Project Kick-off Workflow

# Project Kick-off Workflow

## Purpose
Use at the start of every new project to align the team, set expectations, and create accountability from day one.

## When to Use
A repeatable workflow for launching new projects that covers scoping, resource allocation, timeline creation, and stakeholder communication.

## Instructions
1. Review the template below and familiarise yourself with the structure
2. Replace all [bracketed placeholders] with your business details
3. Customise the tone and formatting to match your brand
4. Save in your preferred tool (Asana or Monday.com)

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## Project Kick-off Workflow

### Trigger
New project approved by management or client contract signed with defined scope.

### Steps

**Step 1: Confirm Project Brief** (Owner: Project Lead) - Within 1 business day
Review the project brief, proposal, or statement of work. Confirm the objectives, deliverables, budget, timeline, and key success metrics. Clarify any ambiguities with the client or sponsor before proceeding.
- Tool: Notion
- Output: Confirmed and documented project brief

**Step 2: Identify Stakeholders and Roles** (Owner: Project Lead) - Within 1 business day
Map all internal and external stakeholders. Define the RACI matrix (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) for key deliverables. Confirm availability with each team member's manager.
- Tool: Notion
- Output: Stakeholder map and RACI matrix documented

**Step 3: Build Project Plan** (Owner: Project Lead) - Within 2 business days
Break the scope into phases, milestones, and tasks. Assign owners and due dates. Identify dependencies between tasks. Build the project timeline in your project management tool.
- Tool: Asana or Monday.com
- Output: Complete project plan with tasks, owners, and dates

**Step 4: Set Up Project Workspace** (Owner: Project Lead) - Within 2 business days
Create the project board in Asana or Monday.com. Set up a dedicated Slack channel (#project-[name]). Create the project folder in Notion for documentation, meeting notes, and decision logs.
- Tool: Asana + Slack + Notion
- Output: Project workspace ready across all tools

**Step 5: Assess Risks** (Owner: Project Lead) - Within 2 business days
Identify the top 5-10 project risks. For each risk, document the likelihood, impact, mitigation strategy, and owner. Add risk review as a recurring item in project check-ins.
- Tool: Notion
- Output: Risk register created and shared

**Step 6: Define Communication Plan** (Owner: Project Lead) - Within 2 business days
Document the communication cadence: weekly status updates, fortnightly client check-ins, milestone reviews. Specify who sends what, to whom, and via which channel.
- Tool: Notion
- Output: Communication plan documented and agreed

> Decision Point: If the project budget exceeds $20,000, schedule a formal risk review with the Director before proceeding to the kick-off meeting. If under $20,000, proceed directly.

**Step 7: Prepare Kick-off Presentation** (Owner: Project Lead) - 1-2 days before kick-off meeting
Prepare a brief kick-off deck covering: project overview, team introductions, timeline, milestones, communication plan, risks, and immediate next steps. Keep it to 10-15 minutes of content.
- Tool: Presentation tool + Notion
- Output: Kick-off presentation ready

**Step 8: Conduct Kick-off Meeting** (Owner: Project Lead) - As scheduled
Run the kick-off meeting with all stakeholders. Walk through the presentation. Confirm understanding and agreement on scope, timeline, and responsibilities. Capture questions and action items.
- Tool: Zoom/Teams + Slack
- Output: Meeting notes distributed, action items logged

**Step 9: Distribute Meeting Notes** (Owner: Project Lead) - Within 24 hours of kick-off
Send meeting notes to all attendees and stakeholders. Include confirmed action items with owners and due dates. File the notes in the project Notion workspace.
- Tool: Notion + Slack
- Output: Notes distributed, actions tracked in project management tool

**Step 10: Commence Sprint 1** (Owner: Project Team) - Within 1 business day of kick-off
Begin work on the first set of deliverables. Post a brief update in the project Slack channel confirming that work has commenced and the first milestone target.
- Tool: Asana + Slack
- Output: First sprint in progress

### Completion Criteria
- [ ] Project brief confirmed and documented
- [ ] RACI matrix agreed by all stakeholders
- [ ] Project plan built with tasks, owners, and due dates
- [ ] Communication plan documented
- [ ] Risk register created
- [ ] Kick-off meeting held with notes distributed
- [ ] First sprint commenced

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**Complexity:** intermediate | **Setup time:** 20 minutes | **Tools:** Asana, Monday.com, Slack, Notion