A09 – Kick off the project
This management activity belongs to the Project Initiation group. This group of activities are run at the beginning to prepare us for the project.
If the project has been approved in A08, it’s time for the customer and supplier stakeholders to get together and start the project with a kick-off event.
It’s best to spend a full day for the kick-off event, preferably somewhere outside the organization. The project manager and the rest of the management team members (if any) should facilitate the event and make sure that it’s a pleasant experience for everyone.
Purpose
This meeting has the following main purposes:
- Making the project official
- Allowing the internal and external stakeholders get to know each other and network
- Communicating the basic information about the project
Common pitfalls
Make sure the kick-off event is not a dry, boring meeting that only goes through the details of the project, but rather is a pleasant experience aimed at team-building.
Principles
The following principles play a significant role in this management activity: