An e-signed proposal used to start four hours of copy-paste setup. Now it triggers everything at once — repository, templated milestone board, client Slack channel, kickoff meeting and billing plan — and the full project workspace is live in ten minutes.
Typical results
2 days
Signature to kickoff call, was 9
0
Setup steps missed once live
16 hrs/mo
PM time back in delivery
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
Every signed deal triggered four hours of setup: create the repository, clone the project board, build milestones, open a Slack channel, chase calendars for a kickoff, brief finance on billing terms. Under load an average of three steps per project slipped — some projects started without a billing plan — and kickoff calls happened nine days after signature, while client excitement cooled.
Before and after
Kickoff admin per project
−96%Signature to kickoff call
−78%Setup steps missed
−100%The automation
We wired the e-signature event to a Make workflow that performs the entire setup. It creates the repository with the right permissions, spins up a project board from templated milestones matched to the contract scope, and opens a Slack channel with the client invited and a welcome message posted. Kickoff invites go out against both teams' availability, and the finance system is primed with the billing plan and invoice schedule from the contract terms.
How it works
- 01
Signature fires the trigger
The e-signed proposal in the CRM kicks off the entire setup sequence.
- 02
Workspace assembles itself
Repository created with permissions, project board cloned from templated milestones matched to scope.
- 03
Client looped in
A Slack channel opens with the client invited and a welcome message covering next steps.
- 04
Kickoff scheduled
Meeting invites go out against both teams' shared availability.
- 05
Finance primed
The billing plan and invoice schedule load into the finance system from the contract terms.
Starts from
- E-signed proposal
- CRM deal data
Delivers
- Repo + milestone board
- Client Slack channel
- Billing plan primed
The impact
Kickoff admin collapsed from four hours to ten minutes, and clients now join their project Slack channel the same day they sign. Kickoff calls happen within two days instead of nine, setup steps typically stop slipping, and roughly sixteen project-manager hours a month go back into delivery.
Questions about this automation
What triggers the kickoff setup, and what gets created?
The trigger is the e-signature event on a proposal linked to a CRM deal. From there the workflow creates the code repository with the right permissions, clones a milestone board matched to the contract scope, opens a client Slack channel with a welcome message, sends kickoff invites and loads the billing plan into the finance system.
Which tools does it connect to?
It runs on Make and works with the usual pieces of an agency stack: an e-signature tool, a CRM, a code hosting platform, a project board such as Jira, Asana or ClickUp, Slack, Google or Outlook calendars, and an invoicing or accounting system. Each connection uses the official API, so permissions and audit trails stay intact.
What if a project's scope doesn't match any template?
Templates are mapped to scope types such as web app, mobile app or retainer. When a deal's scope has no matching template, the workflow still builds everything else, creates a blank board and asks the project manager to choose milestones. It is a multi-step build, usually rolled out in stages, starting with the repository, board and Slack channel.