Project Toolkitby Maxime Lab
Stakeholders and Change · tool 5 of 8

Stakeholders and Change · tool 5 of 8

Kick-off Meeting

Kick-off Meeting: starts everyone on the same page, with the same picture of success.

Best for: Project start · Time: 60–90 min
Domain: Stakeholders · Focus area: Initiating

How it works

A good kick-off isn’t a presentation. It lines up purpose, scope, roles and ways of working, and lets people raise concerns while it’s cheap to deal with them.

  • Have the sponsor open with why it matters.
  • Cover what’s out of scope.
  • Leave time for questions and risks.

How to apply it

  1. Send the charter in advance.
  2. Explain why, what, who and when.
  3. Agree how you’ll work and communicate.
  4. Capture risks and next steps.
In practice

The agenda: why this matters (sponsor), goals, scope, plan, roles, how we’ll work, risks, first actions.

Pro tip

Ask “what could make this fail?” You’ll have your first risk register before lunch.

Use it

Quick check

What’s a sign of a good kick-off?

Sources

  • PMBOK® Guide, 8th edition, and The Standard for Project Management (PMI, 2025)

Last reviewed 2026-11-02 against the PMBOK® Guide, 8th edition · Practitioner review pending · How this guide is made