7 Steps to Plan a Successful Kick-off
Start a project with energy and an incredible kick-off meeting
It is frustrating to show up to a meeting when the host has not taken the time to prepare appropriately. So take the time to prepare a thoughtful kick-off to set your vision-setting journey up for success.
Step #1: Set an Objective.
Set a goal and ensure they are realistic and appropriate for the attendees you want to invite, in line with the allotted timeframe. Having a clear objective will give your meeting purpose and is a north star to guide you as your plan the rest of your discussion. Answer these 4 questions:
- What is the business challenge?
- What is your Objective?
- What is your objective for? (e.g, product, service, team)
- How will you know if you are successful?
Plan your objectives with our free Goal Google Whiteboard — Click here
Step #2: Invite the Right People.
First, identify your attendees and determine your meeting format ( in-person, virtual, or a mix of both).
Then, consider who is crucial to you achieving the objective you set. Without specific stakeholders, you are missing out on valuable perspectives. Nonessential folks will take you down the rabbit hole. Therefore invite the right balance of stakeholders to keep your vision discussions productive. Consider the following approaches:
- Invite fewer participants for specific input and top efficiency.
- Open the invite to more people and profit from various perspectives.
Step #3: Create an Agenda
An agenda articulates to attendees that you will run an orderly workshop and that productivity is the objective. An agenda in your invitation allows the attendees to prepare for your session and understand the value you are hoping to drive. However, we believe agendas are underutilized tools. Here is how to get the most out of your agenda.
Plan your speaking notes
With a well-planned agenda, you can write speaking notes and “talk-track” and evenly balance your allotted time with the topics you plan to discuss. Then, prepare a question for each agenda topic for a more collaborative kick-off session for your attendees.
Plan your meeting cadence
Here is a simple equation divide the number of minutes in the meeting by the number of agenda topics. This equation gives you an idea of how much time each topic could receive if the meeting were evenly divided. Of course, you can also plan in reverse. We suggest that each agenda topic requires at least 5-minutes (1-minute introduction and a 4-minute discussion).
Using a simple math equation, you can determine if your expectations are realistic or too ambitious. In this case, consider splitting the meeting into two parts if necessary, or trim agenda items where possible.
Plan your breaks
You should plan for breaks if your meeting lasts more than 90 minutes, and if you plan to meet twice, ensure someone is taking detailed meeting minutes to track what was discussed, shared, and assigned.
Sample Agenda Template
Time: 90-minutes
Objective: leave employees with a clear action plan and next steps.
🎮 Warm-up Game
Get the energy flowing in the meeting.
🔄 Project Synopsis
Discuss a high-level project summary and requirements.
- Goals of the project
- Project vision and
- Project scope
- Deliverables
- Success criteria
- Assumptions
- Expectations
- Design review
- Test conditions
- Dependencies
- Stakeholders
👩 Team roles and responsibilities:
Align who is responsible for what tasks and objectives.
- Project Lead
- Executive Sponsor
- Project Manager
⭐️ Major Milestones
Introduce the supporting events and their value, and set a schedule cadence.
- Daily standup
- Milestone 1
- Milestone 2
- Deadline
☑️ Team check-list
Checklist to make sure everyone has the proper access and support.
- Does everyone have access to the working board?
- Does everyone know the location of essential docs, folders / Confluence site
- What channel and communication are we using?
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Step #4: Write a pre-read
A project kick-off should not be a “brain dump.”! Instead, you want to be concise and practical; a pre-read will set you up for success. Include the following in the pre-read:
- Please write a brief overview. Keep it high-level and inspirational. Bullet points are best, and always keep it less than 1-page.
- Send ground rules like “we ask you not to have your laptops out” so participants know what to expect.
- Consider potential questions you want to ask your team.
Step #5: Pick a time
The ideal time to kick off a meeting is clearly before beginning the project work, but there is a little more to it if you want to captivate your audience and get the best results. Consider
- External factors — consider related project milestones and regional holidays.
- Stakeholder calendars — if someone’s day is already 60%+ booked, you may not get their full attention.
- Day of the week — Tuesdays are the best time to hold kick-off meetings as people are over the Monday blues and have not started daydreaming about Saturday.
Step #6: Send an invite
An invitation should include all the information an individual needs, such as the agenda, objective, date, time, location, and most importantly, the value to the participant. Remember to keep it short and to the point. Here is our format for writing an invite
- > 100 characters Intro & Topic
- > 200 characters Objective
- > 200 characters Benefit to participant
- > 200 characters Agenda
Meeting Invites Sample.
Subject line: Project Kickoff: ProjectACE
—
Dear team,
I hope you are well. We are ready to kick off [insert initiative] and would like to get your valuable input to help align our priorities and objectives.
We will be hosting a [insert meeting length] session on [day and time] to discuss [topic] as a project team, and we hope you can join the conversation. The meeting will take place at [location/video] for [time]. During this time, we hope to accomplish [Objective].
A detailed agenda for the meeting is attached and includes:
- Insert agenda
Please let me know by [date and time] if you can make it, as we hope to have a well-represented group and plan for a productive session.
Thanks, and looking forward to hearing from you.
Take Care,
ACE
Senior Project Manager
