First week with Chykalophia: what to expect & prepare

Starting a new project with a creative agency can feel like a lot at once. There are introductions, forms to fill in, accounts to share, and calls to schedule, all while your regular work keeps going.

This guide walks you through exactly what happens in your first week with Chykalophia, what we'll need from you, and how to prepare so we can get to work without delays.

What you'll need

You don't need technical knowledge for most of this. You'll need time, a willingness to answer questions, and the ability to find (or track down) account logins.

What happens in the first week

The kickoff call and the access work overlap on day 3. Access is the step that most often slips, so start it early.

Read this as text

Day 1, welcome and orientation. Read the kickoff call agenda and bookmark our support portal.
Before the kickoff call. Fill in the project intake form and share it with us 24 hours before the call.
Day 2 to 3, the kickoff call. A 60 to 90 minute video call to confirm goals and scope and agree the timeline and milestones.
Day 3 to 5, access and assets. Work through the asset inventory tracker and the access checklist. Missing access is the most common cause of project delays.
End of week 1, alignment check. The intake form is completed, access is provided or started, the timeline and first milestone are agreed, and you have reviewed your roadmap.
Next. Discovery and strategy, or straight into design if strategy work is not in scope.

Day 1: Welcome and orientation

On your first day, you'll receive:

A welcome email.
A link to this help center.
Your project lead's name.
An agenda for your kickoff call.

Your job on Day 1: Read through the kickoff agenda so you know what to expect. Bookmark our support portal, where you open a ticket for support, problems and requests.

On some projects we also invite you to a shared ClickUp space. If we do, see getting your ClickUp invite.

Day 2 to 3: The kickoff call

The kickoff call is typically a 60 to 90 minute video call. It is the most important meeting in the entire project. We use it to:

Confirm your goals and the project scope.
Agree on timeline and key milestones.
Identify any open questions or risks.
Discuss the templates and briefs you'll need to complete.

Your job before the kickoff call: Fill in the project intake form and share it with us 24 hours before the call. The more you complete in advance, the more we can focus the call on decisions rather than introductions.

Day 3 to 5: Access and assets

After the kickoff call, we'll send you a list of the specific accounts and files we need access to. Your job is to provide that access as quickly as possible. This is the most common source of project delays.

Your job this week: Work through the brand & digital asset inventory tracker and the access checklist for a new project.

End of week 1: Alignment check

By the end of your first week, you should have:

Completed the project intake form.
Provided or started gathering the access we need.
Agreed on a project timeline and the first milestone.
Received and reviewed your project roadmap.

If any of these items are missing, let us know immediately. They will delay the start of discovery or design.

Common sources of first-week delays

We've run hundreds of projects. These are the things that reliably cause the first week to stall.

The most common delay: missing access

The single most common cause of project delays is access that couldn't be found, hadn't been set up, or belonged to someone who had left the company. Start the asset inventory tracker early. Tracking down accounts takes longer than you expect.

Delay	How to prevent it
Intake form not completed before kickoff	Fill it in the day you receive it
Key decision-maker unavailable for kickoff	Confirm attendance before scheduling
Account access held by an ex-employee	Check Section 8 of the asset inventory tracker now
Brand files don't exist in the right format	Check logo files early. Creating vector files takes time
Unclear who has sign-off authority	Agree on this explicitly before the kickoff ends
Scope changes immediately after kickoff	Re-read the intake form before the call: confirm it's current

How we communicate

Each channel has a different purpose:

Our support portal is for support, problems and requests. Open a ticket on our support portal. For something urgent, put "URGENT" at the start of the ticket title.

Email works for the same things, plus billing and administrative questions. Use support@chykalophia.com. For something urgent, put "URGENT" at the start of the subject line.

A shared ClickUp space is used only on projects where we've invited you. If we have, that's where you'll see tasks, comments and approvals for that project.

Video calls are for decisions that need real-time discussion. We'll schedule them when back-and-forth comments are slowing things down.

See our full guide on how we communicate for more detail.

What we expect from you in the first week

A project runs well when both sides show up fully. In the first week, we specifically need:

Responsiveness. Please check your email at least once a day during the active project setup phase, and your shared ClickUp space if you have one.
Decisiveness. Some questions need a real answer, not "I'll think about it." Decisions deferred in week one create bottlenecks in week four.
Honesty. If something is unclear, wrong, or worrying: say so. It's much easier to correct course in week one than in week five.
Your actual team. If other people at your company will be involved in decisions or approvals, introduce them now. Mystery stakeholders discovered mid-project are one of the most disruptive project events.

Common questions

What if I can't complete everything before the kickoff call?

Complete the project intake form at minimum. It's the most important document for the kickoff. For everything else, we can work through it together on the call and set a schedule for what needs to happen in the days after.

What if I don't have all my brand files yet?

Tell us on the kickoff call. If brand work needs to be created (logos, brand guidelines), that becomes part of the project scope. We plan around it. We don't need it to start conversations about strategy.

How do I add a team member to ClickUp?

If we've invited you to a shared ClickUp space, you don't need to add people yourself. We handle ClickUp invitations. Just give us the name and email address of anyone who should be added, and we'll set it up. See our guide on getting your ClickUp invite.

Who do I contact if something feels wrong?

Open a ticket on our support portal or email support@chykalophia.com. If something feels off (about the scope, the timeline, the communication style, anything), please tell us. We'd rather address it in week one than week six.

What happens after the first week?

After your first week, we move into the discovery and strategy phase (or straight into design if strategy work is not in scope). Your project lead will walk you through what's coming next at the end of the kickoff call.