Documentation
Quick start
Written for someone who has just downloaded the kit. The PDF in the download covers the same ground with a worked example.
1. What you downloaded
One ZIP, client-delivery-kit-v1.0.0.zip. Unzip it anywhere. The folder holds the blank workbook, the worked-example workbook, the message scripts, the brief template, the quick-start PDF, a notion folder, and README.txt, LICENSE.txt and CHANGELOG.md. Full file list.
2. Ten-minute setup
- Open
Client-Delivery-Kit_Worked-Example.xlsxand click through the sheets. Cream cells with a solid border are Input; grey cells with a dashed border are Calculated. - Open the blank workbook and save a copy for your first project, named however you name project files.
- On 3 Quote, set your rate, your internal cost per hour, and your own contingency and revision assumptions. They are your numbers, not recommendations.
- Open
Client-Message-Scripts.docxand edit the wording once so it sounds like you. - Keep the blank workbook untouched as your master.
3. The workflow
| Stage | Sheet | Message | Done when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead arrives | 1 Inquiry | none | You know whether to quote |
| Quote | 3 Quote | none | Fee agreed |
| Kickoff | 2 Brief, 6 Assets | Onboarding | Brief and one approver agreed |
| Collecting content | 6 Assets | Missing assets | Needed items received |
| Build and review | 5 Revisions, 7 Status | Feedback request, Approval | Final approval recorded |
| Out-of-scope request | 4 Scope changes | Scope change | Request decided |
| Before launch | 8 Launch QA | none | No failing checks |
| Delivery | 9 Handoff | Handoff | Client holds their own access |
| After launch | 7 Status | Aftercare | Check-in done |
4. The quote formulas
Every formula on 3 Quote is written beside its result in the sheet. Percentages are entered as percentages (10% is stored as 0.10). Blank, text or negative inputs count as 0.
| Result | Calculation |
|---|---|
| Base task hours | Sum of task hours above 0 |
| Contingency hours | Base hours x contingency % |
| Revision allowance hours | Whole revision rounds x hours per round (decimals in rounds are rounded down) |
| Total hours | Base + contingency + revision hours |
| Labour fee | Total hours x hourly rate |
| Direct costs billed | Direct costs above 0, x (1 + markup %) |
| Subtotal and discount | Labour fee + direct costs billed; discount is subtotal x discount % (capped at 100%) |
| Project fee | Subtotal minus discount, rounded to 2 decimals |
| Your cost | Total hours x your cost per hour + direct costs at cost |
| Expected profit and margin | Fee minus your cost; margin is profit / fee, or 0 when the fee is 0 |
| Effective hourly rate | (Fee minus direct costs at cost) / total hours, or 0 when there are no hours |
| Check | Add task hours; Below your cost; Thin margin (below your chosen threshold); Margin OK |
Worked example: 41 task hours + 4.1 contingency + 4 revision = 49.1 hours at a 65.00 rate is 3,191.50. Direct costs of 79.00 with a 10% markup add 86.90. The project fee is 3,278.40. At a cost of 35.00 per hour the expected profit is 1,480.90, a margin of 45.2%.
5. Reset and duplicate
Copy the blank workbook for each project. To reuse a filled copy, select each cream cell range and press Delete. Never delete grey cells, and do not delete the 3 Quote sheet: the brief, scope-change and revision sheets read from it. If a formula is damaged, copy the same cell from the blank workbook.
6. Access and passwords
Never ask a client for a password and never store one in the workbook. Ask them to invite you from inside the account, or share through a password manager, with the lowest role that does the job. The handoff sheet has a block for removing your access at the end.
7. Notion
There is no Notion template link in this release. The notion/databases folder holds CSV files and notion/pages holds Markdown. In Notion, open a page, choose Import, then CSV or Text & Markdown. Columns usually import as text, so change Stage and Status columns to Select and date columns to Date. The import was not run in a live Notion workspace for this release, so menu names may differ. Full steps are in notion/IMPORT-TO-NOTION.md.
8. If something looks wrong
- A cell shows #VALUE! or #NAME? A formula was overwritten or the app does not support a function. Copy the cell from the blank workbook.
- Dropdowns missing in Google Sheets. Re-apply them with Data, Data validation, list of items.
- Dates show as numbers. Format the column as Date.
- Overdue counts look off. Update the As of date on the Status sheet.
Still stuck? Use the support form.