Illustrative process

Accounting: onboarding a new business client

A prospective bookkeeping client submits an intake form with their business name, contact details, existing software and the services they want to discuss.

Reuse the agreed business and contact details while preparing the engagement, document requests and onboarding work.

Same request, same business systems

See what could change.

These models illustrate possible ways of working. They are not a client result, a live integration or an executable workflow. What works for your business depends on your tools, permissions and the checks you need.

Before

Manual handoffs

The same request is read, copied or passed between people and systems.

1. Client-intake form
Read the submission and follow up any missing business details.
2. Practice client record
Re-enter the business and contact details into the practice system.
3. Engagement letter
Copy details into a letter and assemble the proposed services.
4. Document workspace
Create a folder, prepare a document list and send separate requests.
5. Onboarding task board
Copy the agreed work into tasks, assign people and chase missing items.

Possible improvement

Connected handoffs

Client-intake form and Practice client record. Keep the original request and check the shared record. Check the business, contact details and requested services once.

Engagement letter: Agree the engagement. Prepare the letter from checked details. A person reviews the services and agrees the scope.

Independent work can happen in parallel

Document workspace

Prepare document requests

Create the workspace and checklist for the agreed services.

Onboarding task board

Prepare onboarding tasks

Create linked tasks and assign the agreed work from the same scope.

Documents and permissions checked. A person follows up missing information and confirms access before dependent work begins.

Onboarding prepared, with requests and work kept together.

A person still makes the decisions. Unclear services, incomplete details, missing permissions or a changed scope stay with the practice for review.

Flow reference diagrams

Explore the process.

Open a full-size diagram to inspect it. The original Flow definitions remain unpublished drafts. These reference snapshots do not run a process.

Before

Manual handoffs

Open the full-size overview · Download this BPMN draft snapshot

Source and validation details

This reference was prepared from approved unpublished draft b235a665-5a68-4a49-b1fd-d064fd5feec2. The source remains a draft and is not ready for native publication.

Source BPMN SHA-256: 0881109b7b72bb37d9c1ccb33df6ae98b79975172190677c0225aa9dab00e944
Reference BPMN SHA-256: d2ab2443356225824e44bafd9793b905dc976b7bc44039831cd7e024918a7013

The reference removes historical review metadata from the source documentation. The process and diagram layout are unchanged. Native validation recorded the following warnings:

QUALITY_GATE_04: Error / Exception Paths: Zero boundary events : no error paths
QUALITY_GATE_08: SLA & Timing Metadata: No SLA targets set on any step

Read this diagram as text

Activities and decisions

Intake submitted (start, Client-intake form)
Request not proceeding (end, Practice client record)
Engagement not agreed (end, Engagement letter)
Create folders and requests (person's task, Document workspace)
Copy scope into task board (person's task, Onboarding task board)
Confirm onboarding prepared (person's task, Onboarding task board)
Onboarding prepared (end, Onboarding task board)
Review original request (detailed phase, Practice client record)
Ready to proceed? (decision, Practice client record)
Agree engagement (detailed phase, Engagement letter)
Ready to proceed? (decision, Engagement letter)
Confirm documents and access (detailed phase, Document workspace)
Agreed business details and engagement scope (information)

Connections

Intake submitted → Review original request
Create folders and requests → Copy scope into task board
Copy scope into task board → Confirm documents and access
Confirm onboarding prepared → Onboarding prepared
Review original request → Ready to proceed?
Ready to proceed? → Request not proceeding: Not confirmed
Ready to proceed? → Agree engagement: Confirmed
Agree engagement → Ready to proceed?
Ready to proceed? → Engagement not agreed: Not confirmed
Ready to proceed? → Create folders and requests: Confirmed
Confirm documents and access → Confirm onboarding prepared

Incoming messages

Prospective client → Intake submitted: Original request

Information used and produced

Agree engagement creates Agreed business details and engagement scope

View detailed process diagrams

Detailed BPMN diagram: Review original request — Review original request

Read this diagram as text

Activities and decisions

Phase started (start, Practice client record)
Read request and re-enter details (person's task, Practice client record)
Request usable? (decision, Practice client record)
Clarify request with sender (person's task, Practice client record)
Proceed with clarified request? (decision, Practice client record)
exclusiveGateway (request-ready) (decision, Practice client record)
Needs owner decision (end, Practice client record)
Phase ready (end, Practice client record)

Connections

Phase started → Read request and re-enter details
Read request and re-enter details → Request usable?
Request usable? → exclusiveGateway (request-ready): Usable
Request usable? → Clarify request with sender: Needs review
Clarify request with sender → Proceed with clarified request?
Proceed with clarified request? → exclusiveGateway (request-ready): Confirmed
Proceed with clarified request? → Needs owner decision: Not confirmed
exclusiveGateway (request-ready) → Phase ready

Incoming messages

Information used and produced

Detailed BPMN diagram: Agree engagement — Agree engagement

Read this diagram as text

Activities and decisions

Phase started (start, Engagement letter)
Prepare engagement letter (person's task, Engagement letter)
Agree engagement scope (person's task, Engagement letter)
Engagement agreed? (decision, Engagement letter)
Clarify services and proposed scope (person's task, Engagement letter)
Agreement now confirmed? (decision, Engagement letter)
exclusiveGateway (agreement-merge) (decision, Engagement letter)
Needs owner decision (end, Engagement letter)
Phase ready (end, Engagement letter)

Connections

Phase started → Prepare engagement letter
Prepare engagement letter → Agree engagement scope
Agree engagement scope → Engagement agreed?
Engagement agreed? → exclusiveGateway (agreement-merge): Agreed
Engagement agreed? → Clarify services and proposed scope: Needs clarification
Clarify services and proposed scope → Agreement now confirmed?
Agreement now confirmed? → exclusiveGateway (agreement-merge): Confirmed
Agreement now confirmed? → Needs owner decision: Not confirmed
exclusiveGateway (agreement-merge) → Phase ready

Incoming messages

Information used and produced

Detailed BPMN diagram: Confirm documents and access — Confirm documents and access

Read this diagram as text

Activities and decisions

Phase started (start, Document workspace)
Check documents and permissions (person's task, Document workspace)
Details usable? (decision, Document workspace)
Clarify missing or changed details (person's task, Document workspace)
exclusiveGateway (access-review-merge) (decision, Document workspace)
Phase ready (end, Document workspace)

Connections

Phase started → Check documents and permissions
Check documents and permissions → Details usable?
Details usable? → exclusiveGateway (access-review-merge): Usable
Details usable? → Clarify missing or changed details: Clarification needed
Clarify missing or changed details → exclusiveGateway (access-review-merge)
exclusiveGateway (access-review-merge) → Phase ready

Incoming messages

Information used and produced

Possible improvement

Connected handoffs

Open the full-size overview · Download this BPMN draft snapshot

Source and validation details

This reference was prepared from approved unpublished draft faed99c9-1000-495d-93f9-bac512740b3f. The source remains a draft and is not ready for native publication.

Source BPMN SHA-256: 3fc02439130c46d62141a7eb8f3b4fe1b241093b2f95a9bed1aa2d230d7282f3
Reference BPMN SHA-256: 3b4d4019dd11b8883ea96756ff715e9e39d5b0f18cad883b9effb8af6bba6538

The reference removes historical review metadata from the source documentation. The process and diagram layout are unchanged. Native validation recorded the following warnings:

QUALITY_GATE_04: Error / Exception Paths: Zero boundary events : no error paths
QUALITY_GATE_08: SLA & Timing Metadata: No SLA targets set on any step
QUALITY_GATE_09: Edge Routing & Label Clarity: 4/6 gateway edges have labels

Read this diagram as text

Activities and decisions

Intake submitted (start, Client-intake form)
Request not proceeding (end, Practice client record)
Engagement not agreed (end, Engagement letter)
Prepare workspace and requests (proposed system task, Document workspace)
Prepare onboarding tasks (proposed system task, Onboarding task board)
parallelGateway (prepare-fork) (parallel split or join, Engagement letter)
parallelGateway (prepare-join) (parallel split or join, Onboarding task board)
Confirm onboarding prepared (person's task, Onboarding task board)
Onboarding prepared (end, Onboarding task board)
Review original request (detailed phase, Practice client record)
Ready to proceed? (decision, Practice client record)
Agree engagement (detailed phase, Engagement letter)
Ready to proceed? (decision, Engagement letter)
Confirm documents and access (detailed phase, Document workspace)
Agreed business details and engagement scope (information)

Connections

Intake submitted → Review original request
Prepare workspace and requests → parallelGateway (prepare-join)
Prepare onboarding tasks → parallelGateway (prepare-join)
parallelGateway (prepare-fork) → Prepare workspace and requests
parallelGateway (prepare-fork) → Prepare onboarding tasks
parallelGateway (prepare-join) → Confirm documents and access
Confirm onboarding prepared → Onboarding prepared
Review original request → Ready to proceed?
Ready to proceed? → Request not proceeding: Not confirmed
Ready to proceed? → Agree engagement: Confirmed
Agree engagement → Ready to proceed?
Ready to proceed? → Engagement not agreed: Not confirmed
Ready to proceed? → parallelGateway (prepare-fork): Confirmed
Confirm documents and access → Confirm onboarding prepared

Incoming messages

Prospective client → Intake submitted: Original request

Information used and produced

Prepare workspace and requests uses Agreed business details and engagement scope
Prepare onboarding tasks uses Agreed business details and engagement scope
Agree engagement creates Agreed business details and engagement scope

View detailed process diagrams

Read this diagram as text

Activities and decisions

Phase started (start, Practice client record)
Check shared request details (person's task, Practice client record)
Request usable? (decision, Practice client record)
Clarify request with sender (person's task, Practice client record)
Proceed with clarified request? (decision, Practice client record)
exclusiveGateway (request-ready) (decision, Practice client record)
Needs owner decision (end, Practice client record)
Phase ready (end, Practice client record)

Connections

Phase started → Check shared request details
Check shared request details → Request usable?
Request usable? → exclusiveGateway (request-ready): Usable
Request usable? → Clarify request with sender: Needs review
Clarify request with sender → Proceed with clarified request?
Proceed with clarified request? → exclusiveGateway (request-ready): Confirmed
Proceed with clarified request? → Needs owner decision: Not confirmed
exclusiveGateway (request-ready) → Phase ready

Incoming messages

Information used and produced

Read this diagram as text

Activities and decisions

Phase started (start, Engagement letter)
Prepare engagement letter (proposed system task, Engagement letter)
Agree engagement scope (person's task, Engagement letter)
Engagement agreed? (decision, Engagement letter)
Clarify services and proposed scope (person's task, Engagement letter)
Agreement now confirmed? (decision, Engagement letter)
exclusiveGateway (agreement-merge) (decision, Engagement letter)
Needs owner decision (end, Engagement letter)
Phase ready (end, Engagement letter)

Connections

Phase started → Prepare engagement letter
Prepare engagement letter → Agree engagement scope
Agree engagement scope → Engagement agreed?
Engagement agreed? → exclusiveGateway (agreement-merge): Agreed
Engagement agreed? → Clarify services and proposed scope: Needs clarification
Clarify services and proposed scope → Agreement now confirmed?
Agreement now confirmed? → exclusiveGateway (agreement-merge): Confirmed
Agreement now confirmed? → Needs owner decision: Not confirmed
exclusiveGateway (agreement-merge) → Phase ready

Incoming messages

Information used and produced

Read this diagram as text

Activities and decisions

Phase started (start, Document workspace)
Check documents and permissions (person's task, Document workspace)
Details usable? (decision, Document workspace)
Clarify missing or changed details (person's task, Document workspace)
exclusiveGateway (access-review-merge) (decision, Document workspace)
Phase ready (end, Document workspace)

Connections

Phase started → Check documents and permissions
Check documents and permissions → Details usable?
Details usable? → exclusiveGateway (access-review-merge): Usable
Details usable? → Clarify missing or changed details: Clarification needed
Clarify missing or changed details → exclusiveGateway (access-review-merge)
exclusiveGateway (access-review-merge) → Phase ready

Incoming messages

Information used and produced

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