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First published in Polish by Małgorzata Rosalska

A kick-off meeting is the first meeting of a project. As we all know, a good jump-off is important in sprint and long-distance projects. So, in any case, it is well worth ensuring it is of good quality.

Kick-off meetings are most often associated with the launch of a project. It may be a project carried out in your work setting, a cooperation project between different organisations or an international partnership. In a kick-off meeting, it does not matter what the project is about or its nature. The meeting aims simply to get off to a good start.

^{Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash}

I don't need to convince anyone that a good start matters. Not only are the rules, objectives and division of labour established, but also, and perhaps most of all, the dynamics of the project, the relationships between participants, and the motivation to act are set in motion. Optimally, all project participants should be able to attend the kick-off meeting in person. However, this is not always the case. I have already participated in meetings with online attendance by some participants. This is not optimal, but with the right competencies and creativity of the leader/moderator, it can also be organised sensibly.

Meetings of this type generally have two objectives. The first concerns organisational matters. Things to be discussed and agreed upon include:

• roles of individual team members;
• tasks assigned to specific persons and the scope of their responsibilities;
• main principles and channels of communication;
• agenda, key terms (and the consequences of failing to comply with them);
• project key performance indicators;
• financing and accounting principles.

During a kick-off meeting, the main objectives and assumptions of the project are presented. In theory, all participants should know them well. However, it is a good idea to refresh knowledge and ensure everyone is on the same page. It is also worth verifying if everyone has access to information and that no one feels left out in this respect.

In my experience, the best kick-off meetings are those that are well prepared not only in terms of organisation but also in terms of content. My best memories are of the meetings where all participants came prepared and with their homework done. More often than not, there were documents or reports to be read, forms to be filled in, and specific issues to be worked on and presented. This was important because, from the beginning, we collaborated, shared tasks, and presented our competencies and capabilities. This approach also minimised the risk of 'relying on the leader alone'.

The other purpose of a kick-off meeting is team building. It allows participants to get to know one another, build understanding, and promote cooperation. For this reason, the meeting venue, coffee breaks, informal conversations and performing tasks together are significant. This is where meeting organisers can show their creativity. The most commonly suggested activities are team building games, making music together, creative works, sightseeing, and walks and excursions in line with the walk-and-talk principle, but also sitting at a table together - the less formal, the better.

The team building part of the meeting is a good investment for the future. Although some people say it is a waste of time and money, I still believe that this stage of project management cannot be skipped. After all, a project is all about people who, for whatever reason, want to pool resources and achieve a goal that all of them consider essential. Group dynamics cannot be fooled. However, it can be harnessed to make work more efficient. Conflicts are inevitable, but they can be managed. From my experience, I can tell that conflicts most often result from differing attitudes toward deadlines and rules. This tends to be more visible in culturally diverse teams. 

When designing kick-off meetings, it is important to propose forms of work that contribute to turning a group of people who most often have not met before into a team. Then we stand a chance to identify individual team members' preferred roles and work styles, and to recognise their strengths and weaknesses. The selection of tasks is important here. It is worth choosing activities of additive nature, meaning that their outcome depends on the input and commitment of all team members. A project launch can be successful if you add positive vibes and a bit of humour to the mix.

Finally, I would like to illustrate these general guidelines with an example of solutions applied at a kick-off meeting I have recently attended. We met in Denmark, so as a team building exercise, we used Lego Serious Play and 'eat, think and drink' meetings. These informal encounters brought very creative results. We worked in expert teams on thematic areas that the project covered. The meets were, of course, open to anyone interested. It was truly inspiring! Everyone left the kick-off meeting with a positive attitude and specific tasks to complete.

dr hab. Małgorzata Rosalska – pedagogue, careers counsellor, assistant professor in the Department of Lifelong Learning and Vocational Counselling at the Faculty of Educational Studies of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. She specialises in issues related to educational and vocational counselling, labour market policy, adult education, and educational policy. Author of books and articles on counselling and andragogy. Author of counselling support programmes and counsellor education programmes. She conducts research and training projects for educational institutions, NGOs and labour market institutions. EPALE Ambassador. 

Further reading:

Ghosting in the job market

Proactivity as a career resource

Job crafting - a way to reduce stress at (not only remote) work

Using a competence game in recruitment for a team coordinator position - a case study