Key takeaways
- A kickoff levels everyone on goals, scope, deliverables and roles, and is your chance to understand the client's ecosystem beyond the spreadsheet.
- Pick one ambiguous topic and use the room to resolve it rather than spending weeks on email.
- Prepare both sides: the team reviews the RFP and requirements, the client brings relevant documents and the right stakeholders.
- Ask the client whether they need concrete decisions or a brainstorm where everyone feels heard, and end with a tangible takeaway.
- Even on rushed projects, keep the level-setting conversation; skip only the deep-dive activities.
About this episode
“It's a moment to understand who's on board, who's not on board right away instead of getting halfway through a project and a stakeholder pops up and I is like, ‘Wait a second, this wasn't what I was thinking.’”
Project kickoff meetings provide an opportunity for teams to understand goals, set expectations, discuss strategy, and get excited about a new project.
The thing is, there’s no single way of running a project kickoff. In this episode of Time Limit, Brett sits down with Kayla Keizer, project manager at Montreal-based digital design agency Plank. Kayla shares her unique experience and approach to creative kickoff meetings. Topics discussed include:
- What is a kickoff meeting?
- The purpose of a kickoff meeting
- How to plan a kickoff meeting
- Kick off meeting agendas