Managing Client Projects with Different Workflows

Agencies and consultancies managing multiple clients face workflow chaos when each client requires different processes. GitScrum enables customizable workflows per project, letting teams adapt to client needs without sacrificing operational consistency across the organization.

The Multi-Client Workflow Challenge

Managing diverse clients creates complexity:

• Process conflicts — Client A wants Kanban, Client B demands Scrum
• Reporting mismatch — Different clients expect different metrics
• Communication variance — Some prefer Slack, others email
• Approval flows — Each client has unique sign-off requirements
• Terminology differences — "Done" means different things
• Timeline expectations — Varying sprint lengths and delivery cadences

GitScrum Multi-Workflow Solution

Configure per-client workflows while maintaining agency standards:

Key Features

Workflow Configuration Per Client

Client-Specific Board Setup

Client A: Enterprise Bank (Strict Governance)
Board Workflow:
├── Backlog
├── Requirements Review (Client approval needed)
├── In Development
├── Internal QA
├── Client UAT (Client approval needed)
├── Security Review (Client team)
├── Staging Deployment
├── Production Approval (Client sign-off)
└── Done

Automations:
- Auto-notify client on UAT stage entry
- Block production without approval attachment
- Require 2 internal reviews before UAT

---

Client B: Fast-Moving Startup (Move Fast)
Board Workflow:
├── Ideas
├── This Week
├── In Progress
├── Review
└── Shipped

Automations:
- Auto-archive after 3 days in Shipped
- Slack notification on new Ideas
- No approval gates (client trusts team)

Workflow Template Library

Agency Workflow Templates:
├── 📋 Enterprise Governance
│   ├── 8-stage waterfall-like flow
│   ├── Multiple approval gates
│   └── Compliance checkpoints
├── 🏃 Startup Agile
│   ├── 5-stage minimal flow
│   ├── No approvals required
│   └── Quick iteration focus
├── 🎨 Creative Agency
│   ├── Concept → Design → Review → Revisions
│   ├── Client feedback loops built-in
│   └── Version control stages
├── 🔧 Maintenance/Support
│   ├── Triage → In Progress → Deployed → Verified
│   ├── SLA tracking labels
│   └── Priority queues
└── 📱 Product Development
    ├── Discovery → Design → Build → Test → Ship
    ├── Sprint-based with milestones
    └── Feature flag stages

ClientFlow for Client Management

Per-Client Collaboration Space

ClientFlow: Acme Corp
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Overview
├── Active Projects: 3
├── Open Tasks: 47
├── Pending Approvals: 5
└── This Week's Updates: 12

Client Users
├── sarah@acme.com (Admin)
├── mike@acme.com (Reviewer)
└── jen@acme.com (Viewer)

Projects
├── Website Redesign (Active)
├── Mobile App v2 (Active)
└── API Integration (Paused)

Communication
├── Preferred: Slack #acme-gitscrum
├── Escalation: email to sarah@acme.com
└── Weekly sync: Fridays 3pm

Client-Specific Permissions

Permission Matrix by Client:

Enterprise Bank (High Security):
├── View own projects only: ✓
├── Create tasks: ✓ (with approval)
├── Edit tasks: Own created only
├── View time tracking: ✗
├── See internal comments: ✗
├── Download attachments: ✓ (logged)
└── Invite others: ✗

Startup Client (Full Transparency):
├── View own projects only: ✓
├── Create tasks: ✓
├── Edit tasks: ✓
├── View time tracking: ✓
├── See internal comments: ✓
├── Download attachments: ✓
└── Invite others: ✓ (up to 3)

Adapting Processes

Sprint Configuration Per Client

Client A: Enterprise Bank
Sprint Settings:
├── Length: 3 weeks
├── Planning: Wednesday 10am
├── Daily standup: Required, formal
├── Review: Thursday before end
├── Retrospective: Internal only
├── Capacity: Fixed at 80 points
└── Buffer: 20% for urgent fixes

Client B: Startup
Sprint Settings:
├── Length: 1 week
├── Planning: Monday async
├── Daily standup: Optional, async via Standup
├── Review: Continuous demos
├── Retrospective: Every 2 weeks
├── Capacity: Flexible
└── Buffer: None (move to next week)

Client C: E-commerce
Sprint Settings:
├── Length: 2 weeks
├── Planning: Monday 9am
├── Daily standup: Daily async
├── Review: Friday demo
├── Retrospective: After review
├── Capacity: Story points
└── Buffer: 10% for bugs

Terminology Mapping

Internal Term    → Client A    → Client B    → Client C
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Task            → Work Item    → Ticket      → Story
Bug             → Defect       → Bug         → Issue
Feature         → Enhancement  → Feature     → Epic
Sprint          → Iteration    → Cycle       → Sprint
Backlog         → Backlog      → Icebox      → Backlog
Done            → Closed       → Shipped     → Released

Label Configuration per Project:
- Use client terminology in their view
- Internal reports use standard terms
- Automatic translation in exports

Reporting Across Different Workflows

Normalized Cross-Client Reports

Agency Weekly Report
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Across All Clients (normalized metrics):

Velocity Trend:
├── Client A (Bank): 78 pts → stable
├── Client B (Startup): 45 pts → +15%
└── Client C (E-commerce): 62 pts → -5%

Delivery Rate:
├── Client A: 92% on-time
├── Client B: 88% on-time
└── Client C: 95% on-time

Open Issues:
├── Client A: 12 (3 critical)
├── Client B: 8 (0 critical)
└── Client C: 15 (1 critical)

Revenue vs. Effort:
├── Client A: $45K MRR / 120 hrs = $375/hr
├── Client B: $15K MRR / 45 hrs = $333/hr
└── Client C: $30K MRR / 80 hrs = $375/hr

Client-Specific Report Templates

Client A Report (Enterprise Format):
├── Executive Summary (1 paragraph)
├── Milestone Progress (Gantt-style)
├── Risk Register (Red/Amber/Green)
├── Compliance Checklist
├── Resource Allocation
├── Change Requests Log
└── Next Period Forecast

Client B Report (Startup Format):
├── What shipped this week
├── What's shipping next week
├── Blockers (if any)
├── Quick metrics
└── Demo video link

Client C Report (E-commerce Format):
├── Revenue impact of changes
├── Performance metrics
├── Conversion rate effects
├── Upcoming releases
└── Support ticket summary

Team Assignment Strategies

Dedicated vs. Shared Teams

Team Structure Options:

Option A: Dedicated Teams
├── Team Alpha → Client A only
├── Team Beta → Client B only
└── Team Gamma → Client C only

Pros: Deep context, strong relationships
Cons: Resource inefficiency, single point of failure

Option B: Shared Pool
├── All devs → All clients
└── Assignment based on availability

Pros: Flexibility, cross-training
Cons: Context switching, shallow expertise

Option C: Hybrid (GitScrum Recommended)
├── Core Team per client (2-3 devs)
├── Specialist Pool (shared)
└── Overflow Pool (as needed)

Configuration in GitScrum:
├── Primary assignment: Core team
├── Secondary: Specialist pool
├── Emergency: Overflow pool
└── Rotation: Quarterly core team refresh

Context Switching Management

Developer Daily View (across clients):

@developer Today:
├── 🏦 Client A (Bank): 4 hrs planned
│   ├── 09:00-11:00 Security review meeting
│   └── 14:00-18:00 Feature implementation
│
├── 🚀 Client B (Startup): 2 hrs planned
│   └── 11:00-13:00 Bug fixes batch
│
└── 🛒 Client C: 2 hrs planned
    └── 13:00-14:00 Code review + deploy

Context Switch Optimization:
- Group same-client work together
- Schedule meetings at natural breaks
- Use project-specific environments
- Clear task descriptions reduce ramp-up

Workflow Templates

Creating New Client from Template

New Client Setup Wizard:

Step 1: Select Base Template
○ Enterprise Governance
○ Startup Agile
● Creative Agency
○ Maintenance/Support
○ Custom

Step 2: Customize Workflow
Stages: [Concept] [Design] [Review] [Revisions] [Approved] [Done]
Add stage: [+]
Approval gates: Review, Approved
Auto-archive: After 7 days in Done

Step 3: Configure Integration
□ Slack: #newclient-gitscrum
□ Email notifications
□ Calendar sync
☑ GitHub: newclient/project-repo

Step 4: Invite Client Users
sarah@newclient.com [Admin ▼]
[+ Add another]

Step 5: Set Permissions
Client can create tasks: ☑
Client can see time tracking: □
Client can see internal comments: □

[Create Client Project]

Cloning Successful Workflows

Clone from Existing Client:

Source: Client B (Startup) - Website Project
Target: New Client D - Website Project

What to clone:
☑ Board workflow stages
☑ Automation rules
☑ Label structure
☑ Task templates
□ Team assignments
□ Time tracking settings
□ Integration settings

Customizations:
├── Replace "Client B" → "Client D" in automations
├── Update Slack channel
└── Adjust sprint length: 1 week → 2 weeks

[Clone Project]

Handling Client Transitions

Onboarding New Clients

Client Onboarding Checklist:

Week 1: Setup
├── □ Create ClientFlow space
├── □ Configure workflow template
├── □ Set up integrations
├── □ Invite client users
├── □ Initial project creation
└── □ Welcome email with login instructions

Week 2: Training
├── □ Client user walkthrough
├── □ Task creation demo
├── □ Approval process training
├── □ Communication preferences confirmed
└── □ First tasks created together

Week 3: Operations
├── □ First sprint/cycle planned
├── □ Reporting format agreed
├── □ Escalation path documented
└── □ Handoff from sales complete

Client Offboarding

Client Offboarding Process:

Pre-Departure:
├── Export all project data
├── Generate final reports
├── Document lessons learned
└── Archive to read-only

Data Retention:
├── Projects archived (not deleted)
├── Time tracking preserved for billing
├── Attachments available 90 days
└── Full export delivered to client

Post-Project:
├── Team retrospective
├── Update workflow templates
├── Capture process improvements
└── Update portfolio/case study

Best Practices

For Agency Owners

1. Standardize core processes — Customize edges, not core
2. Document everything — Workflow decisions and why
3. Template successful patterns — Clone what works
4. Review regularly — Quarterly workflow audits

For Project Managers

1. Match workflow to client — Not one-size-fits-all
2. Set expectations early — Client onboarding critical
3. Automate handoffs — Reduce manual stage transitions
4. Track what matters — Different clients, different KPIs

For Team Leads

1. Minimize context switching — Group client work
2. Create runbooks — Per-client process documentation
3. Cross-train team — No single points of failure
4. Rotate strategically — Fresh eyes, retained knowledge

Related Solutions

• ClientFlow for agency project management
• Creating workflow templates in GitScrum
• Multi-project reporting and dashboards