Project Kickoff
The kickoff is one of my favorite times on the project (that and final delivery of course). There is energy and excitement in the air. Hopes are high and the team is fresh. The project kickoff is both the easiest thing to get right and also the most critical to a successful start. Without it, you are missing out on the fun and putting your project at risk, so just do it.
To help, I am sharing my go-to agenda, Creating this agenda, ensures I have done the necessary homework to prepare the project for kickoff. At this point in the project.
Kickoff Agenda
Stakeholder – who are all the stakeholders and what is the problem we are trying to solve or the opportunity we are seeking? Bring information that will help the team get to know and be empathetic towards the stakeholder.
Project deliverable – what is the big idea? This is where shared understanding is built, don’t assume you have it because if you don’t, you won’t hit the mark. This is the exciting part, your team has been chosen to solve this problem, or create this opportunity, because of their combined expertise. Make sure you bring that energy to this discussion.
Project team – who are the experts that will be working together and what are their roles? Come prepared with your initial estimate on how you plan to deliver on budget. Make it specific and relevant to each team member, approximately how many hours per discipline do we expect to spend on the project aligned to the budget? Give your team the opportunity to adjust based on what they believe to be realistic. This is key to gaining buy-in and commitment to deliver.
Key deliverables – how does the big idea break into manageable deliverables? Again, this is where your pre-work comes in, what are the milestones needed to deliver on time? Even with an agile project, we are typically working towards a launch date. How many and what are the length of the sprints? Be intentional about asking the question, does anyone have concerns with our ability to achieve these goals, if so let’s discuss.
Project assets/resources – what will the team need to do their job? Likely, you have a list started already, make sure to review and discuss.
Risks/Assumptions/Constraints – what are the risks, assumptions and constraints you have have considered in the scope of work? What else should we be watching, considering or working around?
Q&A – what else? Is there anything else we need to discuss? If not, let’s do this!
Wrap it up with positive momentum, helping to create an excitement about what you will be creating together. The way you lead this meeting will set the tone for the project so be mindful of the energy you bring to it.