After you have been assigned a project within your company, you will need to dive in and get right to work. If you are using Agile project management to help reach your goals, then starting with a kickoff meeting is in your best interest.
Getting everyone
on the same page from the get-go and letting them know about expectations can
increase the chances of your project being a success. Kickoff meetings can be
challenging because the people working together may or may not know one
another. Thus, having a successful first meeting is imperative.
If you are looking up for ways to get your project started on the right foot, then you need to have the best kickoff meeting possible.
Below are some ways to make this meeting a success.
1- Include Everyone on the Team
Your first meeting should include everyone who will be on the team. It gives the team the chance to know who they will be working with, as well as the skills and abilities each person will be bringing to the project. It will also establish a connection between the team members.
Should all of
the team members be within the same office, it will be easier to get them into
a room together. If you have some team members who work remotely, you’ll want
to set up video conferencing so that they can attend the kickoff meeting. While
a conference call can also be used, video is better because it allows everyone
to put faces to names.
2- Make Communication Mandatory and Easy
One of the
important reasons that many projects fail is
because team members aren’t communicating with one another. If you are using
Agile project management, then people must stay in contact and update the rest
of the team on the progress they have made. It will also allow you to make any
changes necessary to the plan to reach your end goal.
At the kickoff meeting, you’ll want to set up chat rooms or meeting spaces that will allow team members to be in contact with one another—and encourage them to use these resources. If they aren’t communicating with one another, tasks may fall through the cracks, or people may not know what they are supposed to do. By making communication easy and mandatory, you are ensuring your team members talk.
3- Set Expectations
The kickoff
meeting is the best time to let team members know what is expected of them—and
not just when it comes to communication. It is the time when you will determine
the following:
- Duration of the sprints
- When the first sprint will start
- The date of the sprint demo
- Where the demo will occur
- How feedback will be given and how
ongoing progress will be shared - The scrum call cadence
4- Allocate Resources
During the kickoff meeting is when you will allocate resources so that people know when they are needed and ensure that they are available during those times.
To sum it all……
The beginning of a project can be an exciting time, but it also has its share of stress. To ensure that the entire team knows what is expected of them, you need to have a kickoff meeting. To make the meeting as productive and successful as possible, there are some things you’ll need to incorporate, and the most crucial is getting the entire team on the same page.
