A kickoff meeting is always needed to start both a project or a project stage/phase.

This is a communication and expectation setting event.

The most effective way to structure your kickoffs is to answer the five questions:

1. WHAT are we doing?
2. WHY are we doing it?
3. WHO will do it?
4. WHEN and WHERE will we be doing it?
5. HOW will we do it?

(1) WHAT Should be a simple statement that everyone can understand:
e.g. We are embarking on an organizational change management initiative driven by the transition to a new ERP system.

(2) WHY will typically refer to business case objectives and benefit statements.

(3) WHO defines roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders.

(4) WHEN and WHERE refers to timecales and business units that are in scope.

(5) HOW is where the expectation setting takes place and is typically the most detailed section of the kickoff as it will detail the expected activities and tasks at a summary level so everyone is clear what they are getting into.

Project Management 3