Client Offboarding Checklist

Engagement Manager pulls the SOW from the contract repository and records the client legal name, engagement code, MSA reference, and primary day-to-day contact. These identifiers feed every downstream step — getting them wrong means the wrong invoice goes to the wrong AP contact.

Closeout mechanics differ by fee structure. Fixed-fee engagements need a deliverable acceptance signoff before final invoice; T&M engagements need a final time-tracking cutoff; retainers need explicit non-renewal notice per the SOW notice period.

Practice Manager closes the engagement code in Harvest / BigTime / Replicon to a hard cutoff. Any post-cutoff hours need explicit Engagement Partner approval — otherwise late time entries land after the final invoice ships and you eat the hours.

Engagement Manager pulls the work-in-progress report and reconciles billed-to-date plus unbilled hours against the SOW ceiling and any executed change orders. Flag overages now — surfacing them in the final invoice without prior client conversation is how disputes start.

Send the final invoice with detailed line items, the engagement code, and the PO number the client AP team requires. Reference the SOW payment terms (Net 30 / 45 / 60) and the deliverable acceptance memo if fixed-fee.

Operations confirms the wire / ACH has cleared and the AR ledger shows zero balance. If payment is past Net-30, escalate to the Engagement Partner before sending a second-notice — relationship-aware collections beat form-letter dunning every time.

Engagement Partner contacts the client sponsor directly — not just AP — to resolve the outstanding balance. Document the agreed payment plan or dispute resolution path; do not move to closeout while AR is open.

If unused retainer or prepaid hours remain, process the refund through Operations per the SOW's unused-funds clause. Confirm the client's banking details directly with the AP contact captured at intake — never trust a refund-routing change that arrives by email alone.

Engagement Manager assembles the final deliverable set: client-ready deck, supporting model, source data references, and any operating playbooks. Strip out internal comments, draft watermarks, and any background-IP that the SOW carves out as firm-owned.

Senior Manager or Principal runs the firm's standard challenge session on the final package — fact-check, source-trace, and reread the executive summary against the SOW objectives. The QA gate exists so junior-staffed work doesn't reach the client without senior review.

Email confirmation from the client sponsor stating the deliverables meet the SOW is sufficient — formal countersignature is rarely required for advisory work but always appreciated. For fixed-fee engagements, acceptance is the trigger for the final invoice.

IT removes engagement team accounts from the client VDI, SSO, VPN, and any guest tenants. Lingering access after engagement end is a top finding in client-side security audits — and a real liability if the consultant later joins a competitor.

Per the engagement's DPA / NDA, return client data via the agreed encrypted channel or destroy it and provide a destruction certificate. EU-client engagements must follow GDPR Article 5(1)(e) storage-limitation timelines. Default firm policy is purge-90-days-after-closeout unless retention is explicitly required.

Knowledge Manager archives the SOW, change orders, final deliverables, decisions log, and key client correspondence to the firm's engagement archive. Apply the firm's record-retention tag — typically 7 years for financial records, longer for engagements with potential ongoing liability exposure.

For retainer or evergreen engagements, issue written non-renewal per the SOW notice period — typically 30 or 60 days. Auto-renewing retainers that nobody cancels in time are a recurring source of awkward client conversations and unwanted invoices.

Engagement Manager schedules a 60-minute internal retrospective with the full delivery team while memory is fresh. Capture what worked, what didn't, scope-creep moments, and any methodology updates to feed back into the firm playbook.

Write a one-page anonymized case study covering problem, approach, deliverables, and measurable outcome. Even if the client withholds named-reference consent, the sanitized version compounds into firm IP and is the raw material for future proposals.

Engagement Partner emails the client sponsor with explicit asks: named reference, anonymized case study, named case study, and conference / blog mention. Get it in writing while the goodwill is highest — six months from now the contact may have moved jobs.

Send the firm's standard NPS / CSAT survey to the client sponsor and the day-to-day contact. Keep it short — under 6 questions — and route results to the Engagement Partner for follow-up on any score below the firm's threshold.

Business Development updates the Salesforce / HubSpot record to alumni-client status, sets a 90-day check-in task for the Account Director, and tags the contact for the firm's quarterly newsletter. Most repeat business comes from past clients — the CRM hygiene at closeout is what makes that pipeline real.