from the audit: new contracts, a staff handbook, a single priority policy, a disciplinary or grievance investigation, or an HR-platform setup.
- Deliver it with your current templates and chosen platform (Module 5), keeping everything inside the agreed scope.
- For an investigation, stay strictly within the HR-process boundary and refer any litigation to the solicitor (Module 4).
- Review the finished work for quality and current-law accuracy, then hand it over through the secure portal (Module 7).
Common mistake · Scope-creeping the fixed-fee project, or drifting into reserved legal territory on an investigation heading to a tribunal.
Time1–5 days, by project CostFree (the client pays the fee) DifficultyHard -
04 Step 04
Step 04
Bill and get paid (the launch milestone)
The milestone is not "delivered", it is delivered and paid. Getting paid proves the consultancy is a real, functioning business.
Do it yourself
- Raise a clear invoice from your accounting setup (Module 2) on the agreed terms.
- Send it promptly on delivery, or per the agreed milestones, with the payment method and due date on it.
- Have a polite, systematic process to chase overdue invoices.
- Ask for a review (Module 8), and log the delivered engagement: the first client’s work delivered and paid.
Common mistake · Delivering great work, then being slow or awkward about invoicing and chasing, and leaving the business unpaid.
Time1–2 hrs CostFree DifficultyEasyResource for this step
CHECKLISTInvoice, payment and milestone kit
The finish line of your first 90 days. Raise the invoice, get paid, ask for a review, and log the milestone: the first client’s work delivered and paid.
What you’ll have after this stage
- A first client onboarded, with signed terms, a signed data agreement and scope on record
- A completed HR audit of contracts, policies and data, checked against current law
- A first project delivered inside scope, through the secure portal
- An invoice raised on agreed terms and the fee actually collected
- The milestone logged: the first client’s work delivered and paid