Client Portal Build Offer (10-18 days)
A productized engagement that turns a client's scattered spreadsheets, inboxes, and shared drives into a branded, permissioned portal built on a visual development platform. The offer targets agencies that already run retainers and want a repeatable delivery pattern instead of one-off custom builds. Time: 10-18 days.
By InnovaAI ResearchPublished
How do you implement it?
Client Portal Build Offer (10-18 days)
A productized engagement that turns a client's scattered spreadsheets, inboxes, and shared drives into a branded, permissioned portal built on a visual development platform. The offer targets agencies that already run retainers and want a repeatable delivery pattern instead of one-off custom builds.
- A signed scope that names the single business process the portal replaces, not a wishlist of features Read access to the client's current data sources (spreadsheet exports, CRM records, form submissions) plus a named data owner on their side Written confirmation of who sees which records, since role and permission design drives most of the build effort A staging environment on the chosen platform and a test account for at least two client-side reviewers Agreed change-control rule: anything outside the documented process becomes a separate quoted phase
- 1.Interview the process owner and two end users separately
- 2.Map the current workflow step by step, including every manual hand-off
- 3.Record baseline cycle time and error rate for the process being replaced
- 1.Inventory every data source the portal must read from or write to
- 2.Flag fields with inconsistent formats, duplicates, or missing owners
- 3.Confirm which records are client-visible versus internal-only
- 1.Draft the entity model: tables, relationships, and required fields
- 2.Define role tiers and the exact permissions attached to each
- 3.Get written sign-off on the data model before any screen is built
- 1.Build the core data structure on the chosen platform
- 2.Import a representative sample of real records, not placeholder rows
- 3.Verify record counts and spot-check 20 entries against the source
- 1.Assemble the primary list and detail views
- 2.Apply role-based visibility rules and test with two different logins
- 3.Confirm the client's brand assets render correctly on mobile widths
- 1.Wire the intake forms and validation rules
- 2.Connect the first integration to the client's existing system of record
- 3.Log every failed sync with its error message for the review call
- 1.Build the notification and approval flow end to end
- 2.Test the unhappy path: rejected record, missing field, duplicate submission
- 3.Document the escalation owner for each failure type
- 1.Run a full walkthrough with the process owner
- 2.Capture every requested change in a single numbered list
- 3.Separate must-fix defects from phase-two requests in writing
- 1.Resolve the must-fix defects and re-test the affected flows
- 2.Load a second sample batch to confirm the import holds at volume
- 3.Check page load time on the heaviest list view
- 1.Run a parallel week: client staff use the portal alongside the old process
- 2.Collect daily friction notes from at least three users
- 3.Measure the same cycle-time and error metrics captured on day one
- 1.Fix the top three friction points surfaced during parallel running
- 2.Freeze the build and tag the release version
- 3.Prepare the handover documentation and a short screen recording
- 1.Train the client admin on user management and basic edits
- 2.Deliver the runbook covering backups, exports, and who to call
- 3.Confirm the retainer scope for ongoing changes and support
The build is priced against the hours the client currently spends on manual coordination, so the fee is anchored to a labor line the client already pays rather than to platform subscription cost. Because the data model, permission pattern, and approval flow are reusable, the second and third portal builds for similar clients take roughly half the days while the fee stays near the first engagement. The monthly retainer covers platform administration and change requests, which converts a one-time build into recurring revenue attached to a system the client depends on daily.
- A documented entity model and role-permission matrix signed off by the client A working portal with list views, detail views, intake forms, and at least one live integration A parallel-run report comparing baseline and post-launch cycle time and error rate An admin runbook covering user management, exports, backups, and escalation paths A phase-two backlog with each item scoped and priced separately
The client's staff complete one full week of live work inside the portal with no fallback to the old process, and the process owner signs the parallel-run report confirming the agreed cycle-time target was met.