- anticipated project outcomes
- customers and stakeholders
- preliminary planning information
- formal management signatures.
If your organization does not currently use a Project Charter,
you may wish to create one of your own.
Conducting a Team Kickoff Meeting
In addition to following the organizational procedures described
above to launch your project, you should also conduct team-
oriented activities. Among the most valuable and common of
these activities is the project team kickoff meeting. The formal
kickoff meeting is intended to recognize the “official” formation
of the team and the initiation of project execution. The timing
for this event will depend upon when your team members are
assigned and when you are perceived as having a “full team.”
Kickoff meetings can be used at a convenient time to review (or
develop) mutual expectations, energize the team through pre-
sentations by members of management, and rapidly promote
team cohesion.
The Unspoken Imperative: Evaluate the Political
Environment
The process outlined above includes most of the formal proce-
dures required to get your project started. If you’re a savvy proj-
ect manager, however, you’re also sizing up the political climate
that surrounds your project. Here are the basics:
Consider the potential effects for your stakeholders. Once
you’ve identified all of your project’s stakeholders, you should
take that process one step further and identify who stands to
gain (or lose) if your project succeeds and who will gain (or
lose) if your project is deemed unsuccessful. It can be of value
to understand and appreciate the nature of everyone’s stake in
your project.
74 Project Management