There are plenty of things to do when you are going to start a new project. Many questions need to be addressed, and there is little time to deal with them. So, you will need some sort of agenda to set the project's tone.

A project kickoff meeting template will provide focus to your project team and set the initial framework. To begin with the project plan, project managers can clearly define expectations and suggest the next steps.

In this article, you will learn how to properly establish your project kickoff template, when you should use it, and how it is composed, alongside many free templates you can use for your project.

It is a meeting where project managers introduce an overview about the project’s general plan to the team. During this project kick-off, each team member will get to know the project's objectives, organization, expectations, project schedule, and other critical information that needs to be addressed during the project planning process.

Usually, project kickoff meetings have several items to carry on. Some of those would be an introduction to the project and host, goals and topics of the meeting, a project RACI, a QA session, and present the project planning board. It all ends up with a summary of all of it and the next steps to execute.

Addressing the project kickoff meeting agenda will ensure that all project team members are on the same page and have a common understanding of the purpose and timeline. Managers use a project kickoff presentation template to share all the information with their teammates and answer any questions they might have.

Skipping this step will trouble your project management methodology as a whole. You will end up in discussions with people who don't know what their role is and what they should do.

Team members will feel that they have been run over, and within weeks it will overwhelm you. Thus, the project may ultimately fall apart. Without good foundations and a team that understands those, a successful project won't exist.

A project kick-off meeting should involve anyone participating in the project. This includes team members, managers, stakeholders, client management, and contractors.

If needed, you can share some background information before the project meeting. Then, set up a meeting agenda and write down any questions you want to ask the people present (and some notes to answer any probable questions people might ask you).

Once this "pre-phase" is done, you can start planning your project kickoff meeting structure by doing your main project kickoff meeting checklist, including the topics we will see below.

Introduction: Project Goals and Background

This is where the project team can meet each other, get to know their roles, and let the project manager introduce themselves. Here, everyone should also let know how to reach each member of the team.

Once that is done, it is time to explain the project's purpose and end goal. You might need to provide context to explain the "why" and let everyone fully understand their roles and objectives. And if you have many new people on the team, get them to know a bit about the history of the company and the business model.

Another topic you should address is the timeline. People might ask why you must start the project now and why it can't wait. Set up all the reasons for such urgency and let them know what the timeline would be.

And lastly (for this part, at least), the project goal should be clearly established. The manager should address what the company expects and other objectives your sponsors might want your team to achieve during the project.

Project Scope

The project scope will summarize everything that needs to be addressed, like project tasks, deliverables, and defined outcomes.

For a project kick-off meeting, you only need to give a high-level overview of the project scope. You can make bullet points to deliver the project's major points.

Also, you need to list everything that isn't in the scope. This won't leave the wrong expectations on your team members.

Organization

Whenever you start discussing the project plan, you need to be more detailed about how the project will be executed and what should be expected from the different procedures.

You can review timelines and milestones to ensure everyone is on the same page and understands the project schedule. If needed, you can also talk about the budget and how to control expenses.

Timeline

The timeline will give the people a glance at how intense the project will be, and the more work is put into low timeframes, the bigger the workload will be. Also, people would want to see the timeline, re-arrange their personal life, and know how the project will impact their professional schedule.

You need to go through the entire timeline and explain the major points and how they tie together with the project overall. Mention any special circumstances that should be taken into consideration for the planning, as it might be other projects, resource gaps, or other external factors.

Responsibilities and Assignments

You have to tell the people your expectations. Establish what kind of work they must do as individuals and as a team. If this point isn't fully settled in your teammates' minds, you might face some problems with delegation, as people won't have a clear understanding of where their responsibilities start and end.

Then, if tasks must be done before the next project meeting, you should make assignments. Some might be to better organize all the afterthoughts once the meeting is done. In contrast, others could be more related to subsequent meetings.

Organizational Topics and Review

Here you will talk about the project management methodology and how team members should collaborate with each other. It must include the meeting structure and also how often the meetings are going to happen (both in person and remotely). You can mention where people can find project documentation, and any upcoming business trips and travel regulations, if needed.

Then, you quickly review the action items established in the meeting, emphasizing the key points.

Closing Ideas

You should leave some time to answer questions and add some as part of the meeting notes. And as a final slide for your template, you should highlight the next steps and when the project would start.

This will keep the momentum going, as people will mostly show motivation at the start of a new project.

Now that you know why you need a project kickoff meeting template and how it is structured, you are ready to make one of your own.

The best way to start with it is by drawing yours based on already pre-established templates. Or use them and modify them to your needs. Below you will see several template examples that you can use for free. All you need to do is have Microsoft Word installed on your PC, as they are all compatible with this program, and it is easy to use and edit them.

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Project Kickoff Meeting Template

This template establishes all the key points for a kickoff meeting, beginning with an introduction and hints, leading to the objectives, participants, and date of such a meeting. Finally, there is a table where you can write down all the main topics of the meeting.

You can download it as a Word document from Phii.org.

Project Kickoff Meeting Checklist Template

This checklist template complements your project kickoff meeting as you can check all the topics and points already addressed during the meeting.

Download it from Smartsheet.

Kickoff Meeting Agenda Template

This template is structured differently from the first one. You will see plenty of tables, each addressing the different key points for the meeting. You can write down your attendants, assignments for the meeting, approach methodology, project planning, rules, action items, and questions and answers.

Download it from MyPMLLC.com.

Advanced Project Kickoff Meeting Template

With this agenda template, you will create a detailed meeting plan, where each item has its own estimated time required to complete and keep the meeting on track. This template includes questions and next steps sections, with fields to add action items, their assigned owners, and follow-up dates.

Download it from Smartsheet.

Kickoff Announcement Email Template

You should use this email template to invite the corresponding people to the kickoff meeting. Be brief with your message, and cover the main points of such a meeting, as well as mention the date, time, and location. You should also attach the meeting agenda to let everyone review the plan and prepare some questions they might have later.

Download it from Smartheet.

Project Kickoff Whiteboard Template

If you want to vary on the design, you can use this whiteboard template. Here, you can add topics and questions such as objectives, scope, roles, project background, action items, communication channels, and a timeline. You should update these slides as the meeting progresses. You can also use this flexible template for brainstorming sessions, organizing tasks and project planning.

Download it as a PowerPoint Slide from Smartsheet.

A successful project kickoff meeting will be the right step for a successful project overall. And with the templates provided above, you can easily outline the objectives and tasks needed to carry on the project from the very beginning.

Project kickoff will set project managers on the right path to meet the goals while remaining under budget. These templates will help you to save time and arrange better meetings.