This checklist is for company administrators configuring a VisionAtlas workspace. It mirrors the in-app [Getting started](/getting-started) flow.
Implementation partners: see Customer implementation for phased rollout and handoff guidance.
Contributors should follow the Contributor guide. Start with Understanding entities for how goals, KPIs, initiatives, and related records fit together.
Before you start
- Complete registration — trial signup only asks for company name and your admin account (plus terms). Industry, size, and operating context are captured next in Business intake.
- Sign in; if intake is incomplete you land on [Getting started](/getting-started)#business-intake.
- Confirm at least one user has the Admin role.
- Optionally rehearse in demo workspaces before changing production data.
1. Company and fiscal calendar
Open Settings and confirm:
- Company name, industry (NAICS sub-industry), and description — industry/employee count are usually set via Business intake; refine here anytime
- Employee count and revenue range — helps match the right subscription tier
- Headquarters address (optional) — used for company profile
- Fiscal year start and week starts on — drives KPI reporting periods, goal/initiative planning, and weekly update buckets
Save company settings before inviting the wider organization.
2. Strategic themes
Open Settings → Strategic themes and define company pillars (e.g. Growth, Operational excellence). Link goals to themes for dashboard rollups.
3. Security and visibility
Open Admin → Security and:
- Choose an Open, Balanced, or Restricted transparency profile
- Review visibility defaults for goals, KPIs, initiatives, observations, and risks
- Enable RBAC v2 when ready for permission-based roles
Recommend MFA for administrator accounts. See Login, MFA, and account access.
4. Organization
- Admin → Departments — create teams, assign leaders, add delegates who can submit weekly updates
- Admin → Users — invite employees, set reporting lines, enable email reminders and text allowed where appropriate
- Loading from Microsoft Entra ID or on-prem Active Directory? Follow Import from Entra or Active Directory (departments first, then users).
5. Roles and permissions
- Admin → Roles — review system templates or create custom roles
- Assign roles to users based on what they need to see and edit
- Include action item permissions where managers need follow-up tracking
See Roles and permissions for RBAC concepts.
6. Performance model
Recommended order:
- [Jumpstart](/help/jumpstart) — start with the business context step (industry/NAICS, employee count, cadence, 90-day goals, where KPIs live, weekly update owners, pilot departments, primary pain, and day-one integrations). Answers are saved on the company and seed generation even if you skip the optional refine box. You can skip context and return later. Then generate a linked bundle (Intelligence+ with AI), use optional performance model CSV on Getting started / Performance model, or create manually — start with [KPIs](/help/kpis) as the hub
- Optionally Send for manager confirmation from Jumpstart so department leaders keep/edit/drop drafts via email link
- Link [Goals](/help/goals) to KPIs that measure them
- Link [Initiatives](/help/initiatives) to KPIs they should influence
- Open [Performance model](/help/performance-model) — fix orphan KPIs or initiatives
- Enter or sync [KPI actuals](/help/kpi-actuals) (see section 7)
7. KPI actuals and integrations
Manual and CSV
- Update current values on each KPI detail page
- Bulk import from KPIs → Import KPI actuals (CSV template on the import card)
API and scheduled sync (Intelligence+)
Under Settings → Integrations & API keys:
| Capability | Where to configure |
|---|---|
| REST API keys | Create keys; use `POST /api/v1/kpi-values` |
| Scheduled CSV URL / Google Sheets | **Scheduled integrations** — set URL or spreadsheet ID and sync schedule |
| Webhook ingest | **Webhook ingest** integration — dedicated `vi_ingest_…` secret (shown once) |
| Outbound webhooks | Notify external systems when records change |
| Import history | Review batch outcomes after CSV, API, or scheduled runs |
| Ingestion conflicts | Accept or reject automated values blocked by manual edits or validation |
Scheduled CSV and Google Sheets syncs run automatically on your hosted tenant once configured — no extra setup on your side.
Guides: Capturing KPI actuals · Connect with Zapier · Integration playbooks · Analytics export
KPI integration mapping
On each KPI detail page, set Integration mapping (external_source + external_metric_id) so API and CSV rows match the right metric without hard-coding internal IDs.
8. Notifications
Configure under Settings → Notifications (email delivery must be enabled for your tenant):
| Setting | Purpose |
|---|---|
| **Weekly update email reminders** | Nudge opted-in users who have not submitted this week's update |
| **Scheduled executive briefing email** | Monthly reminder under **Settings → Notifications**; weekly briefing generation on **Executive Briefings** list (Intelligence+) |
| **KPI stale data alerts** | Email KPI owners when current-period data is missing |
Users must opt in on their profile: email reminders allowed and, for SMS, text allowed with a valid cell phone.
9. Collaboration rhythm
- Encourage [My week](/my-week) (inline KPI actuals + weekly narrative), [weekly updates](/help/weekly-updates), and [observations](/help/observations-and-risks)
- Users can [Connect Outlook, Teams, and Mail](/help/microsoft-outlook-teams) on My Week; set how many days of history to keep under Settings → Privacy & data
- Use the Risk register for owned, tracked risks with severity
- Use [Action items](/help/action-items) for meeting follow-ups
10. Leadership tools
- Review the [Dashboard](/help/dashboard) with executives and managers
- Configure [Executive Briefings](/help/executive-briefings) — weekly slide product, schedule, and publish workflow
- [AI Summary](/help/ai-summary) and [Executive reviews](/help/executive-reviews) — on-demand narrative and period snapshots
- [Executive leadership records](/help/executive-leadership-records) — governance and retention notes for procurement
11. Billing and plan
Open Settings → Billing:
- Review trial days remaining and usage meters (users, goals, KPIs, initiatives, departments)
- Compare plans and complete Stripe checkout to upgrade
- After subscribing, use Manage billing in Stripe to update payment method or cancel
Plan capabilities (summary)
| Capability | Foundation | Intelligence | Intelligence Plus | Leadership | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core platform | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AI Jumpstart / suggestions | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| API & integrations | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-level departments | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| SSO (Microsoft Entra ID, Google) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Contact your VisionAtlas representative for Enterprise pricing.
12. Microsoft Entra and Google SSO
All paid plans include single sign-on with Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) and Google (Gmail or Google Workspace). Email and password (and optional MFA) remain available.
Your administrator must create each user first with the same email as their Microsoft or Google account. Then users click Sign in with Microsoft or Sign in with Google on Sign in. On-prem Active Directory is not supported directly — sync it to Entra first, then use Import from Entra or Active Directory to load departments and users.
See Login, MFA, and account access for SSO and password-reset behavior.
Go-live checklist
Before inviting the full organization, confirm:
- [ ] Company profile and fiscal calendar saved
- [ ] At least one department and admin user exist
- [ ] Security profile and default visibility reviewed
- [ ] Core KPIs created with owners and reporting frequency
- [ ] Goals and initiatives linked to KPIs where applicable
- [ ] At least one KPI has a current-period actual (manual or import)
- [ ] Weekly update delegates assigned for each department
- [ ] Managers know how to submit weekly updates and observations
- [ ] Billing plan selected before trial ends (if applicable)
- [ ] Integrations tested with Run now or a small API batch (Intelligence+)
Get help
- Browse this help center
- Contact your VisionAtlas representative for onboarding support or integration workshops
Need hands-on practice?
Use the demo workspaces to explore fully seeded companies before changing your production tenant.