Goal of a kickoff
The goal is shared understanding of what the project is, who does what, what could go wrong, and what happens in the first two weeks.
Before the meeting
- Share a one-page project brief beforehand
- Confirm who the sponsor and project manager are
- Prepare a rough timeline and scope statement
Project kickoff agenda (2 hours)
- 0:00–0:20
Goals and success criteria
What does done look like? How do we measure it?
- 0:20–0:45
Scope and boundaries
What is in scope and explicitly out of scope.
- 0:45–1:05
Roles and decision rights
Who is responsible, accountable, consulted, informed.
- 1:05–1:15
Break
- 1:15–1:35
Risk scan
Top risks, dependencies and assumptions.
- 1:35–1:50
Milestones and communication
Key dates and how the team communicates.
- 1:50–2:00
First actions
Owners and deadlines for the next two weeks.
Common mistakes
- Turning the kickoff into a status update
- Leaving decision rights unclear
- No first actions assigned
- No communication agreement
After the meeting
Send a follow-up with the goals, scope, roles, risks, milestones and first actions. Schedule the first check-in before the kickoff ends.
Key takeaway
A good kickoff ends with shared goals, clear roles, a risk list and first actions — not just introductions.