Why Spreadsheets Still Anchor MSP Onboarding
Managed services teams kept paper binders on a shelf until the mid-2000s. When the first cloud PSAs came along, many assumed those binders would vanish overnight. They did not. Instead, technicians quietly copied the binder layouts into Excel, then later into Google Sheets. Our own service desk still keeps a master MSP onboarding spreadsheet because nothing else lets us see client status, task owners, and SLA triggers on a single scroll. The keyword may feel old-school, yet every acquisition audit we perform shows the same thing: the fastest-growing providers rely on one central sheet to drive new-client ramp-up.
That reliance is not nostalgia. Onboarding takes forty to eighty staff hours per client, sometimes more when inherited infrastructure is undocumented. A living spreadsheet gives project managers a way to impose structure before ticket queues flood in. When used well it becomes the single source of truth the client references during weekly touchpoints, trimming miscommunication and – according to the latest ConnectWise benchmark – lifting first-year satisfaction scores by forty percent.
This article traces how a good sheet works, where it fails, and how to wire it into modern PSA and RMM data so the tool stays relevant in 2025 and beyond.
What Actually Happens During MSP Onboarding?
Vendors publish glossy flow charts, yet real projects rarely move in perfect sequence. We usually see three overlapped streams:
• Access stream. Credential harvesting and account provisioning must finish fast so our monitoring stack starts learning normal patterns. • Discovery stream. Asset inventories, warranty pulls, network diagrams – ninety percent automated, but the stubborn ten percent requires phone calls and on-site eyeballs. • Alignment stream. Mapping business objectives to the eventual SLA, including the painful conversation about recovery time objectives the client hoped to avoid.
Each stream feeds rows in the onboarding spreadsheet. The sheet starts broad – one tab for summary milestones, one for technical tasks, one for client communication. As hours burn down, tabs collapse into archival views so the live project stays lean.
Contrarian view? Some consultants claim a PSA project board replaces the sheet. In our experience, PSAs handle ticket status brilliantly but miss context. A ticket that says "Install backup agent" rarely shows why that agent matters to the CFO or which success metric it satisfies. The spreadsheet glues technical tasks to business outcomes, something frontline technicians often forget while chasing alerts.
Onboarding Timeline: 40 To 80 Hours Broken Down
• 8-12 hours: contract review, change approval matrix, emergency contacts. • 10-20 hours: agent installs, credential audits, network baseline creation. • 4-6 hours: security policy alignment and quick-win remediation. • 15-25 hours: documentation, hand-off meetings, user orientation. • Remainder: unexpected firewall quirks, printer ghosts, and the obligatory password reset marathon.
Keeping these blocks visible in the spreadsheet prevents scope creep. When the 60-hour mark appears on the burn-down chart, project managers can decide whether to request change orders or trim non-critical extras.
Designing A Spreadsheet That Survives Real Projects
A template downloaded from Reddit will not cut it. We start by sketching columns on a whiteboard with the implementation team in the room. No more than fourteen columns make it into the production sheet; beyond that, technicians stop scrolling. The usual keepers:
• Client Reference. Short code that matches PSA customer ID for quick VLOOKUP hooks. • Task Description. Action verbs first so mobile viewers grasp intent instantly. • Owner. Single owner rule – if two names appear here, nobody is accountable. • Target Date and Actual Completion. Conditional formatting flags slippage after twenty-four hours. • Dependency. Plain language note such as “Wait for ISP static block” keeps the Gantt plugins honest. • SLA Impact. High, medium, low. Important for business context. • Evidence Link. Screenshot folder, warranty PDF, or ticket reference. • Client Sign-Off Checkbox. We collect initials directly in the sheet. No one is digging through email threads later.
Automation helps. A simple App Script triggers daily emails when any cell in the Target Date column turns red. Liongard or IT Glue can inject asset rows using their export APIs, saving us around eight manual hours per onboarding. Yet we leave some fields manual. Human-graded risk notes rarely map neatly to JSON payloads, and forcing the sync can dilute nuance.
Early versions of our template tried to track everything. Version control nightmares followed. Now we store archived tabs in SharePoint with naming conventions like 2025-05-ClientCode-v3.1. The live sheet stays light while history remains audit-ready.
Core Columns You Should Never Skip
Skipping the SLA Impact column is the fastest route to scope drift. The field forces engineers to think beyond technical checklists and ask, "Does delaying this step breach response commitments?" Similarly, the Evidence Link prevents the dreaded post-go-live blame game. If the backup test screenshot lives two clicks away, no one disputes whether the test actually ran.
Can Your Sheet Sync With PSA And RMM Data?
Yes, and the effort pays for itself after the second client. We wire Google Sheets to ConnectWise Manage through the open REST API. The script grabs ticket status every hour and writes it to the Owner column when the ticket ID matches. That tiny loop eliminates dual entry and prevents the classic "closed in PSA, open on sheet" paradox that wrecks confidence.
For RMM data, we prefer simple CSV exports scheduled nightly. The sheet reads warranty expiry dates so the onboarding team can surface immediate replacement needs during the first quarterly business review. PowerQuery in Excel works just as well for shops living in Microsoft 365.
Edge cases matter. Government clients sometimes ban API calls, so we fall back to manual paste. The template masks protected columns to keep formulas intact. Another caveat: bidirectional sync sounds tempting but often creates circular updates. One-way into the sheet is usually enough.
When the integrations behave, the spreadsheet becomes a live dashboard. Project managers glance at a color-coded timeline without opening three separate portals. Clients see exactly the same view during status calls, which builds credibility faster than any marketing slide deck.
Google Sheets Trigger In Three Steps
- Create a service account in ConnectWise with API only rights.
- Paste the public/private key pair into the Sheet's Properties.
- Add an App Script function that fetches /service/tickets?conditions=id in (list) and maps Owner.
The whole routine is fewer than forty lines. Junior technicians can maintain it without dev hours once the scaffolding is in place.
Putting It All Together—Next-Step Suggestions
A strong MSP onboarding spreadsheet acts as both checklist and communication hub. Build it intentionally, pilot it on one low-risk client, then fold in automation only where friction exists. Keep column count disciplined, document version history, and link the sheet to your PSA or at minimum export ticket data weekly.
Teams that invest early see shorter onboarding windows, cleaner documentation, and calmer Monday stand-ups. If your internal resources are stretched, consider borrowing a template from peers or engaging a process consultant for a one-time build. Either way, treat the spreadsheet as living documentation that matures with every engagement rather than a static form locked in stone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What data should never live in the spreadsheet?
Password hashes, private keys, or detailed vulnerability findings should stay in a vault or security platform. The onboarding sheet is often shared with non-technical stakeholders, so keep sensitive material in a secured system and reference it with a ticket or vault ID.
Q: How often should the onboarding sheet be updated?
Ideally in near real time. We ask owners to update their rows before the daily stand-up. Automated pulls from PSA and RMM tools handle status fields, leaving only commentary and risk notes for manual updates.
Q: Can multiple teams work in the sheet without stepping on each other?
Yes, but lock formula columns and enable cell-level change tracking. Google Workspace audit logs or Microsoft 365 version history make it easy to roll back accidental edits. Assign row ownership clearly so accountability remains intact.
Q: Do small MSPs really need this level of structure?
Even a two-person shop benefits. The sheet becomes a memory aid and a client-facing artifact that elevates perceived professionalism. Later, as staff numbers grow, the same template scales by adding automation rather than reinventing process.
