client-onboarding-design · diff
v1.0.0 to v1.0.1
95 added, 68 removed. Audit A to A.
---
name: client-onboarding-design
description: "Use this skill when designing the FSC client onboarding process — mapping document collection touchpoints, approval steps, compliance checkpoint sequencing, and welcome journey handoffs. Trigger keywords: client onboarding design, onboarding workflow requirements, document collection flow, compliance checkpoint, welcome journey, intake process design. NOT for configuring the Action Plan template itself — use admin/fsc-action-plans. NOT for OmniScript screen and branching requirements — use admin/omniscript-flow-design-requirements."
category: admin
salesforce-version: "Spring '25+"
well-architected-pillars:
- Operational Excellence
- Security
- Reliability
triggers:
- "how should I design the FSC client onboarding workflow to include document collection, compliance checks, and welcome journey handoffs"
- "what touchpoints do I need to map before building an onboarding process in Financial Services Cloud"
- "the compliance team wants defined approval steps and document checkpoints built into our new client intake process"
- "we need to decide whether to use OmniStudio or standard Flow for our FSC onboarding guided intake"
- "how do I structure client onboarding governance so advisors can update the process without breaking active onboarding journeys"
+ - "sequence KYC before account funding in an Action Plan template"
+ - "track required onboarding documents with document checklist items"
tags:
- client-onboarding-design
- financial-services-cloud
- onboarding-process
- action-plan-templates
- compliance-checkpoints
- document-collection
- welcome-journey
- omnistudio
- screen-flow
inputs:
- Business requirements for the onboarding process (who owns each step, what documents are required, what compliance checks are mandated)
- FSC license details — confirm whether OmniStudio is licensed separately or if standard Flows are the intake tool
- List of approval steps and the roles or queues responsible for each
- Compliance or regulatory requirements that dictate sequencing (e.g., KYC before account funding, consent capture before data processing)
- Target Salesforce objects that anchor the onboarding record (Account, FinancialAccount, Opportunity)
- Existing process maps, intake forms, or welcome journey touchpoints from the business
outputs:
- Onboarding process map with sequenced stages, owners, document touchpoints, and compliance gates
- Technology selection rationale (OmniStudio vs. Screen Flow for intake, Action Plans for task execution)
- Action Plan template design brief for the fsc-action-plans skill to implement
- - Template versioning governance recommendation (clone-and-republish protocol)
+ - Template versioning governance recommendation (version-and-republish protocol)
- Welcome journey handoff specification (trigger, recipient, channel, timing)
- Compliance checkpoint sequencing with escalation paths
dependencies: []
- version: 1.0.0
+ version: 1.0.1
author: Pranav Nagrecha
- updated: 2026-04-11
+ updated: 2026-10-03
---
# Client Onboarding Design
- This skill activates when a practitioner needs to design the end-to-end FSC client onboarding process — mapping document collection touchpoints, sequencing compliance checkpoints, defining approval steps, and specifying welcome journey handoffs before any platform configuration begins. It does NOT cover Action Plan template configuration mechanics (see fsc-action-plans), OmniStudio component implementation details, or Flow builder construction.
+ This skill activates when a practitioner needs to design the end-to-end FSC client onboarding process: document collection touchpoints, compliance checkpoint sequencing, approval steps, and welcome journey handoffs, before any platform configuration begins. It does NOT cover Action Plan template configuration mechanics (see `admin/fsc-action-plans`), OmniStudio component implementation, or Flow construction.
+ Licence gate: Action Plan templates need the IndustriesActionPlans license (plus Customize Application to create them). Document checklist items are documented in the Financial Services Cloud developer guide, and some of their fields exist only with Integrated Onboarding for Agentforce Financial Services enabled.
+
---
## Before Starting
Gather this context before working on anything in this domain:
- - Confirm whether OmniStudio is licensed in the org. OmniStudio FlexCards and OmniScripts are a separately licensed add-on — they are not included with the base FSC license. If OmniStudio is not licensed, standard Screen Flows are the native fallback for guided intake. Do not assume OmniStudio availability without checking the org's installed packages and license entitlements.
- - Identify the compliance and regulatory requirements that govern sequencing. In financial services, certain steps are legally mandatory in a specific order (e.g., KYC identity verification before account funding, consent capture before any data processing). These constraints drive the entire workflow structure and cannot be compromised for UX convenience.
- - Understand the template versioning constraint before designing process governance. Action Plan templates — the primary task execution mechanism — cannot be edited after activation. Publishing a revised process requires a clone-and-republish workflow. This constraint must be designed into governance from day one: who owns template versioning, how changes are requested, and how in-flight onboarding journeys are handled during a version transition.
- - Establish the anchor record for onboarding. In FSC, the process typically centers on a FinancialAccount or Account record. Clarifying the anchor object determines which Action Plan template types can be used and how the welcome journey trigger is configured.
+ - Confirm whether OmniStudio is available in the org (check installed packages and licences). If it is not, standard Screen Flows are the native fallback for guided intake. UNVERIFIED (2026-10-03): that OmniStudio is always a separately licensed add-on to FSC is a commercial claim not stated in the guides read.
+ - Identify the regulatory sequencing rules (KYC before account funding, consent before data processing). They drive the workflow structure and cannot be traded for UX convenience.
+ - Understand template versioning before designing governance. Each template has versions (`ActionPlanTemplateVersion`) whose `Status` is `Draft`, `Final` (published), `Obsolete`, or `ReadOnly`, and a plan can only be created from a published version. Design who owns new versions and how in-flight plans are handled.
+ - Establish the anchor record. The Metadata API lists supported template parents as Account, BusinessMilestone, Campaign, Case, Claim, Contact, Contract, InsurancePolicy, InsurancePolicyCoverage, Lead, Opportunity, PersonLifeEvent, Visit, and custom objects with activities. The object reference lists Financial Account as a plan parent from API 48.0. Confirm the anchor in a sandbox before committing.
---
+ ## Questions to Ask Before Configuring
+
+ Ask these before drawing the process map. Each one traces to a gotcha in `references/gotchas.md`.
+
+ | Question | Why it matters | What a good answer adds | What proper configuration adds over just doing it |
+ |---|---|---|---|
+ | "Which steps must finish before the next can start, by regulation?" | Sequencing between items is an explicit dependency (`OnPreviousItemCompleted`), not a side effect of marking a task required (gotcha 2) | The dependency pairs, each with its legal basis | A plan that cannot send funding instructions before KYC is complete |
+ | "Which record anchors onboarding: Account, Financial Account, Opportunity?" | Template parent support differs between the Metadata API list and the plan object list (gotcha 3) | One anchor object, tested in a sandbox | Templates that launch from the record users actually work on |
+ | "Which documents are required, and can a document ever be waived?" | Document checklist items have `Status` values `Accepted`, `New`, `Pending`, `Waived`, and `IsRequired` cannot be changed after creation (gotcha 5) | A document list with required flags and a waiver policy | Document tracking that matches compliance rules from the first client |
+ | "How will the process change after go-live, and what happens to clients mid-onboarding?" | A plan stays bound to the published version it was created from (gotcha 1) | A version owner, a change protocol, and an in-flight policy | Regulatory changes shipped as a reviewed new version, not an emergency edit |
+ | "Are SLAs in calendar days, weekdays, or business days with holidays?" | Due dates come from `StartDate + N` formulas; holiday handling is a plan-level flag (gotcha 4) | The SLA definition per gate | Due dates that compliance agrees with |
+ | "Is OmniStudio available, or is Screen Flow the intake tool?" | Designing OmniScript intake without the product causes rework (gotcha 6) | The intake tool with its licence basis | An intake design the team can build |
+
+ What a proper onboarding design adds over "just building tasks": the platform enforces the regulatory order, document status is auditable, and process changes reach new clients without disturbing clients already in flight.
+
+ ---
+
## Core Concepts
- ### Action Plan Templates as Task Execution Layer
+ ### Action Plan Templates as the Task Execution Layer
- Action Plan templates are the primary mechanism for structured task sequences in FSC onboarding. A template is a reusable blueprint (ActionPlanTemplate) containing ordered task items (ActionPlanTemplateItem) with relative deadlines expressed as days from the plan start date. At process design time, the practitioner must define the full task inventory — names, owners, deadline offsets, and required vs. optional flags — so the template can be implemented correctly by the fsc-action-plans skill. The critical constraint: once a template is published (Status = Active), it cannot be edited. Any revision requires cloning the active template, modifying the clone in Draft status, then publishing the new version. This governance constraint must be reflected in the process design.
+ An Action Plan template is a reusable blueprint (`ActionPlanTemplate`) with versions (`ActionPlanTemplateVersion`) holding ordered items (`ActionPlanTemplateItem`). Each item has an `ItemEntityType` of `Task`, `Event` (API 63.0), `RecordAction`, or Document Checklist Item, a `DisplayOrder`, and an `IsRequired` flag. Item field values are set with `actionPlanTemplateItemValue` entries; a due date is a formula such as `StartDate + 10` on `ActivityDate`. From API 59.0, `actionPlanTemplateItemDependencies` make one item wait for another, with `creationType` `OnPreviousItemCompleted` in the guide's sample. The deployable form is in `references/metadata-examples.md`.
- ### OmniStudio vs. Screen Flow for Guided Intake
+ Versions and immutability: a version carries `IsLocked`, `MayEdit`, `ActivationDateTime`, and a `Version` index. A plan's `ActionPlanTemplateVersionId` must reference a published version at creation. UNVERIFIED (2026-10-03): the exact UI path for revising a published template (clone the template, or create a new version of the same template) is help-only; design governance around "a new published version", whichever path the org's release uses.
- Guided intake — collecting client information through a structured multi-step form — can be delivered two ways in FSC. OmniStudio OmniScripts provide a purpose-built, declarative, multi-step intake experience with branching logic, data integration steps, and reusable components (FlexCards for display). They are preferred for complex, multi-page intake flows in orgs that are licensed for OmniStudio. However, OmniStudio is a separately licensed add-on; it is not included with the base FSC license. Standard Screen Flows are the correct fallback for orgs without OmniStudio and are sufficient for most onboarding intake scenarios. At process design time, the practitioner must determine license availability before recommending either approach.
+ ### OmniStudio vs Screen Flow for Guided Intake
+ Guided intake can be an OmniScript (where OmniStudio is available) or a Screen Flow. Screen Flow is a standard platform capability and is sufficient for most onboarding intake. Choose after confirming availability.
+
### Compliance Checkpoint Sequencing
- Financial services onboarding is regulated. Process design must identify which compliance checkpoints are legally mandated, the minimum required sequence, and who has authority to clear each gate. Common checkpoints include: identity verification (KYC/AML), suitability assessment, consent capture, document collection confirmation, and advisor or compliance officer sign-off. Each checkpoint must have a defined escalation path (what happens if a document is missing or a verification step fails) and a clear owner. These checkpoints become required tasks in the Action Plan template and/or approval steps in the intake Flow.
+ Financial services onboarding is regulated. Identify each mandated checkpoint, the minimum sequence, who can clear it, and the escalation path. Common checkpoints: identity verification (KYC/AML), suitability assessment, consent capture, document collection confirmation, and advisor or compliance sign-off. In the platform, a checkpoint becomes a required item, and the order between checkpoints becomes an item dependency or an approval step.
+ ### Document Collection
+
+ Document checklist items (`DocumentChecklistItem`, API 47.0) track a required upload against a parent record (`ParentRecordId`). `Status` is `Accepted`, `New`, `Pending`, or `Waived`; `IsRequired` is set at creation only; `IsFrozen` locks the item. Document types are deployable as `DocumentType` metadata (API 59.0), and org behavior as `DocumentChecklistSettings` (API 55.0).
+
### Welcome Journey Handoffs
- The welcome journey begins after a client clears the initial onboarding gates. Design decisions include: the trigger event (plan task completion, record status change, or approval step outcome), the channel (email, SMS via Marketing Cloud or Messaging, or a portal notification), and the timing relative to account activation. The process design must specify the handoff clearly enough for the implementation team to configure the trigger without ambiguity — typically a named platform event, Flow-triggered action, or Marketing Cloud journey entry event.
+ The welcome journey starts after the client clears the onboarding gates. Specify the trigger event (a record status change, the plan's `ActionPlanState` reaching `Complete`, or an approval outcome), the channel, the timing, and the data payload, clearly enough that the implementation team can configure it without guessing.
---
## Common Patterns
### Phased Onboarding with Compliance Gates
- **When to use:** Regulatory requirements mandate that certain steps must be completed and verified before subsequent steps begin — for example, KYC clearance is required before account funding instructions are sent.
+ **When to use:** Regulation requires certain steps to finish and be verified before later steps begin, for example KYC clearance before funding instructions.
**How it works:**
- 1. Map the full onboarding journey into discrete phases: Pre-Onboarding (identity and eligibility checks), Document Collection, Compliance Review, Account Activation, and Welcome Journey.
- 2. Define a gate at the end of each phase. A gate is a required action — either a required task in an Action Plan, an approval step, or a Flow decision element — that must be completed before the next phase begins.
- 3. For each gate, identify: the owner, the SLA (how many business days before escalation), and the escalation path.
- 4. Map the resulting sequence to Action Plan template task items (required flag = true on gate tasks) and Screen Flow or OmniScript steps for intake collection.
- 5. Deliver the process map as a structured design brief before any configuration begins.
-
- **Why not the alternative:** Building the onboarding Flow or Action Plan template without a compliance-gated process map leads to out-of-order task execution, missed checkpoints, and regulatory risk that is expensive to remediate post-launch.
+ 1. Map the journey into phases: Pre-Onboarding, Document Collection, Compliance Review, Account Activation, Welcome Journey.
+ 2. Define a gate at the end of each phase: a required item whose completion releases the next phase's items through a dependency, or an approval step.
+ 3. For each gate record the owner, the SLA, and the escalation path.
+ 4. Map the sequence to template items (required gate items, dependencies between them) and to the intake Screen Flow or OmniScript.
+ 5. Deliver the process map as a design brief before configuration begins.
- ### Template Versioning Governance Design
+ ### Template Versioning Governance
- **When to use:** The business needs the ability to update onboarding process steps after go-live without disrupting clients who are already in the middle of onboarding.
+ **When to use:** The business must update onboarding steps after go-live without disrupting clients already in onboarding.
**How it works:**
- 1. Establish a named owner for Action Plan templates (typically the business system admin or process owner).
- 2. Define a change request protocol: who can request a process change, who approves it, and what lead time is required.
- 3. Document the clone-and-republish workflow: when a change is approved, the admin clones the active template, applies changes to the Draft clone, and publishes the clone as the new active version. The original template remains active and backs all in-flight plans.
- 4. Define a naming convention that includes a version indicator (e.g., "Client Onboarding v3") so teams can identify the current standard.
- 5. Establish a rule for in-flight plans: clients currently in onboarding on the prior version complete on that version. Do not attempt to migrate in-flight plans to the new version unless the change is a critical compliance correction.
-
- **Why not the alternative:** Without a governance design, admins attempt to edit active templates directly (which fails), or clone without naming conventions, creating a proliferation of unnamed template versions with no audit trail.
+ 1. Name a template owner (a role, not a person).
+ 2. Define the change protocol: who requests, who approves, and the lead time.
+ 3. Publish changes as a new version; plans already created stay on the version they started with.
+ 4. Use a naming convention with a version indicator (for example "Client Onboarding v3").
+ 5. Define the in-flight rule: clients complete on their starting version unless a regulator-mandated correction requires remediation of open plans.
---
## Decision Guidance
| Situation | Recommended Approach | Reason |
|---|---|---|
- | OmniStudio is licensed | Design guided intake as OmniScript | Purpose-built for multi-step intake with branching, reusable across FSC apps |
- | OmniStudio is NOT licensed | Design guided intake as Screen Flow | Standard platform capability, no additional license required, sufficient for most onboarding intake |
- | Compliance requires step ordering | Use required Action Plan tasks as gates | Required flag prevents plan completion until the gate task is closed; enforces sequence |
- | Process changes are anticipated post-launch | Build clone-and-republish governance into design | Published templates are immutable; governance must exist before first go-live |
- | Welcome journey is simple (single email) | Trigger via Flow record-triggered automation | No Marketing Cloud integration needed for a single email notification |
- | Welcome journey is multi-step or multi-channel | Design as Marketing Cloud journey entry event | Use a platform event or status field change as the journey trigger; specify the payload fields at design time |
- | Document collection is complex (many doc types, conditional requirements) | Map document requirements to Action Plan task items with doc type labels | Keeps document collection visible in the plan dashboard; avoids hidden checklist in a form |
+ | OmniStudio available | Guided intake as OmniScript | Purpose-built for multi-step intake |
+ | OmniStudio not available | Guided intake as Screen Flow | Standard platform capability |
+ | Regulation requires step order | Required items plus `OnPreviousItemCompleted` dependencies | The dependency, not the required flag, creates the order |
+ | Process changes expected after launch | Version governance from day one | Plans stay bound to their published version |
+ | Simple welcome (single email) | Record-triggered Flow on the trigger field | No Marketing Cloud dependency |
+ | Multi-step or multi-channel welcome | Marketing Cloud journey entry event | Specify the trigger field and payload at design time |
+ | Many document types with conditional requirements | Document checklist items as template items, typed with `DocumentType` | Status per document is visible and auditable |
---
## Recommended Workflow
- Step-by-step instructions for an AI agent or practitioner working on this task:
-
- 1. **Confirm license and feature baseline** — Verify whether OmniStudio is licensed (check installed packages). Confirm FSC is enabled and Action Plans is active. Establish which objects will anchor the onboarding record (FinancialAccount, Account, Opportunity).
- 2. **Gather requirements across all stakeholders** — Interview or review requirements from the advisor/relationship manager team (task ownership, SLAs), compliance team (mandatory checkpoints and their legal basis, escalation paths), operations team (document types, storage requirements), and IT or integration team (systems that must be notified at handoff points).
- 3. **Map the onboarding stages and compliance gates** — Produce a phased process map with discrete stages, gate conditions at each phase boundary, owners, SLAs, and escalation paths. This map is the primary deliverable before any configuration begins.
- 4. **Define the Action Plan task inventory** — For each stage, identify the tasks that belong in an Action Plan template: task name, owner role or queue, DaysFromStart offset, required or optional, and document type associated (if applicable). This becomes the design brief for the fsc-action-plans skill.
- 5. **Specify the intake flow design** — Based on license availability, document the guided intake as either an OmniScript design (steps, data elements, branching conditions) or a Screen Flow design (screens, variables, decision elements, record operations). Do not configure — document the design for the implementation team.
- 6. **Define the welcome journey handoff** — Specify the trigger event, the channel, the timing, and the data payload the downstream system (email, Marketing Cloud, portal) needs. If the trigger is a task completion or status change, name the specific field and value.
- 7. **Deliver governance design** — Document the template versioning protocol (owner, change request process, naming convention, in-flight plan policy) so it is in place before the first template is published.
+ 1. **Confirm licences and baseline.** Check OmniStudio availability, the IndustriesActionPlans license, and the anchor object's support for Action Plans in a sandbox.
+ 2. **Gather requirements from every stakeholder.** Advisors (ownership, SLAs), compliance (mandated checkpoints, legal basis, escalation), operations (document types, waivers, storage), integration (systems notified at handoff).
+ 3. **Map stages and compliance gates.** Produce a phased map with gates, owners, SLAs, and escalation paths, and list each regulatory ordering rule as a dependency pair.
+ 4. **Define the template item inventory.** Per item: name, `ItemEntityType`, owner role or queue, due-date formula (`StartDate + N`), required flag, document type, and the item it depends on.
+ 5. **Specify the intake design.** Document the OmniScript or Screen Flow screens, data elements, branching, and record operations for the implementation team.
+ 6. **Define the welcome journey handoff.** Trigger field and value, channel, timing, and payload.
+ 7. **Deliver governance.** Template owner, change protocol, naming convention, and in-flight policy, in place before the first version is published. Hand `references/metadata-examples.md` to the builder as the configuration target.
---
## Review Checklist
- Run through these before marking work in this area complete:
-
- - [ ] OmniStudio license status confirmed; intake approach (OmniScript vs. Screen Flow) selected accordingly
- - [ ] All compliance checkpoints identified with legal or regulatory basis documented
- - [ ] Process map includes gate conditions, owners, SLAs, and escalation paths at each phase boundary
- - [ ] Action Plan task inventory is complete (name, owner, DaysFromStart, required flag, doc type) and ready for fsc-action-plans implementation
- - [ ] Template versioning governance is documented with named owner and change protocol
- - [ ] Welcome journey handoff is specified with trigger, channel, timing, and data payload
+ - [ ] OmniStudio availability confirmed; intake tool chosen accordingly
+ - [ ] Every compliance checkpoint has a legal or regulatory basis recorded
+ - [ ] Every regulatory ordering rule is an item dependency or approval step, not only a required flag
+ - [ ] Anchor object tested as an Action Plan parent in a sandbox
+ - [ ] Item inventory complete (name, type, owner, due-date formula, required, document type, dependency)
+ - [ ] Document waiver policy defined, with `IsRequired` decided at creation
+ - [ ] Version governance documented with a named owner and change protocol
+ - [ ] Welcome journey handoff specified with trigger, channel, timing, and payload
- [ ] In-flight plan policy documented for version transitions
---
## Salesforce-Specific Gotchas
- Non-obvious platform behaviors that cause real production problems:
+ The deep versions, with sources, live in `references/gotchas.md`.
- 1. **Action Plan templates cannot be edited after activation** — Once an ActionPlanTemplate is published (Status = Active), all edits are locked at the platform level. Attempting to revise the task list in a live template returns an error. Governance for this must be designed before go-live, not discovered in production when a compliance change is urgently required.
- 2. **OmniStudio requires a separate license** — OmniStudio FlexCards and OmniScripts are not included with the base FSC license. Recommending OmniStudio without confirming the license adds implementation risk and potential licensing cost surprises. Always check the org's installed packages before designing for OmniStudio.
- 3. **In-flight plans are not updated when a new template version is published** — Publishing a clone of an active template does not retroactively update plans already in progress. Clients who started onboarding under version 1 complete under version 1 even if version 2 has been published. The process design must account for how the business wants to handle the transition window.
+ | # | Gotcha | One-line consequence |
+ |---|---|---|
+ | 1 | Plans stay bound to the published version they started from | A new version does not fix clients already in flight |
+ | 2 | Order between items needs a dependency, not just `IsRequired` | Gate tasks exist but nothing stops the next phase |
+ | 3 | Template parent lists differ between guides | Financial Account anchoring must be tested |
+ | 4 | Due dates are `StartDate + N` formulas; holiday handling is a plan flag | "Business day" SLAs drift from compliance's definition |
+ | 5 | Document checklist `IsRequired` is fixed at creation | Waivers must use `Waived`, not an edit to the flag |
+ | 6 | OmniStudio availability must be confirmed | OmniScript designs stall without the product |
+ | 7 | A 75-item ceiling is unconfirmed | Very large templates need a sandbox test |
---
## Output Artifacts
| Artifact | Description |
|---|---|
- | Onboarding process map | Phased workflow diagram with stage gates, owners, SLAs, and compliance checkpoints |
- | Action Plan task inventory | Per-task list (name, owner, DaysFromStart, required flag, doc type) as input to fsc-action-plans |
- | Technology selection rationale | Document confirming OmniStudio vs. Screen Flow choice with license basis |
- | Welcome journey handoff spec | Trigger event, channel, timing, and data payload definition |
- | Template versioning governance | Owner, change protocol, naming convention, in-flight plan policy |
+ | Onboarding process map | Phases with gates, owners, SLAs, and compliance checkpoints |
+ | Template item inventory | Per item: type, owner, due-date formula, required flag, document type, dependency |
+ | Technology selection rationale | OmniStudio vs Screen Flow with licence basis |
+ | Welcome journey handoff spec | Trigger, channel, timing, and data payload |
+ | Version governance | Owner, change protocol, naming convention, in-flight policy |
---
## Related Skills
- - admin/fsc-action-plans — Covers Action Plan template configuration mechanics; use after this skill's task inventory design brief is complete
- - admin/compliance-documentation-requirements — Covers regulatory documentation requirements; use alongside this skill to establish which compliance checkpoints are legally mandatory
- - admin/financial-account-setup — Covers the FinancialAccount data model; relevant when the onboarding anchor object is FinancialAccount
- - admin/hipaa-workflow-design — Covers HIPAA-specific workflow constraints; relevant for Health Cloud onboarding contexts with protected health data
+ - `admin/fsc-action-plans`: Action Plan template configuration mechanics; use after this skill's item inventory is complete
+ - `admin/compliance-documentation-requirements`: which compliance checkpoints are legally mandatory
+ - `admin/financial-account-setup`: the FinancialAccount data model when it is the onboarding anchor
+ - `admin/hipaa-workflow-design`: HIPAA constraints for Health Cloud onboarding contexts