How do you organize and succeed in a kick-off?

Any project launch must start with a kick-off meeting to allow effective management of the project and ensure its smooth running. The kick-off brings together the project manager and all the collaborators involved in the management of the project. This kickoff meeting is essential to promote exchanges between the various actors and create good cohesion before launching a project.

But organizing a kick-off cannot be improvised, the preparation must be anticipated and thorough. So how do you make a successful launch meeting? Formeret gives you some tips and recommendations to ensure the effectiveness of your kick-off.

What is a kick-off?

The kick-off meeting, also called project launch meeting, is the meeting that marks the start of a project. This meeting is an opportunity to present the purpose of the project and to review the essential points to allow all members of the team to start at the same level of information. This professional meeting thus promotes decision-making and contributes to the success of the project.

At the end of this working meeting, all members of the project team should have a clear vision of the goals, the project plan and its various stages, the requirements and risks, the methodology to be followed, the deadlines, but also the role and responsibilities of each person. The kick-off must be animated in such a way as to encourage exchanges as much as possible. This project launch meeting must be managed and managed in an agile manner so that each person on the team can ask all the necessary questions.

The aim of this meeting is therefore to bring together all the actors involved in the management of the project: project manager, steering committee, stakeholders... But also, if necessary, external service providers, customers, or even management if it is a complex and strategic project for the company. Reviewing all project areas early on with all collaborators is the key to successfully completing and managing a project effectively.

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When should a kick-off be organized?

By definition, the project start-up meeting must be organized before the start of active work. The ideal time to organize a launch meeting is after the validation of the project plans and charter.

But the kick-off meeting is not necessarily the very first meeting. Upstream, the client and the company must meet to define the needs, the action plan, the action plan, the budget, the deadlines, etc. There may also be internal meetings before the kick-off, in particular to identify the collaborators who will meet around the project. In addition, the business project must have been validated by management before the kick-off to ensure its feasibility.

Finally, this professional meeting is far from being the last. Follow-up, steering or even brainstorming meetings should be organized regularly with all participants or in small groups depending on the points discussed. The kick-off also makes it possible to plan these essential stage points to check the good progress of the project, the management of resources, the respect of deadlines and deliverables, etc.

What are the key steps for a successful kick-off?

The course of a kick-off meeting will of course depend on each business project. Not to mention all the planning and organization of the meeting beforehand, there is however a certain methodology to follow in order to succeed in this pre-project meeting. In any case, keep in mind that the kick-off should be clear and effective.

• Introduction and presentation : it's time for all stakeholders to introduce themselves briefly, especially if some of them don't know each other yet.
• Reminder of the agenda : For a smooth meeting, send today's agenda to all participants before the kick-off so they can prepare.
• Background and objectives of the project : before getting to the heart of the matter, it is necessary to recall the fundamentals of the project and its objectives.
• The main phases of the project : ideally, the project plan was also sent to the teams beforehand, but it is important to review the essential points of the various phases of the project to ensure that everyone is fully understood (planning, deliverables, methodology, methodology, management tools and demos if necessary, etc.).
• Presentation of the project team : it is an essential step, especially if it is the first time that some people work together. Everyone's role, responsibilities, and workload should be clearly defined.
• Risk analysis : identify potential risks and the solutions put in place. This step helps to establish a climate of trust before starting.
• The communication plan : who will be notified? When? How? Remember to structure and facilitate access to all project-related information.
• Measures of success : to properly manage the project, define indicators to assess the achievement of the objectives by the end of the project.
• Questions/answers : it is a collaborative work, everyone must have a certain amount of time to speak to share their contributions and state their vision. Before concluding, the facilitator can do a final round of the table to be sure that all the actors in the project are operational.
• The next steps of the project : don't forget to schedule the next meetings to check the progress of the project and to write a kick-off report.

Managing a project cannot be improvised! The manager must choose the appropriate methodology (e.g.: traditional methods, agile methods, critical path method...) to achieve the objectives by the end of the project.

The secrets of organizing an effective kick-off: choosing the right place and the right tools

For an effective meeting, it is essential to prepare well in advance. The project manager is responsible for preparing and managing the kick-off. As we have seen, we must prepare the content of the meeting : have a good knowledge of the framework note or roadmap, set the objectives of the meeting, prepare the agenda (tasks, monitoring tools, communication plan, deliverable deadlines, provisional budget, etc.) and visual support, etc.

But for an effective business meeting, don't overlook the practicalities. Particular attention should be paid to the choice of good tools, including communication tools and project management software.

Finally, The choice of location is an essential criterion. This meeting, which is particularly important in the success of the project, must succeed in motivating the teams. So avoid organizing the kick-off in a classic meeting room within your company. The ideal is to opt for a location outside the company, and preferably an innovative, atypical and pleasant place. This will promote exchanges, conviviality and the commitment of participants.

If you need a place for your kick-off, Formeret offers a wide choice of meeting rooms that adapt to all your needs, as well as three exceptional spaces in the heart of Paris. We provide you with modular rooms that are fully equipped with the necessary equipment to effectively manage your work meetings. Formeret is also a professional service and a team at your disposal to facilitate the success of all your projects.