A well-planned kickoff meeting sets the tone for a successful project

Takeaway: Your team's first impression of a project can set the tone for success or failure. These planning guidelines will help you make your project kickoff meeting count.

Your first project meeting is an opportunity to share your plan for leading the project to a successful completion. You should take advantage of this one-time chance to energize the group, set proper expectations, and establish guidelines that will help you complete the project on time and within budget. If you fail to prepare for this meeting, you’ll put the project at risk right from the start.

When you leave the kickoff meeting, everyone on the project team must be on the same page. Your preparation beforehand will determine whether your kickoff meeting will offer the greatest benefit to team members.

Meeting preparation
Step 1: Develop the project goals and deliverables
Defining these elements will drive the decisions you must make for staffing the project and developing the project plan. Write them down and validate your definitions with the project owners (whoever justified and initiated the project).