The Kick-off Meeting: Preparation

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Early in my career, as I transitioned from site producer to associate project manager, I didn’t have much formal guidance on how to do my job. Instead, I relied on observing experienced project managers and learning from their examples. Over the years, I’ve honed my skills in managing dependencies, facilitating discussions, and simply running effective meetings—essential skills for any project manager. One of the most critical meetings in any project is the kickoff meeting. It sets the stage, aligns stakeholders, and ensures everyone is working toward the same objectives. This post is the first in a three-part series on kickoff meetings, beginning with preparation, followed by execution, and concluding with follow-up.

The first step in preparing for a successful kickoff meeting is creating a solid agenda. Early in my career, my approach was fairly loose—gather key stakeholders and the project team, present the scope, let them discuss, and then take follow-ups. While this method works, it can feel disorganized and lead to inefficient meetings. It’s far better to enter the meeting with a structured plan and adjust as necessary rather than go in with little direction. In my next post, I’ll outline an effective format for a kickoff meeting agenda.

Once the agenda is in place, it’s crucial to identify and invite the right people. Every kickoff should include key stakeholders, project sponsors, team members, and, if applicable, vendors. However, in many of the projects I’ve led, I wasn’t given a predefined list of attendees. More often than not, I would start with the name of an engineering lead and, if I was lucky, a product owner. From there, I had to work to identify additional stakeholders and team members. Sometimes, even the project sponsor was unclear, which made things more challenging. Ensuring the right people are in the room is critical because the last thing you want is to start the meeting and realize that a key decision-maker is missing, forcing you to reschedule. At the same time, inviting too many people can dilute the meeting’s effectiveness. If attendees have no direct role in the project, they’re likely to remain silent, wondering why they were included. Striking the right balance is key.

Another often-overlooked step in preparing for a kickoff meeting is creating a presentation. Admittedly, this is something I haven’t done as often as I should have throughout my career. A presentation doesn’t need to be elaborate—a few slides that align with the agenda and cover the project scope and background information will suffice. Having a visual reference helps keep discussions focused and ensures that everyone is on the same page.

Finally, it’s important to distribute pre-read materials before the meeting. Sending out key documents like the project charter, scope document, and any relevant background information in advance allows attendees to come prepared. When people understand why they are meeting before they enter the room, discussions are more productive from the outset.

By following these steps—creating a strong agenda, identifying the right attendees, preparing a presentation, and sharing pre-read materials—you’ll set your project kickoff meeting up for success. In my next post, I’ll break down a structured format for an effective kickoff meeting agenda.

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