In this blog post I want to take a look at what makes a good project kick-off meeting and also some of the things which you should aim to avoid.
I think it almost goes without saying that an effective kick-off meeting is essential to a successful project. It is an opportunity to share the scope and objectives of the project and to bring everyone on board. Remember that good, clear communication and transparency from the Project Manager during the kick-off will help demonstrate to the team how the project will be run and promote good team behaviour.
Personally, I like to keep kick-off meetings fairly informal and light-hearted. It is important to create a positive working atmosphere at the start to get the team engaged and excited about the project. Setting the wrong tone at the start can get things off on the wrong foot.
Good planning and preparation is key to a good kick-off meeting. You will also need to consider the setting for the kick-off meeting, be it face-to-face or virtual, or maybe a combination of both if the whole team can’t be together in the same location. The attendees should include the Project Manager, the project team, stakeholders and the sponsor. Attendance should be mandatory, but consider running a second event for those who can’t make it to ensure that everyone who needs it has the same level of information.
Depending on your organisation and the project in question, it might be that you need to hold an internal kick-off meeting with the project team first, before holding a more formal kick-off meeting with the client or other external stakeholders. If it is an internal project these meetings could be combined.
Ready to get started? Let’s take a look at 9 steps that will help you ensure maximum success in your project kick-off meeting:
- High-level overview
This is the big picture. Whilst it may not always be the case, try to imagine your audience knows nothing about the project and that you are introducing it to them for the first time. What do they need to know?
Start with an outline of the main goals and objectives of the project, making sure that the project background is understood. What is the purpose of the project and how will the goals be met? Sharing a clear vision will help create enthusiasm and build credibility within the team.
- Introduce the team
Who are they? Do they already know each other? How will the team work together? Create a contact list with details of all of the team members on it and ensure it is accessible to everyone.
- Share the initial project plan
This is where you start to delve more deeply into the details of the project, stating the why, the what and the how. It is also useful to cover what is NOT included in the scope. You should include the timeline, the key milestones, risks and bottlenecks, and also outline the key deliverables, which leads nicely into….
- Roles and Responsibilities
Your project team won’t need you to tell them what their job is, but it is always a good idea to clearly set out who is responsible for each of the project deliverables and also to highlight where any dependencies lie. This helps the rest of the project team to understand and appreciate their input into the project as a whole. You might find it useful to create a RACI matrix to communicate the roles and responsibilities to the team.
- Risks
Often overlooked or just not given the attention it deserves, it is vital to assess the risks to which the project is exposed right at the outset. Why not use this part of the kick-off meeting to get some interaction and feedback from the rest of the project team to brainstorm potential project risks and mitigation plans. You should be using the experience of your project team to help understand what could go wrong. Define the risk management approach you will use for the project and ensure you review and update the risk register regularly.
- Communications Plan
I don’t need to tell you that good, clear communication is essential in project management. Consider how communications will be managed, who needs to know what and at what frequency, and what methods will be used. Set the cadence for project meetings. Are there any specific collaborative tools or cloud-based systems that will be employed for the team to use? Where is the central location for keeping all of the project information and documentation?
Finally, make sure the team know what the escalation process is and also that everyone is comfortable with using it…it is important that it’s not seen by the team as an admission of failure but as a tool to get management support and help when required.
- PM approach / Preferred work processes
What project management approach will be used for this project? What tools and processes should be used to ensure a standardised approach to the project work? You may already have a structured project management system in place within your organisation, or you may use a more flexible approach depending on project complexity, but the point is to ensure that the team are aware and aligned from the outset.
Here you also need to establish the project standards, the governance structure, as well as the Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) that will be used to monitor project performance. Again, this is likely to vary depending on the size of your organisation and the complexity of the project. If you don’t have any KPI’s set by your organisation or project stakeholders, you can consider creating your own to track project performance based on achieving the key milestones, team deliverables or customer satisfaction, for example.
- Change management process
Change is inevitable, so you need to define how changes will be managed and communicated both internally and externally. Consider that your approach might need to vary depending on the size and scope of the change you encounter…some may be incorporated quickly and easily, while others may be a whole new project in themselves!
- Next steps
What are the immediate next actions and how are you going to keep up the momentum? This should leave the team feeling enthused and ready for action!!
Don’t forget to give your audience the opportunity to ask any questions or provide feedback about any of the information that has been shared. It’s also vital to minute the kick-off meeting and send out a summary of the key points and any actions to all stakeholders.
Most of all, enjoy it. I hope these suggestions have been helpful in planning your project kick-off meeting. The project team will feed off the energy and enthusiasm that you put into delivering this…
