For a project manager and the whole project team, it is certainly the most thrilling time: project kick off! Naturally, there are many things that have already been done until just before the kick off, for example the initiation of the project and also the planning process. But that is where the process of actually working starts.
In this write-up, we are going to briefly define what a project kick off meeting is.
What is a project kick off meeting?
It is an all parties’ meeting which is arranged just before the start of the project group execution. Once the project management plan has been formulated and accepted by the project stakeholders, the next phase is to start implementing this project plan during execution.
And what needs to be achieved in this? A call for a project kick off meeting! The customer, the seller, the project team, the project sponsor and all project stakeholders are invited to the kick-off meeting. The project manager is responsible for organizing this meeting.
Kick off meetings usually have the most number of participants than any other meetings held during the same project.
What happens during the meeting?
In this essential meeting there are many things that are needed to be consider. First of all, high-level project information is provided. Then, it lists the objectives of the project. And also it announces the major outputs which will be delivered during the project. Finally, it mentions the project’s milestones.
The primary purpose of the kick off meeting is to insure that everybody is on the same page. Since the approved project management plan must be implemented after this phase in order to fulfil the project objectives. So everybody has to be clear on the objectives and how the project team will work to meet those goals.
If you choose to understand more-you can enrol in a PMP training program which will provide you with all the information you need regarding this important phase.
