All responsible team members are briefed on a new project during a kickoff meeting.
A kick-off meeting is one in which all responsible team members are informed about a new project. Activities may include a discussion of the intent of the project, establishing a schedule, sharing costs and budget constraints, and assigning roles in the project. Kickoff meetings often include team members from multiple functional areas, and can sometimes include a customer representative as well.
The project manager is usually responsible for organizing a kickoff meeting.
The intent of a kickoff meeting is to ensure that the project runs as smoothly as possible, ensuring that all team members are on the same page. These meetings are an opportunity for the project manager to share information about the project. This can include hard data like project due date, specs, and budget, but it can also include simple information like client quirks and preferences.
The project manager is usually responsible for organizing a kickoff meeting. He usually takes responsibility for setting and following the agenda. This includes scheduling a time when all necessary parties can meet; reserve a place; and in the case of long meetings that take place at noon, request the lunch service for team members.
During the meeting, the project manager will take detailed notes on all items discussed, decisions made, and questions to be answered later. She will be responsible for ensuring that all interested parties agree to the terms, timelines and costs and that they fully understand what is required of them. Thereafter, the project manager should promptly distribute clear and concise meeting notes.
One of the most important functions of a kickoff meeting is defining a list of deliverables. This is a list of all items due to the customer and the specific actions required to fulfill each delivery. For example, a customer delivery could be the production of an entry signal for a retail location. To do this, the plate must be designed, materials supplied and ordered, produced, quality verified, and the plate shipped and/or installed. The purchasing specialist can’t order materials until the designer designs the sign, and if one of these steps isn’t completed on time, the installer can’t meet the due date.
Assigning tasks is very important to the process, so meeting notes for a kickoff meeting should include a list of action items, due dates, and responsible parties. If either party has issues with expiration dates, specifications, or pricing, the kickoff meeting is the time to raise the issue. This meeting provides an open forum for all parties involved to ensure they receive what they need to produce a successful project.