SOPWAREHOUSESOP

New Client Onboarding

Structured onboarding procedure for bringing a new warehouse client live, covering the onboarding project plan, requirements gathering, contract and SLA confirmation, WMS and integration setup, physical setup and slotting, client-specific work instructions, staff training, initial inventory receipt, the go-live checklist, hypercare, and the post-go-live review that hands the account to account management.

Audience
The onboarding project owner, operations and account managers, WMS and IT administrators, the inventory control lead, and the supervisors and trainers who prepare floor staff for a new client's requirements
Review cycle
annual
Last reviewed
2026-08-17
Revision
1

What is in the procedure

8 sections. Regulatory language is fixed and passes through verbatim. Sections marked customized get rewritten around your facility, your equipment, and your job titles.

  1. 01

    Purpose

    Fixed

    This procedure defines how this facility brings a new client live: a single onboarding project with a named owner and a target go-live date, a complete picture of the client's items and requirements gathered before...

  2. 02

    Scope

    Customized

    This procedure applies to every new client brought into the facility, and to any existing client adding a product line, channel, or service that materially changes items, systems integration, storage, or billing, which...

  3. 03

    Responsibilities

    Customized

    Every onboarding has exactly one project owner, named in the project plan on day one, who runs the plan, chairs the client calls, tracks open items, and is the single point of contact for the client until handoff.

  4. 04

    Procedure: Project Kickoff and Requirements Gathering

    Fixed

    1. Open the project within 3 business days of signature: create the onboarding project plan from the standard plan template, name the project owner, and set a target go-live date agreed with the client.

  5. 05

    Procedure: Contract Confirmation and Systems Setup

    Customized

    1. Before configuration, the project owner and the billing contact walk the signed contract and confirm two lists in writing: which KPIs are contractual, with their measurement definitions and reporting cadence, and...

  6. 06

    Procedure: Physical Setup, Work Instructions, and Training

    Customized

    1. The operations manager converts the requirements packet into a physical plan: storage type by item class, whether rack, floor stack, shelving, or secure cage, a slotting plan that places the projected fast movers in...

  7. 07

    Procedure: Go-Live, Hypercare, and Project Close

    Fixed

    1. Go-live happens only when the go-live checklist is complete: requirements packet closed, contract and billing confirmation signed, WMS configuration and item master built, integration testing signed off in both...

  8. 08

    References

    Fixed

    The onboarding project plan template and go-live checklist template.

Best practice

New Client Onboarding: no regulation to cite

No public-domain regulation governs this procedure, so it cites nothing rather than inventing authority. It documents the process discipline customers, insurers, and auditors ask to see in writing.

Compliance checklist

What an inspector looks for

  • Every onboarding project has a named project owner, a written project plan with task owners and due dates, and a target go-live date agreed with the client

  • The requirements packet is complete before configuration begins, including a verified item master with dimensions and weights, lot, serial, and expiry requirements, special handling, hazmat disclosure, and value-added work

  • Contractual KPIs and billable events are confirmed in writing against the signed contract before go-live, and billing event capture is configured in the WMS

  • Integration testing is completed and signed off with test orders in both directions, including exception transactions, before any live order flows

  • The slotting plan, label stock, packing spec, and client-specific work instructions are in place before the first receipt

  • Every employee who will handle the client's product is trained on the client's requirements before go-live, with signed training records

  • Initial inventory is received as a counted receipt, discrepancies are reported to the client before putaway, and the client confirms the opening baseline

  • The go-live checklist is signed before go-live, and any waived item carries a written waiver with a closure date

  • Hypercare runs with daily client calls until exit criteria are met, and exit is confirmed with the client on a stated date

  • A post-go-live review is completed within 30 days, lessons feed back into this SOP and its templates, and the account is formally handed off to account management

Waitlist

Generate this SOP for your facility

At launch you answer the facility questionnaire once and this template comes back with your equipment, your titles, and your sign-off sheet attached.

First access at launch, plus launch pricing locked for a year.

This page is informational and is not legal advice. Have a qualified safety professional review any procedure before it goes into service at your facility.