Agency Onboarding
Part of Changing agencies
Managing the overlap between an outgoing and incoming agency
Assign live changes, approvals, reporting and incident decisions while outgoing and incoming agencies work through a transition.
During an agency overlap, assign each team a defined job and give the client one owner for decisions. The outgoing team may maintain live work while the incoming team learns the setup and prepares changes. State who may edit a live campaign, approve a claim and commit spending.
Divide work by task
Write an operating note listing overlap dates, live work, scheduled releases and a contact for urgent matters. For each workstream, name a maintainer, a preparer and a client approver. A team may hold more than one role, but each live change needs one authorised change owner at a time.
Workstream / Decision to settle
- Live campaigns
- Who monitors, pauses or changes them?
- New work
- Who prepares it, and when may it replace existing work?
- Measurement
- Who checks current reporting and any replacement setup?
- Creative and claims
- Which version is approved, and who resolves conflicting feedback?
- Incidents
- Who is called first, and who may authorise urgent action?
Check what the outgoing agreement requires during notice and what the incoming engagement covers. Agree any extra transition service, fee or deadline through the applicable process.
Control each cutover
Choose a cutover point for each account or campaign. Before then, the incoming team can review available material and propose changes within its agreed access. The client decides whether to approve a replacement, pause existing activity or continue it.
Record the affected account or asset version, approver, effective time and person who will check the result.
Where both agencies can see an account, use named access and a dated change record.
Resolve competing advice through the client
Ask an incoming agency that recommends reversing a decision to state its evidence, expected effect and what it has not inspected. Ask the outgoing agency to explain the current setup where that is needed to avoid an error.
The client chooses the action and records it; neither agency should be left to settle a business priority or contract dispute for the client.
Keep access to customer information tied to each team’s current task. Where personal information is involved, check the permitted purpose and supplier arrangements before widening access. The Australian Privacy Principles govern use or disclosure by covered entities according to the purpose and applicable exceptions.
Remove access when it is no longer needed, and address shared credentials and integrations separately.
Key compliance and process references
- Australian Privacy Principles (APP)
- Guidelines on use and disclosure of personal information
- Contract preparation
- Business.gov.au guidance for contractors
- Government contract management
- Australian Contract Management Guide (2025)
- Cybersecurity for small businesses
- Cyber.gov.au Small Business Hub
End the overlap
At the final review, name who now owns live monitoring, approvals, reporting and unresolved defects. Confirm the incoming team has the agreed files and permissions, and record any outstanding item with an owner and date. Close the outgoing agency’s change authority and remove access no longer required.
The overlap is complete when the working responsibilities have transferred, not merely when a calendar date arrives.
