Process

Web Services Lifecycle

Optimized SOP v2 — sales, legal, delivery, and maintenance for Mikel Hunt Group Inc. DBA MHG Strategy.

Mikel Hunt Group Inc. DBA MHG Strategy · June 2026 · v2

What changed in v2

ChangeDetail
Entity nameMHG Media Group is retired. All agreements use Mikel Hunt Group Inc. DBA MHG Strategy.
A1.5 — NDA (optional)Between intro call and intake when the client shares sensitive data before a signed agreement.
A3 — Agreement signingEngagement agreement countersigned before invoice. No payment chased until agreement is executed.
Agreement templatesRoller Land (Digital Services) and Pyramid Logistics (Engagement + NDA) on file as style references.
MHGSYNC scope automationScope draft auto-generated from intake; separate scoping meeting eliminated for most engagements.
Invoicing (A3.5)Still the #1 bottleneck — highest-priority open item.

Phase A sequence

  1. 1.A1 — Intro call (~5 min)
  2. 2.A1.5 — NDA (optional)
  3. 3.A2 — Intake meeting + MHGSYNC scope generation
  4. 4.A3 — Agreement drafted and countersigned
  5. 5.A3.5 — Send invoice
  6. 6.A4 — Payment received (hard gate)
  7. 7.A5 — Project kickoff

Phase A — Sales

All steps before build work. Do not begin Phase B until payment is confirmed.

A1

Initial 5-minute phone call

Purpose
Qualify fit, schedule intake, capture preliminary tech context
Owner
Sales / account lead
Duration
~5 minutes
Exit criteria
Intake scheduled; tech stack noted; NDA need assessed
  • Confirm fit for Web Services vs. RevOps or referral
  • Schedule intake meeting
  • Assess NDA need if credentials, financial data, ERP/Salesforce, or confidentiality requested
  • Capture hosting, registrar, CMS, reason, meeting date, NDA: Yes/No/TBD
A1.5OptionalNew in v2

NDA (optional)

Purpose
Protect confidential information during pre-engagement discovery
Owner
Account lead
Exit criteria
NDA countersigned before intake proceeds
  • Connecticut governing law (default); 2-year term, 3-year confidentiality survival
  • Cover credentials, financial records, trade secrets, exported system materials
  • Purpose limitation, need-to-know, secure access, breach notification

Skip for straightforward web projects with no sensitive data exchanged pre-agreement. Template: Pyramid Logistics NDA (Oct 2025). Entity: Mikel Hunt Group Inc. DBA MHG Strategy, 712 Congress Ave, New Haven, CT 06519.

A2Optimized

Intake meeting + MHGSYNC scope generation

Purpose
Discovery walkthrough; MHGSYNC generates scope from intake responses
Owner
Account lead
Duration
30–60 minutes
Exit criteria
Intake complete; scope draft reviewed internally
  • Guide client to industry intake form at mhgstrategy.com/webops/intake
  • MHGSYNC auto-generates scope draft in discovery dashboard
  • Account + delivery lead review before client presentation
  • Confirm deliverables, timeline, dependencies, out-of-scope, tech stack changes
A3New in v2

Agreement drafted and countersigned

Purpose
Bind scope, timeline, payment, and IP terms before work begins
Owner
Account lead (draft); both parties (signature)
Exit criteria
Agreement countersigned; copy filed

No invoice until agreement is fully executed. Templates: Roller Land + Pyramid Logistics on file.

A3.5Priority gap

Send invoice

Purpose
Issue invoice after agreement countersigned
Owner
Account lead / finance
Exit criteria
Invoice sent to client

Canonical policy in Finance SOP §5.1–5.4 (Stripe + Novo, 40/30/30 schedule, proposed dunning). Exec sign-off pending on PROPOSED items.

A4Hard gate

Payment received

Purpose
Confirm funds before delivery
Owner
Finance / account lead
Exit criteria
Payment confirmed; project marked active

Hard gate. Agreement (A3) and invoice (A3.5) must be executed first. No build work until payment clears.

A5

Project kickoff

Purpose
Transition from sales to delivery
Owner
Delivery lead
Exit criteria
Client notified; Phase B begins
  • Confirm scope with client
  • Set communication expectations and cadence
  • Move into delivery

Intake verticals

MinistryEcommerce / Online RetailReal Estate & PropertyLogisticsStorefront EntertainmentJunk RemovalWarehousingInsuranceRestaurantCateringConsulting & CoachingBeauty & WellnessAccounting & BookkeepingHome ServicesGeneral Business (default)

Agreement structure (A3)

  • Project Specifications — deliverables, phases, completion targets
  • Revisions — typically 2 rounds; overages toward monthly resource hours
  • Price and Payment — fee, billing structure, ACH/check to Mikel Hunt Group Inc.
  • Duties of the Client — materials and credentials with phase deadlines
  • Definitions — Deliverables, Services, IP, Revisions, Confidential Information
  • Confidentiality — mutual; survives termination
  • Intellectual Property — transfers to client on full payment
  • Acceptance — deemed accepted after 10 business days without written objection
  • Governing Law — Connecticut (default)
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution — mediation first
  • Amendments, Representations, Disclaimer, Limitation of Liability
  • Termination — 15-day cure, IP on termination, no refund once work commenced
  • Force Majeure and Signature Page (Shaun Daniels + client signatory)

Phase B — Delivery

B1

Attain admin access

Purpose
Secure client account access without password sharing where possible
Owner
Delivery lead
Exit criteria
Admin access confirmed for all accounts in scope
  • Registrar, hosting, CMS, DNS, SSL, email, analytics
  • Salesforce/ERP/accounting for data projects (per NDA)
  • Bluehost: mhgstrategy.com/webops/bluehost — Shaun accepts admin invite

Bluehost guide live at /webops/bluehost/. Other registrars — use client-specific access per B1 scope.

B2

Improve tech stack (if necessary)

Purpose
Upgrade infrastructure only as needed for scope
Owner
Delivery lead
Exit criteria
Stack supports planned build
  • Hosting tier, DNS/SSL/CDN, CMS/plugins, staging — change only what scope requires
B3

Agree on the next 3 phases

Purpose
Scoped chunks with clear deliverables
Owner
Delivery lead + client
Exit criteria
Next 3 phases documented and agreed

TBD: consistent phase definition (feature bundle vs. pages vs. sprint).

B4

Build and review loop

Purpose
Incremental delivery with client alignment
Owner
Delivery lead
Exit criteria
All scoped deliverables accepted
  • Build current phase(s)
  • Client written review and feedback
  • 10 business days silence = deemed acceptance (Agreement §8)
  • Agree next 3 phases; repeat until complete
B5

Completion and launch

Purpose
Close build engagement
Owner
Delivery lead
Exit criteria
Live site; sign-off; maintenance handoff if applicable
  • Final review, DNS/SSL/redirects, analytics verification
  • Handoff documentation; transition to Phase C if applicable

Phase C — Maintenance

C

Maintenance

Purpose
Keep site or system secure, updated, and supported
Owner
Delivery / support lead
Exit criteria
Ongoing retainer or ad-hoc arrangement in place

Expectations captured at intake. TBD: scope, SLA, billing cadence, escalation.

Agreement references on file

Roller Land Digital Services Agreement (Sep 2025)

Web/design projects — flat fee, prose phases, 2-revision policy.

Pyramid Logistics Engagement Agreement (Nov 2025)

Data/analytics/RevOps — milestone table, maintenance fee, AI token clause.

Pyramid Logistics NDA (Oct 2025)

Pre-engagement NDAs — Connecticut default, 2-year term, 3-year confidentiality survival.

Open items

  1. Invoicing (A3.5) — canonical policy in Finance SOP §5; exec sign-off pending on PROPOSED items
  2. Standard definition of a build phase (B3)
  3. MHGSYNC discovery dashboard workflow documentation
  4. Maintenance retainer scope, SLA, and billing (C)

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