---
title: "Client & Engagement Management"
description: "How to create and manage client profiles, set up Letters of Engagement, and track engagement milestones and financials."
version: "en"
---
> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.kliper.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Client & Engagement Management
The **Engagement Hub** is the central dashboard for managing your portfolio of clients and engagements. It provides a hierarchical view: each **Client** contains one or more **Letters of Engagement (LOEs)**, and each LOE contains one or more **Assessments**.
---
## Client Management
### Creating a Client
1. **Open the Engagement Hub**
Navigate to **Engagement Hub** from the left sidebar.
2. **Click New Client**
Click **+ New Client** in the top-right corner to open the creation dialog.
3. **Fill in Required and Optional Fields**
The only required field is the **Company Name**. Fill in as much detail as available:
**Primary Contact:**
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Contact Name | Main point of contact at the client organization |
| Contact Email | Primary email for correspondence |
| Contact Phone | Direct phone number |
**Business Information:**
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Industry | Business classification (e.g., Retail, Financial Services, Healthcare, E-Commerce) |
| Website | Company URL |
| Company Size | Employee count bracket (1–50, 51–200, 201–1000, 1001–5000, 5001+) |
| Address | Full mailing address |
| Tax ID | EIN, VAT number, or company registration number |
**PCI DSS Context:**
| Field | Values / Description |
|---|---|
| Merchant ID | The client's Merchant Identification Number (MID) |
| Acquirer Name | The acquiring bank or payment processor (e.g., Chase Paymentech) |
| Merchant Level | **Level 1** (>6M transactions), **Level 2** (1–6M), **Level 3** (20K–1M e-commerce), **Level 4** (<20K e-commerce or up to 1M other) |
| Annual Transaction Volume | Estimated annual card transaction count |
| PCI Compliance Status | Current standing: Compliant, Non-Compliant, In Progress, Not Assessed |
| Last Compliance Date | Date of most recent successful PCI compliance validation |
**Additional Contacts:**
| Contact Type | Fields |
|---|---|
| Technical Contact | Name, Role (e.g., IT Security Manager), Email, Phone |
| Billing Contact | Name, Email, Phone |
4. **Save the Client**
Click **Create**. The client is added to your Engagement Hub and is ready for LOE creation.
### Client Profile Page
After creation, clicking a client's name opens their profile page. The profile contains:
- **Header** — client name, industry badge, active/inactive status
- **Stats Cards** — Active LOEs, Total Assessments, Total Contract Value
- **LOEs Tab** — a table of all Letters of Engagement with LOE number, title, status, date range, contract value, and assessment count
- **Info Tab** — full client details organized by category (contacts, business info, PCI context, notes)
### Editing a Client
From the client profile, click the **Edit** button in the header. The edit dialog opens with all current values pre-populated. Make changes and click **Save**.
### Removing a Client
From the client profile, click the **trash icon** button in the header. A dialog presents two options:
| Option | What Happens |
|---|---|
| **Set as Inactive** | The client is marked as inactive and hidden from default views, but all data (LOEs, assessments, files) is preserved. You can reactivate the client later by editing their status back to Active |
| **Delete Permanently** | The client record is permanently removed from the database. This action cannot be undone |
> **Caution**
>
> Clients with active LOEs cannot be removed. Complete or cancel all active LOEs first.
> **Tip**
>
> Use **Set as Inactive** when you want to archive a client after an engagement ends. Use **Delete Permanently** only for test data or clients created by mistake.
---
## Letter of Engagement (LOE) Management
The LOE is the contractual container that sits between a client and one or more assessments. It captures scope, timeline, financial terms, and QSA signer details.
### Creating an LOE
Creating an LOE opens a **full-width, 7-step tabbed wizard** — **Details → Engagement → Scope → Timeline → Payment → Terms → Signatures** — with a pinned **Back / Next / Save** action bar. **Editing** an LOE reuses the same wizard, pre-filled with the current values.
> **Tip**
>
> **Import from a PDF:** in the **Details** tab, drop an existing LOE **PDF** (up to 10 MB) — Cortex extracts the fields and pre-fills the wizard across all tabs. Review each tab and adjust before saving.
1. **Open the Client Profile**
Navigate to the Engagement Hub and click on the client name.
2. **Click Add LOE**
Click **+ Add LOE** from the client profile page. The LOE creation form opens.
3. **Fill in Core Details**
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Yes | Descriptive engagement name (e.g., "2026 Annual PCI DSS ROC Assessment") |
| Description | No | Detailed engagement summary |
| Start Date | Yes | Engagement start date |
| End Date | Yes | Engagement end date |
| Contract Value | No | Total engagement fee in selected currency |
| Currency | No | Defaults to USD |
| Assessment Type | No | Type of assessment (e.g., Full ROC, Targeted, Gap Analysis) |
The platform auto-generates a unique **LOE Number** in the format `LOE-YYYY-NNN` (e.g., `LOE-2026-001`).
4. **Define the Scope**
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| In-scope summary | Systems, processes, and locations included in the assessment |
| Out-of-scope summary | Explicitly excluded items |
| Methodology | Assessment methodology description |
5. **Add Assessment Locations**
Click **+ Add Location** to define each physical or virtual location where assessment activities will occur:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Location name (e.g., "Main Data Center") |
| Type | Headquarters, Data Center, Office, Retail, Cloud, Colocation |
| Address, City, State, Country | Physical address details |
Multiple locations can be added. Each appears as a row in the locations table.
6. **Set Milestone Dates**
Define the engagement timeline by filling in key milestone dates:
| Milestone | Description |
|---|---|
| Kickoff Date | Project start meeting |
| Onsite Start / End | On-location assessment window |
| Draft Report Date | Target date for draft ROC delivery |
| Remediation Start / End | Window for the client to address findings |
| QA Review Start / End | Internal QA review period |
| Final Report Date | Final ROC delivery target |
These milestones power the progress tracking and phase indicators on the LOE detail page.
7. **Configure Financial Terms**
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Billing Type | Fixed Price, Hourly, Monthly Retainer, or Milestone-based |
| Payment Terms (Net Days) | Payment due within N days (0–365) |
| Late Interest Rate | Percentage charged on overdue invoices (0–100%) |
| Travel Expenses Budget | Allocated budget for on-site travel |
**Payment Schedule** — define milestone-based payments:
| Milestone | Percentage | Due Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Kickoff | 30% | Upon project start |
| Draft Report | 40% | On draft ROC delivery |
| Final Report | 30% | On final ROC delivery |
Click **+ Add Milestone** to add rows. Each milestone requires a name and a percentage of the total contract value.
8. **Add Legal Terms and QSA Signer**
**Legal Terms:**
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Roles & Responsibilities | Defined responsibilities for QSA firm and client |
| Limitation of Liability | Liability cap and exclusions |
| Confidentiality Terms | NDA and data handling provisions |
| Liability Cap Amount | Maximum monetary liability |
| Stop-Work Evidence Days | Days allowed for evidence collection if work is halted |
| Reactivation Fee | Fee to restart a paused engagement |
**QSA Signer:**
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| QSA Name | Lead assessor's full name |
| QSA Title | Professional title |
| QSA Certifications | Certificate number and qualifications |
| QSA Signed Date | Date the QSA signed the LOE |
**Client Signer:**
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Client Signer Name | Authorized signatory name |
| Client Designation | Signatory's title or role |
9. **Save the LOE**
Click **Create LOE**. The LOE is created with the auto-generated LOE number and linked to the client.
### LOE Detail Page
The LOE detail page provides a comprehensive view organized into tabs:
| Tab | Contents |
|---|---|
| **Overview** | Key metrics — contract value, timeline progress, owner, assessment count |
| **Scope & Terms** | Scope summary, inclusions/exclusions, assessment locations, in-scope components, and legal terms |
| **Timeline** | Milestone dates with visual progress tracking and days remaining |
| **Assessments** | Table of linked assessments with status and compliance score |
| **Documents** | Uploaded LOE document and related files |
Payment and signature details are rendered inside these tabs (Overview / Scope & Terms), not as standalone tabs.
### Editing an LOE
From the LOE detail page, click **Edit**. You are taken to the edit form pre-populated with all current values. All fields can be modified after creation.
### In-Scope Components
Define the categories of systems and technologies that fall within the assessment scope:
| Category | Example Items |
|---|---|
| Applications | Payment gateway, e-commerce platform, CRM |
| Databases | PostgreSQL, Oracle, MongoDB |
| Network | Firewalls, switches, routers, VPN concentrators |
| POS Hardware | Card readers, POS terminals, PIN pads |
| Processes | Change management, incident response, access provisioning |
| Cloud Services | AWS VPC, Azure AD, GCP Cloud SQL |
Each category supports multiple items. Click **+ Add Item** within a category to list specific components.
### Required Documentation
Pre-define the documents the client must provide during the assessment:
| Document | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| System Architecture Diagram | Yes | Current network and system topology |
| Data Flow Diagram | Yes | Cardholder data flow documentation |
| Firewall Rulesets | Yes | Current firewall configurations |
| Access Control Policy | No | Written access management procedures |
Click **+ Add Document** to add rows. Each entry includes a name, optional description, and a required/optional flag.
---
## Engagement Phases
The LOE detail page shows a read-only **phase ribbon** derived from the milestone dates — a quick view of where the engagement stands. Each phase is marked **done**, **active**, or **queued**.
### Default Phase Sequence
| Phase | Driven By |
|---|---|
| Scoping | Kickoff Date |
| Evidence Collection | Onsite Start → Onsite End |
| Testing & Drafting | Draft Report Date |
| Remediation | Remediation Start → Remediation End |
| QA Review | QA Review Start → QA Review End |
| Final Report | Final Report Date |
> **Note**
>
> Detailed **project planning** — planned vs. actual hours, phase tasks with assignees and dependencies, a Gantt chart, and a backlog — lives on the **assessment** detail page, not on the LOE / engagement-hub view. The LOE ribbon above is status-only.
---
## Engagement Hub Dashboard
The Engagement Hub landing page provides an at-a-glance view of your entire portfolio:
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| **Total Clients** | All clients in the organization |
| **Active Clients** | Clients with at least one active LOE |
| **Total LOEs** | All Letters of Engagement |
| **Active LOEs** | LOEs with status "Active" |
| **Total Assessments** | Sum of assessments across all LOEs |
| **Total Contract Value** | Sum of all active LOE contract values |
The dashboard includes:
- **Search** — filter clients by name or industry
- **Recent LOEs** — quick access to recently active engagements with progress indicators (days remaining, percentage complete)
- **Client Cards** — each client shows their active LOE count, assessment count, and total contract value
Source: https://docs.kliper.dev/operations/client-engagement-management/index.mdx