Your first week with a client sets the tone.

Do not let enthusiasm replace a start condition

Before production begins, confirm the agreed scope, payment arrangement, required inputs, named approver, and delivery dates. For marketplace work, follow that platform's contract and payment process. A friendly message is useful, but it does not resolve an unclear deliverable or an unfunded milestone.

Create one small project home

Use the client's approved workspace or a shared document to keep the scope, schedule, decisions, and deliverable links together. Choose a structure both people can maintain. Five new tools can create more confusion than one tidy folder. Make sure the client knows where to ask questions and how to provide consolidated feedback.

Request only the access you need

List the systems needed for the agreed work and the minimum appropriate role in each. Ask for an invitation through the system's access controls. Keep passwords and secrets out of project notes and AI prompts. Record who will remove access at the end; temporary permissions should not become an accidental permanent arrangement.

Agree on AI use before using client material

Explain the proposed task, tool, type of input, review process, and what will leave the client's environment. “I use AI” is too vague to support an informed choice. If permission is uncertain, use synthetic examples or keep the work manual while you clarify. An AI-generated draft still needs a qualified person to check it.

Send a welcome note that answers the obvious questions

Name the first deliverable, what you need, when you will send an update, and how feedback will be handled. Avoid promising immediate availability at all times. A clear response window and a defined escalation route help the client plan. State what happens to the schedule if required inputs arrive late.

Deliver an early checkpoint

Choose a small artifact that lets the client correct direction before the expensive part: an outline, a source inventory, a workflow map, or a sample section. Explain what feedback you need at this stage. Asking the client to approve a rough structure is different from asking for final copy approval.

Close the loop at the end of week one

Send what was completed, what comes next, what is blocked, and any decision required. When new work appears, record the impact and obtain agreement before expanding the scope. Good onboarding does not eliminate change; it makes change easier to discuss.

Use the welcome note, send a weekly update, and prepare the final handoff.