Managing leadership changes: Our re-onboarding protocol

In long-term Shopify SEO and PPC campaigns, consistency is key. However, people change jobs. Whether a Head of eCommerce leaves or a new Marketing Manager starts, these shifts can create a gap in knowledge.

When a new lead joins mid-project, we use a re-onboarding phase. This keeps the project moving and helps the new lead take ownership of the plan.

Closing the knowledge gap

A new Point of Contact (POC) has a lot to learn - from internal rules to the business model. They often miss the history of why certain technical choices or budget plans were made.

Without this background, projects can face:

・ Strategy resets: Changing plans without knowing the original data.
・ Scope creep: Adding tasks that weaken the main technical setup.
・ Mixed goals: Using the wrong metrics to judge performance.

The re-onboarding protocol

When leadership changes, we move from Execution to Re-Onboarding. We don't stop all work, but we put big decisions on hold until everyone is aligned.

Our process includes:

1. Keeping the engine running: We continue core technical tasks. However, we pause major new moves until the new lead reviews them.
2. The "Why" briefing: We explain the project history, the data we use, and the problems we are solving.
3. Project review: We go over our rules for working together - like how we access code or why international growth is a separate project.

Building trust

New leads often arrive with "agency baggage" from past bad experiences. Trust is vital to our work. It is hard to build that trust if we are doing work the new lead never approved.

By taking time to catch them up, we move much faster later on. We avoid confusion and make sure every pound spent fits a shared goal.

How you can help

To make this transition easy, please tell us early. If you know a stakeholder is leaving or a new hire is starting, let us know as soon as you can.

The faster we know, the better we can prepare the data and history to welcome them. This keeps the project driving revenue without a break.