So are you getting ready to run a project kickoff meeting? Congratulations. Starting off a project
is so much fun. Be sure that you have a project kickoff meeting checklist. This becomes really
important. And in this video, I'm going to share with you some tried and true things that I have on
my checklist that ensure my success, that I want to make sure that you have too. Now, if you really
want a master project, stay tuned to the end of this video because I have an amazing checklist for
you that's going to ensure your project success. Hi, if you're new here, welcome, subscribe to
my channel and get the best career and project management advice coming to you every Wednesday.
In today's video for a kickoff meeting checklist, we are not going to focus on
the traditional stuff. We are going to focus on the above and beyond items that make you stand
out and have you shine for this extra over and above stuff that really is going to distinguish
you. So if you're excited about this video, give this video a thumbs up, and let's get to it.
Courtesy call. This one gets missed all the time. And when I share this particular tip with people,
they're like, "Oh my goodness. I didn't even think about that. That is a fantastic idea."
Okay. So what's the courtesy call? If you've been following my videos and you've been following my
Slay Project Management Program, you know that at this point, when we're talking about kickoff,
we've already done tons of other work prior to. We've done our scope statement. We've done a whole
bunch of things of connecting with stakeholders. We even figured out who's going to be on our
team by working on our charter. So the courtesy call is to prior to your even kickoff meeting,
is to call all the managers of your team members and share with them the project. What's going on?
Let them know the amount of time that's going to occur for those team members of yours, but their
direct reports. Remember as a project manager, you don't have anybody who reports directly into you.
They all report to other people, but yet they have to be motivated on your project.
So the best way to get on the good side of your project team members is to get on the good side
of their manager as well. And ensure that they are aware of the time, the scope, the energy,
the effort, what you're expecting, so that if you come across any roadblocks, not only can you
talk to the team member, you can also bring the manager in the loop too, because they are aware
from everything from one. Welcome project family, this is such a simple thing to do, but again,
another one that people forget all the time. Prior to your kickoff, send out a beautiful note,
email, handwritten note, whatever that may be to your project team. Welcome them to the project,
let them know what to expect. Give them some ideas about your kickoff meeting, the agenda.
Maybe send them some pre-read. Just really get them excited about what is going to have happen
and how everyone is going to get together. You may even want to put down rules and responsibilities
so that other individuals can understand who will be doing what. This is a lovely thing to
do. And it can really set the tone for your meeting and more importantly, your project.
Incentive motivators. All right. Prior to my kickoff, I like to think of ways to really
motivate my team. Remember I said earlier on that the team members don't report into you,
they report into other managers. So how do I get them motivated with what's happening? Well,
sometimes I can do very simple things like bribing them with food, okay? If I'm having a meeting,
sometimes that's the simplest way, to ensure that I have treats or even provide lunch. And
when I do, I usually do something really nice, something that they normally don't get, because I
really want them to know how important they are to this project and how I'm going above and beyond.
Now, some other motivators that you can do is have a theme with your project. Now, why would this
be a motivator? Well, for example, I like to use Emmett all the time because everything is awesome.
And in our project, everything is awesome. So Emmett now becomes this theme that we use
with each other. And when I introduce this in my welcome email, by the way, I have done this in the
past. And for those of you who are watching, who have been on my past projects, they get a little
key chain of Emmett. And then all of a sudden, everyone is walking around on their backpacks
or wherever they choose to put this, the key chain of the project that everything is awesome.
Small little thing that you could do, but has a huge motivating factor. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. Okay. Here's something that people forget too, interestingly enough. After your
kickoff meeting, send out thank yous to everyone. Just to let them know how much you appreciate the
energy and effort that they did in your kickoff meeting, because don't forget, kickoff meetings
are not just, hey, by the way, welcome. Here's a project. You're probably doing some activities,
stuff of that nature. Check out my other videos on kickoff meetings, there's some really good
in-depth things there that you have to consider. So saying thank you is again, setting the tone,
letting them know how much you appreciate them. Very simple technique,
but something that can really have a positive impact on everyone. Cross your T's and dot
your I's. All right. What do I mean by this one? While you just had your kickoff meeting,
you said your thank yous, which was fantastic, but you would have gotten a lot of information out of
your kickoff meeting. And this is something that really needs to be on your checklist. And that is,
finalizing everything quickly. So you just introduced everyone to the project,
you got them excited, now you've collected a whole bunch of information. You as project manager,
have to clean it all up, and you got to do that quickly. And you have to make sure everything is
tight so you can pass it off to your team members when they're still energized to start executing on
their tasks. So ensure that you make that a huge priority. And it is definitely one thing that
people miss. They kind of think, great, I kicked it off. Now I can kind of take my time. No. Cross
your T's dot your I's, get everything out to your team members and ensure you do that. ASAP.
Now that you know some things that people just don't think about when it comes to kickoff
meeting checklists, things that are going to distinguish you. I want you to even further
with you being distinguished as an amazing project manager, and that is understanding how to ensure
your project does not fail. Go to the link below and grab this. It's a free download that's going
to give you amazing information. So not only are you going to have a great kickoff meeting,
you are going to have an amazing checklist here to help you ensure your projects are successful.
Don't forget to subscribe to this channel, give this video a like, and if you can please share
with the people that you know. Now, if you have anything else that you want to add, that goes
above and beyond, please put it in the comments below, share it with the community. Thanks.