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Week 2: Project Charter - Discussion
The Project Kick-Off (graded)
Why is it important to signify the start of a new project by holding project kick-off events?
Responses
Response
Author
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Kick-Off
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Date/Time
0
3/4/2012 3:04:36 AM
Professor Firestone
Let's start with some items to support the importance of the kick-off meeting.
What items should project managers have on their kick-off meeting agendas?
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Kathryn Martinez
3/11/2012 4:39:43 AM
Modified:3/11/2012 4:45 AM
In a kick-Off meeting the project managers should be have on their
agendas the items that are important to the stakeholders such as an
Outline or Gantt chart for starters. That way if everyone is there it
will be easier to assign jobs get feedback and interaction with
questions and comments on the project's issues. For example in my
senior project class our team met last week on our project and
created a Gantt chart and other items for our project. We all got a
chance to introduce ourselves, talk about the project and feel for
the assignments we received.
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Frederick Rock
3/8/2012 5:01:56 PM
Some of the items discussed in the initial kickoff meeting include:
• Wage and salary administration, if applicable
• Letting the employees know that their boss will be informed as to how well or how poorly they perform
• Initial discussion of the scope of the project including both the technical objective and the business objective
• The definition of success on this project
• The assumptions and constraints as identified in the project charter
• The project's organizational chart (if known at that time)
• The participants’ roles and responsibilities
For a small or short-term project, estimates on cost and duration may be established in the kickoff meeting
(Kerzner, Harold. Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling, 10th Edition. John Wiley & Sons (P&T), 4/13/09.
p.421- 422). <vbk:9780470885932#outline(11.6)>
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Leigh-Ann Joseph
3/7/2012 8:37:09 PM
Kick-off meetings for projects can be used very effectively to give a good start to a
project in an organization. Kick-off meetings should include a clear and simple
presentation of the project. If possible media should be used to give a good visual
representation of what value the project has to the organization and how important
the project is to every employee. The project sponsors should be recognized and
thanked for their support of the project. Other teams on the project could be
acknowledged and their contribution to the project be noted. The kick-off meeting is
a good time to give some initial recognition to the players in the project. I think this
helps with motivation on the part of the team. Project details such as timing, cost
and scope could be outlined in a summary format so that the average employee has
some idea how the project will work and how long it will run.
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Syleisha Smythe
3/7/2012 9:13:02 PM
Kickoff meetings normally involve all of the major stakeholders and are used to
make initial decisions about timing, costs and resource requirements. Large or
very complex projects can have multiple kickoff meetings. Some of the topics
on the agenda for a kickoff meeting would include:







Wage & salary administration, if applicable
Explaining that to participants that their supervisors or managers will be
advised of their performance on the project (good & bad)
Scope of technical and business objectives
Definition of project success
Assumptions and constraints per the project charter
Organizational chart for the project
Roles & responsibilities of participants
(Kerzner, 422)
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Kevin Shaw
3/5/2012 6:56:35 PM
Modified:3/5/2012 7:00 PM
During the project kick off meeting project managers should include the project charter that states the objectives of the project, the key
members of the projects, It's also the time for individuals on tghe project team to get to know one another.
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Herbert Anderson
3/6/2012 9:03:40 PM
Before any project minor or major is started a (kick-off meeting) is often recommended. Throughout your project theirs going to be a series of
meetings, but the first one should be the kick-off, because it helps energize and motivate the team members for the project. During the
meeting the PM could gain a better understanding of each individual strengths and skills; usual assigned areas are appointed to individuals. I
feed that having a kick-meeting is another from of intense brainstorming, which would lead or result into planning. Nevertheless, in this
meeting certain task are done such as: defining the project (like we did last week), understanding the purpose & expectation of the
stakeholder, meeting the goals and deliverables with the major constraints, pin-pointing everyone role in the project along with just common
introducing the team members. Plus, I think that the kick-off meeting allows for the project manager to show his/her authority and leadership
towards the team. Now as stated before many meeting will follow after this one, and in this meeting you want to give a brief breakdown of the
project. As you remember in the Risk Management Process, you're going to have a minor and major review along with other case meetings.
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Aaron Downing
3/6/2012 10:52:02 PM
There should be discussion of both the technical and business objectives, including the scope of the work, performance expectations, the org
chart for the project and constraints if available.
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Marquita Blair
3/7/2012 7:12:00 PM
The project kick off meeting agenda is actually pretty extensive.
The agenda should include items the listed below:
Introduce the people at the meeting (everyone working or involved in the project).
There should have been a recap of the information in the Project Charter including,







purpose of the project,
the scope,
the major deliverables,
the risks,
the assumptions,
the estimated effort and budget,
and the deadline.
There also needs to be...
Discussion of the roles and responsibilities of the project team, clients and
stakeholder.
Discussion of the general approach and time-line of the project.
Discussion of the project management procedures.
Discuss and answer any outstanding questions.
Conformation that the projects now underway.
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Donte Whiting
3/6/2012 7:41:20 PM
Modified:3/6/2012 7:42 PM
A project kick-off meeting is the best opportunity for a project manager to energize his or her team. During this meeting, the project
management can establish a sense of common goal and start understanding each individual.
The following steps are some of the important preparation points for a successful project kick-off meeting: The agenda, getting started,
project presentation, setting the expectations, communication plan, feed back and closure,and conclusion.
http://www.tutorialspoint.com/management_concepts/project_kick_off_meeting.htm
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David Froning
3/6/2012 7:08:22 AM
THe project Kick off meeting needs to be a meeting that introduces the team. The project team will attend and they all need to be introduced
and start to have a team building atmosphere. Also a high level look at the project objectives and goals would be the main topic. I would
also think that many of the stakeholders should attend so that they can relay the needs for their individual requirements. A very high level
schedule for the team to understand the commitment level of this project is also a requirement.
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Nazish Raja
3/5/2012 7:24:17 PM
When a project manager arranges a meeting with their staff, the PM should definitely start off the meeting and thank everyone for joining the
meeting, and then the PM should start off on what’s on the agenda. When introducing the agenda to everyone, make sure to go through the
topics thoroughly so that everyone comprehends and is on the way page.
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David Page
3/5/2012 7:30:41 PM
I believe that PM should have the scope statement defining high level
the work to be completed. The objectives should be established and
presented. A base line estimate should be known. I also would not
hurt to have a skeletal WBS that can be used as a starting point for
development. The PM should have questions ready and an agenda
prepared or the meeting. From the reading it stated that the kickoff
meeting was more for estimates but a lot can be accomplished during
that meeting. I would also think that the Statement of work would be
necessary at the kickoff meeting as well as is what everything is going
to be based off of.
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Looking
for real
world
experience
please
Albert Wells
3/7/2012 6:30:28 PM
What I got from the reading was that the kick off meeting depended on a subset of premeeting to prepare. We take and we
set the tone. I like how you recommend we have a high level look at the scope, a skeletal WBS, and SOW, but is this to
much? I think I may being confusing my pre kick off meeting with the actual kick off but are we supposed to be starting the
tones and setting the foundation for good communication. I like what you say I just worry that with a presentation of all of this
information the atmosphere changes. I could be wrong though and it could give the group something to work with that helps
facilitate bond building. I have almost no experience outside of the class room on this kind of project planning does any one
have some real world experience they could add?
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3/4/2012 8:16:53 PM
Kimberly Brewer
A kick-off meeting is a way of getting everyone involved level-set and looking at the project similarly.
The agenda should include an overview of the project scope, who key members are, when the project starts and is expected to end (the
project time-line),etc.
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Summers Love-Morrison
3/4/2012 8:19:32 PM
I think that the kickoff meeting is probably one of the most essential parts ot the project. The meeting objectives should be:
Why the project is being taken on?
Specification of projects
Team Members Introduction
Stress communication and proper organization
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Sheila Williams
3/5/2012 12:43:17 PM
Modified:3/5/2012 12:45 PM
Additional items of discussion in the kick-off meeting could include:
The definition of success
Identified assumptions and constraints
Roles and responsibilities of all involved
Informing employees that their performances will be reported
Wages and salaries, if available
Organizational chart, if available
Source
Kerzner, (2009). Project Manager. John Wiley & Sons
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Sanah Fatima
3/7/2012 12:26:45 AM
Kick of meeting should involved as per our book
In order to complete the final deliverable (product or
service), what intermediate deliverables must be
developed/produced?
1. What organizational entity has responsibility for
completing the objectives and deliverables?
2. Who will perform the work?
3.
What are alternatives for any additional
resources?
4.
What is required to facilitate the execution of
the tasks as well as review and communicate
project status?
Project managers must use effective and proven
planning techniques (for example, as defined in the
Project Management Book of Knowledge - PMBOK).
Project objectives and priorities are developed first.
The key stakeholders will then approve these so that
the project planning can proceed. The next set of
information requires thinking/answering in order to
proceed with the project-planning phase (rephrased
from the textbook by Kerzner):

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Vanansio Samson
3/5/2012 4:07:25 PM
Modified:3/5/2012 4:08 PM
A kick-off project meetings usually start with elements of a project scope such as: Project objective, Deliverables, Milestones, Technical
requirements, Limit and exclusions, and reviews with customer. Project specific time, cost, performance requirements, and quality.
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Joseph Allen
3/5/2012 10:48:51 AM
The kick-off meeting is important to get things rolling in the right direction.
The key members of the team should be involved or members from each functional areas should have representation. The agenda will vary
based on the project but should include:
Scope discussion
Goals and objectives of the project
team members and other stakeholder roles and responsibilities
assumption and constraints of the project
definition of success of the project.
A list of action items should be generated from this initial kick off meeting with owners assigned to each one. Having discussions on how the
communication will be handle throughout the project would be another good agenda item as too start formulating a communication plan.
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
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
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Sanah Fatima
3/11/2012 11:34:20 PM
Wage & salary administration, if applicable
Explaining that to participants that their supervisors or
managers will be advised of their performance on the project
(good & bad)
Scope of technical and business objectives
Definition of project success
Assumptions and constraints per the project charter
Organizational chart for the project
Roles & responsibilities of participants
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John Sebastien
3/5/2012 10:59:07 AM
According to the Project Management text, initial kick off meetings include:
- Initial discussion of the scope of the project including both the technical objective
and the business objective
- The definition of success on this project
- The assumptions and constraints as identified in the project charter
- The project's organizational chart (if known at that time)
- The participants’ roles and responsibilities
- Wage and salary administration, if applicable
- Letting the employees know that their boss will be informed as to how well or how
poorly they perform
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Sharon Jno-Baptiste Griffin
3/5/2012 11:22:42 AM
The project kick-off meeting is an opportunity for the project manager to share his/her plan for a successful project completion. The project
manager can use that platform to set expectations, and establish guidelines that will help the project complete on time and within budget.
Most of my classmates have already given great items that should be shared n the kick-off meeting, but just to add that the project manager
should develop a team contract with the names, responsibility, department, location, phone number, and e-mail address for each member.
This contract should be distributed to the team and they will each sign, giving some level of accountability. The PM should also develop
project goals and deliverables during that meeting.
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Miriam Hassan
3/5/2012 3:46:28 PM
In addition to what my classmates have already defined, the purpose of the
kick-off meeting agenda is to:








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introduce all key memebers
familiarize everyone with the project and areas for which they
are responsible
review objectives
identifiy success factors
schedule status meetings
establish communication plans
allow time for questions and answers
and to summary the entire process.
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3/4/2012 1:12:58 PM
Melissa Burr
Project managers should have estimates of timeline, financial costs and leaders on individual tasks. This meeting should include anyone with
input into any of these areas.
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Professor Firestone
3/5/2012 8:31:04 PM
All, great start throughout the thread! Now, let's look at attendees: who should attend kick-off meetings, and why? You might
further explain who should not attend and why?!
We want to continue on the path that the meetings can be used to create momentum, excitement, and direction.
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Melissa Burr
3/7/2012 3:29:38 PM
The project manager, sponsors and stakeholders should attend. People only involved in working on the
project but not making decisions wouldn't need to be there.
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Sanah Fatima
3/11/2012 11:35:37 PM
The best thing about the metaphor of a football
kickoff is not that it simulates a time in the
game where the game is just beginning, but
the fact that its simplicity is deceptive. The
reality of a kickoff is that a lot of analysis and
preparation happens off of the field before a
team ever first lays a foot to the ball. For some
reason, that amount of thought and effort
doesn’t traditionally go into project kickoffs.
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3/8/2012 11:11:36 AM
Kevin Shaw
The individuals that should attend the kick off meeting are all the key members that are invovled in the
project. As a baseline i would definetly say all the individuals that arer on the project charter and a
represenative from each department the project will affect, just so they are aware of how the project may
impact their areas.
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John Sebastien
Kick-off meetings are normally led by the project manager with
the assistance of other team leaders who form part of the project
team. The project manager cheers the initial meeting since he'll
be leading the project and the entire team by ensuring that the
project has concluded successfully. Attendees to this meeting will
include the project manager, project sponsor, project team
members the customer/s and key stakeholders. Only those who
are relevant to the project should attend, since others may throw
the meeting out off track.
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3/6/2012 7:11:47 AM
David Froning
I agree with you. This meeting needs to set the tone for the entire project. The
Executive sponsor should play a key role in getting the team excitement built up and in the
right direction.
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Sheila Williams
3/6/2012 12:26:14 PM
Also, the kick-off meeting could include resource owners and key human
resource persons.
Participation in the meeting may may be by representation, opposed to every
individual person in actual attendance. Notably, the major players who are
responsible for planning should be at the meeting; all others who do not
contribute to the planning process or offer subject matter expertise, are not
necessary because they may distract from the meeting with with irrelevant
ideas and questions.
Source
Kerzner (2009). Project Management (10th ed.). John Wiley & Sons
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Shadina Pennybaker
3/7/2012 11:44:00 AM
Attendees
I agree with everyone, but I feel like the functional leaders
should be there also. They should be to know the limitations
and expectations of the deliverables.
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Kimberly Brewer
3/7/2012 8:10:38 PM
Shadina,
I agree that the functional managers should be
there. The project manager has to be able to
work with them, they have to understand the
importance and some times see who is
supporting the project from the senior
leadership. I read through the checkpoint case
and not having the support of the functional
mangers was one of the dilemmas faced by the
project manager. Maybe they went wrong from
the very beginning at Project "Kick-off".
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Joseph Allen
3/6/2012 10:38:56 AM
Key Stakeholders to the project should attend the kick-off meeting, these can include:
Project Sponsor
Project Manager
Team members assigned
Functional Managers whose department members are participating, these functional managers also may
provide important input to the project based on their expertise.
It is important to understand who your stakeholders are in the project and what their support level and power
level is. You would not want a anyone, including a stakeholder at your kick-off meeting that did not support
the project.
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Echo Woolf
3/6/2012 2:43:50 PM
The importance of having those key members as Joseph states is because stakeholders need
to be aware of the timing, costs and resource requirements as Kerzner discusses in our text
on pg 421. For the project sponsor, they are putting up the funds to make the project possible;
therefore they should be involved in the meeting. The project manager will be coordinating
with the team members and the functional members. All these key members will be working
on the project. With that said, they need to know what their role is and understand what
constitutes project success.
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Tyrone Labad
3/6/2012 6:26:38 PM
Adding to Joseph's list above, there may be many people in support functions such as human
resources, administration, IT hardware and security etc who may not be direct stakeholders
but would be involved in the project providing support and being enablers to the project team.
Another key stakeholder who should be present is the client or the customer and end users of
the project, as it is their inclusion and involvement throughout the project that is critical for
project success. Being involved from the start would help them to build relationship with the
project team, provide inputs on requirements, provide clarifications and feedback and set
expectations and know about project protocols which are all necessary for delivering an
effective project.
In terms of people who should not be there, people who do not find themselves in the RACI
matrix should not be there as they do not have any involvement, interest or contribution to
make towards the project.
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Sharon Jno-Baptiste Griffin
3/6/2012 8:12:39 PM
Kickoff meetings should include anyone and everyone who has a
direct or indirect interest in the successful outcome of the project:
Project Team: The project team consists of the full-time and part-time
resources assigned to work on the deliverables of the project.
Project Sponsor: The project sponsor is the executive who manages,
administers, monitors, funds, and is responsible for the overall project
delivery.
Project Stakeholders: The project stakeholders are the specific
people or groups who have a stake, or an interest, in the outcome of
the project. A stakeholder can be internal or external.
http://www.uservices.umn.edu/pmo/training/ll_kickoff_meetings/QUICK_REFERENCE_project_kickoff_meetings.pdf
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Vanansio Samson
3/6/2012 2:58:18 PM
According to the text, kick-off attendees involve the project manager, sponsor/or senior
management, assistant project managers in areas of expert/or knowledge, subject matter experts or known
as "SME", and functional leads, because they are involve in project planning. In the text, it exclude estimating
team.
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David Page
3/6/2012 5:11:27 PM
In the kick-off meeting I can really think of anyone I
would not want there. The reason I say that is this the
opportunity to set the tone of the project and gain
support and momentum. I would want senior
management there because estimating and the
baseline allocations are established and this provides
the opportunity ensure that top management is
onboard with the project and additionally provides
firsthand insight into where the project is going. I
would want functional managers present because as
the PM there support is required and they need to
know what the impacts are and when the schedule
and objectives are introduced this would allow for
more insight and the imitation of the risks that could be
present. Furthermore, I would want the experts
present because they are going to be the ones that
further help to identify risk, not to mention they are
going to be the ones that are going to be doing the
work. The sooner they know what is expected the
sooner they can prepare. Having the customer
present would be important because they can assist in
clarifying in outlying misunderstandings as well as
provide further insight into the purpose of the project
and that could prove to quite valuable.
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Roles and
Responsibilities
3/6/2012 7:03:20 PM
Professor Firestone
Team, the whole area of who not only should be at the meeting but roles (and responsibilities)
should also be thought-provoking for you. Let's hear some more about roles and who should
fill them for meetings.
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Sharon Jno-Baptiste Griffin
3/6/2012 8:36:44 PM
At the kick-off meeting, roles and responsibilities should assigned to all team
members according to skillset. Before the kick-off meeting, the roles needed
should identified and all team members identified for these roles should be
present.
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3/11/2012 9:45:55 PM
Kevin Shaw
I totally agree. You dont want to put members into poistions
that will hinder the project. For example you would not want to
assign the project scribe to a person who is deathly afraid of
computers.
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Marquita Blair
3/6/2012 7:53:50 PM
Modified:3/6/2012 8:06 PM
This is a VERY important part of the kick off meeting to me because without
defined roles and responsibilities the project's working members have not
structure; no rules or guidelines so to speak. Has everyone read our case
study for this
week yet? It is a reflection of a project that had no defined roles and
responsibilities
everyone working on the project is just haphazard. Setting the roles and
responsibilities
also sets the tone for the project because they help define and determine what
will
and what will not be allowed. When people(workers) know that they will
personally be held responsible for the completion of a task I can assure you
that the
task will get done because they have no one else that they can point the finger
to and
they will want to avoid the punishment that might follow.
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3/10/2012 8:00:00 PM
Kimberly Brewer
I agree Marquita. If roles and responsibilities are not identified
and assigned at/prior to the kick off meeting, everyone will
leave with the same level of support they went in with. It is key
to make sure that each team member that will have any type of
leading role understands their importance to the project and it's
shared at the kick off meeting.
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3/8/2012 12:24:30 PM
Shadina Pennybaker
It is very important for all players to know their role and
responsibility, so that there isn't any misunderstanding to who
should get what done and when, and if something doesn't get
done then the Project Manager knows who to confront about
the problem.
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3/11/2012 11:25:00 AM
Donte Whiting
I agree, roles and responsibility have a big impact on organisational success.
Uncertainty can dramatically affect both individual and organisation performance.
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mt/civility/2007/02/roles_and_responsibilities_1.
html - This is a good site that talks about why defining roles and responsibilities
are so hard today and the Tension and frustration build when workers lack clarity
in roles and responsibilities.
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3/7/2012 3:02:58 PM
Sheila Williams
Modified:3/7/2012 8:13 PM
This is one of the most important functions of the kick-off
meeting - to identify the individuals and their particular roles
and responsibilities with the project. To illustrate, the project
sponsor is accountable for the project; if it goes wrong, the
sponsor should be the first person up in front. Also, the project
sponsor acquires funding for the project.
A steering committee could help the project manager secure
resources or publicly back the project manager's decisions.
Kerzner (2009) outlines the responsibilities for the major
players; to illustrate,
The project manager will define the goals and objectives, the
requirements, the time, costs, and performance constraints;
the line manager will define task (detailed) descriptions,
detailed schedules and manpower allocations, and areas of
risk; senior management (project sponsor) will act as a
negotiator for disagreements, provide the communication link
with customer's senior management, and provide clarification
of critical issues (Kerzner, 2009).
Source
http://www.hraconsulting-ltd.co.uk/project-management-book0301.htm
Kerzner (2009). Project Management (10th ed.). John Wiley &
Sons
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RE: Roles and
Responsibilites
Joseph Allen
3/8/2012 10:51:41 AM
In addition to the PM responsibilities and the
project manager responsibilities, the functional
line managers role is to provide input to the
technical expertise needed in the project and is
responsible to ensure the proper resources will
be available. Other assigned team members to
the project are also responsible for the
technical capabilities and should provide work
breakdown information and schedule
baselines. Other stakeholders that may be
present may be procurement personnel who
should be responsible to ensure that are aware
of the material resources needs and can
provide these. Accounting or financial
departments may be represented and should
be responsible to understand the fiscal needs
of the project and be able to provide financial
reports as necessary.
293869724
293488489
RE:
KickOff
Meeting
Agenda
Vanansio Samson
3/7/2012 2:45:06 PM
In the text (p.424), the roles and responsibilities in the project kick-off is well
define; whereby a project manager will fill in with the goals/objectives, major
milestones, requirements, ground rules/assumptions, time, cost/performance
constraints, operating procedures, administrative policy, and reporting
requirements.
Line manager fulfills in with; detailed task descriptions to implement
objectives/requirements/milestones, schedules/manpower allocations that
would support the budget and schedules, and finally, identify areas of
risks, uncertainty and conflict.
Senior management or a project sponsor would mediate as a negotiator if
dispute arise between project and line management, he or she will also
provide clarification of issues, and finally, would provide open communication
link between customers and senior management.
To be successful in a project, project manager, line manager and senior
management should be in the same page.
293984019
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293488489
RE:
KickOff
Meeting
Agenda
David Froning
3/7/2012 7:01:12 AM
When you think of the dynamics of a meeting you must have a leader, and that
needs to be the PM. He should have a n agenda for the meeting with set
times for each topic. Then the meeting should be broken down into topics that
are goal oriented to the project with a lead for each topic. Also I always give
one of the team the task of making sure that we stay on out allotted
time. Everyone has been to a meeting that carries on for hours and nothing
gets accomplished. All of our time is demanded by multiple things so we need
to respect that.
293984019
293699296
RE: Roles and
Responsibilities
Miriam Hassan
3/7/2012 6:40:13 PM
In order to conduct a successful meeting, we must identify who
needs to attend and who should not attend. It is not fruitful
or beneficial to invite everyone associated with the project, only
the key personnel. This includes:





The project manager and his/her key team
members
Project Owner and key stakeholder
County permit officials, ie. head inspector (only
for the initial meeting)
Contractor/subcontractor managers and
superintendents
Persons critical to the success of the project
Now who should not be invited:




294111590
Sabotagers and aquaintances of the project
Personnel not involved in the project
Contractor/subcontractor laborers
Non pertinent individuals
293488489
RE:
KickOff
Meeting
Agenda
Nazish Raja
3/7/2012 9:38:48 PM
When the project manager can not attend the meeting, the project manager
will definitely have the someone assigned for the meeting, who will present the
meeting for anyone. But if no one was assigned for the meeting then everyone
should have their topics of discussion written for the meeting. In the meeting
they can open up and talk about any issues or if they need help with anything
or come up with something where they can implement in any projects.
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RE:
KickOff
Meeting
Agenda
Albert Wells
3/10/2012 10:57:04 PM
One role I think we need in a meeting is a facilitator. Someone who
coordinates and runs the whole show while keeping everyone on task and
resolving conflict. Personally, it make the most since to me to have the PM fill
this role. It lays the foundation for their future interactions with all the major
players and allows them to see how all the players will playing with them. I
think that this is the most important to us because it is the most relevant to our
future careers.
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RE:
KickOff
Meeting
Agenda
Mercedes Santana
3/11/2012 3:53:09 PM
I feel the Project Manager should be present in the kickoff meeting. My previous experience there are two
parts to kickoff meetings. The start of the meeting is usually a larger crowd of all the staff members of the
groups brought together to accomplish the new project. After some information provided on the project the
non-key members are excused and it's down to business. All the major decision makers and stakeholders
are allowed to stay and go over the first steps that will be completed in the next few days and weeks.
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292986270
RE:
KickOff
Meeting
Agenda
Frederick Rock
3/8/2012 5:20:06 PM
The typical launch of a project begins with a kickoff meeting involving the major players responsible for
planning, including the project manager, assistant project managers for certain areas of knowledge, subject matter
experts (SME), and functional leads. (Kerzner, Harold. Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning,
Scheduling, and Controlling, 10th Edition. John Wiley & Sons (P&T), 4/13/09. p. 421).
<vbk:9780470885932#outline(11.6)>
normally you only want those who have certain athorites for decision making. With the exception of the SME's
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RE:
KickOff
Meeting
Agenda
Donte Whiting
3/9/2012 5:12:44 PM
Kickoff meetings should include anyone and everyone who has a
direct or indirect interest in the successful outcome of the project:
Project Team: The project team consists of the full-time and parttime resources assigned to work on the deliverables of the
project.
Project Sponsor: The project sponsor is the executive who
manages, administers, monitors, funds, and is responsible for the
overall project delivery.
Project Stakeholders: The project stakeholders are the specific
people or groups who have a stake, or an interest, in the outcome
of the project. A stakeholder can be internal or external.
294303369
292986270
RE:
KickOff
Meeting
Agenda
Syleisha Smythe
3/8/2012 10:50:02 AM
Per our textbook, the kickoff meeting should include all those
responsible for the project planning and at a minimum should
include the project manager, any assistant project managers,
subject matter experst and fiunctional leads (Kerzner,
421). The more obvious inclusions should be the
customer/client or their representative and the project
sponsors (Diab, 2010).
Possibly functional employees who will only help complete or
contribute to the project work, rather than assist in planning it,
would not need to be present at the kick off meeting. I can't
find any good rules of thumb regarding who should NOT
attend. But I was able to find a great article with some
guidlines for a kickoff meeting which suggests that only truly
interested parties be involved in the kickoff meeting (Blais,
2008):
"Everyone Plays a Role
Meetings often have attendees who are not interested in being
there for various reasons. This disinterest easily spreads to the
rest of the participants. To avoid this trap, ensure that
everyone who is asked to attend has a role to play in the
project and that role was defined before the meeting.
Also, ensure that no one attends the meeting who does not
have a role—no observers allowed.
To reinforce this guideline and to develop more team
collaboration, during introductions have each person state his
or her role in the project: “Hi, I’m Alice and I’ll be writing the
code.” “Hi, I’m Sam from accounting, and I’m helping to
define the requirements.”
Outside Sources:
Diab, Philip. 2010. http://philipdiab.com/2010/11/kickoff/
Blais, Steve, PMP. 2008. Kicking it
Off. http://www.microsoft.com/project/en-us/kick-off.aspx
295611421
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RE:
KickOff
Meeting
Agenda
Leigh-Ann Joseph
3/10/2012 9:06:37 PM
I feel it depends on the level of the project, this will make a slight
difference as to who will attend the kick-off meeting. A few
examples I could use would be projects I lead in our IT
Department. We were introducing Audience Response Clickers
to the University with initially only two faculty interested in this
technology. We were only going to purchase enough devices to
start a small pilot that may not have evolved but it was still an
important endeavor for those who were involved. This kick-off
meeting involved my Director of IT, myself, our Help Desk, the
two faculty adopting the technology, and our accounting team
members involved with students who lost their loaned
devices. Another example on a much larger scale included our
adoption of eCollege campus wide as per the Dean's
directives. Although there was a window of time behind the
scenes, our kick-off meeting included the Dean of the University,
our CIO of IT with the University, Director of Instructional
Technology, Director of Information Technology, Director of
Networking, Network Team, Instructional Technology Team, Help
Desk, Accounting, all 95 faculty, and all 1000 students at the
University. This application included and involved each and
everyone of us in some manner and was an extremely large
project that continues to evolve today.
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RE:
KickOff
Meeting
Agenda
Aaron Downing
3/10/2012 10:45:34 PM
Modified:3/10/2012 10:49 PM
The meeting should include the project managers, assist PMs who have particular knowledge relating to the
project and the subject matter experts. Depending on where you are at in the pre-process, you may want to
focus on project estimation, so the technical professionals who can give input on time estimations would also
be helpful.
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RE:
KickOff
Meeting
Agenda
Herbert Anderson
3/9/2012 10:11:07 PM
Attending the meeting should be someone with high interest and a positive attitude about the project. These
type of stakeholder is often the motivation of the group and they would make any attempt to do whatever is
necessary for the project. Within the kickoff meeting would should find the following members: project
sponsor, project manager, risk champion, project team members, and maybe someone external in the
meeting, like a consultant; yet they could even conduct the kickoff meeting.
295527279
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RE:
KickOff
Meeting
Agenda
Derek Cavanaugh
3/10/2012 6:46:58 PM
With some of the projects that I have been around there were a position that had someone in it at the Kick-off
meeting time, and by the time the project got started that person wasn't doing that job anymore and someone
else stepped into that position. So it is my thought that even though it may be a position that may be very
important to the project and may even be someone that will have to make sure things are done by a certain
time that instead of the person that is filling that spot in there it should be someone that is maybe higher up in
there department. I know a friend that has a major project going at their job and they are filling in a volunteer
position at the time and usually every year it is changed but since they have already dealt with most of the
project from almost the beginning of it they asked to be kept their for the ease of not only them but also the
company.
291994999
The
Project
Kick-Off
0
3/4/2012 8:31:27 AM
David Page
One of the first steps in a project is the kickoff meeting where those that have
inputs in estimates are expected to attend to work through the financial
estimations of the project. This is where the technical specifications, drawings,
schedules, scope and objectives are presented for the first time so that
questions can be answered and evaluations can be made regarding the
project. Additionally, resources can be addressed looking for overlaps or
missing information to ensure quality of the estimation process. Moreover,
this meeting is the initial meeting of project where members begin to interact
and begin working together. Objectives are set as well as priorities for the
project “team” including functional managers. The kickoff meeting allows for
the ability to identify roles in that some person maybe better suited to
complete a task than another and this forum allows for that insight.
292883689
292005833
0
Project
Kickoff
Meeting
3/4/2012 9:03:58 AM
Robyn Little
The project kickoff meeting will give the project manager the chance to set the tone for the project and give a complete scenario of what is expected and
what the end goals are. I found a list gives a really clear over view:
"The meeting
Keep the meeting flowing and avoid wasting time. Be personable and have fun; everyone will enjoy participating more if you take this approach.
Getting started
Take immediate charge of the meeting. Welcome all participants and don’t forget to introduce yourself. Briefly explain that you’ll walk everyone through the
agenda and material and that you’ll leave time for questions at the end.
Define the project, its purpose, and expected goals and deliverables. Introduce the project members and briefly discuss the role of each. You should do
most of the talking in this first meeting. The kickoff is intended to bring everyone up to speed, not to discuss every item in detail. Every participant needs to
see you taking charge of the meeting agenda.
Presenting the project
Now that’ you’ve set the tone, discuss the project assumptions that set the stage for how you developed the plan. Refer to the project plan document that
you sent to everyone and go through it task by task. Explain and reinforce to everyone that this is a “first cut” and that the important thing to do is verify that
the tasks are comprehensive, assigned appropriately, and have reasonable time frames. The time to modify the plan is before the next meeting. Explain that
the project plan becomes the foundation for status meetings and is used as the primary communication vehicle for managing the project. As you step
through each task, point out key dependencies or factors you noted in preparing for the meeting that affect the completion of the task.
By walking the team through the plan, you’ll be able to point out tasks that are potential bottlenecks in completing the project. Keep your discussion to the
point. Don’t get bogged down, but take the opportunity to help staff members anticipate problems. Reinforce key success factors and explain why they are
important.
Establish a timeline and team member expectations
Determine an appropriate time and day of the week to conduct weekly one-hour project status meetings. Reinforce the need for everyone to attend and to
have that week’s tasks completed.
Take time to remind the group that teamwork is essential. Reinforce the need for participants to look out for one another. The objective is to complete the
project successfully, and it is up to everyone to do their part and to help one another.
Empower team members to own their responsibilities and to ask for help. Repeat that you expect everyone to attend project status meetings prepared and
with all tasks completed, unless you know well ahead of time that there are obstacles. Part of your project management job is to help the team identify
bottlenecks and to eliminate obstacles.
Explain the communication plan
Discuss your plan to share information and updates with the group and interested parties, including the following:





Weekly project status meetings
Subproject planning sessions
Project plan status updates
Senior management updates
Use of the company intranet or other communication vehicles
Emphasize the need to communicate anything that team members see that might affect the project.
Ask for feedback and then close
Open up the meeting for questions and answers. Be certain you’ve blocked out ample time. If time runs out, ask everyone to send questions to you or to call
you. You can later send out an FAQ or even post it on your company intranet for people interested in staying abreast of the project.
Summarize the meeting with a call for action and list outstanding items that require immediate follow-up. Provide direction on any follow-up communication
needed and what you expect from everyone at the first project status meeting.
Final thoughts
If you read both articles in this series, you might have picked up on the four actions that will increase your success in leading a project:




Establish an organized presence. Demonstrate to your team that you are on top of things.
Empower the team members. Give each team member responsibilities and expect them to accomplish their assigned tasks.
Create teamwork. Encourage all to help one another and to be accountable to the project. Everyone pulling together for a common cause can
have dramatic results.
Demonstrate leadership. Organize, empower, and develop the team, and everyone will see your leadership and follow.
Take advantage of the opportunity an effective kickoff meeting gives you. It can make a big difference in the success of your next project."
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/follow-these-steps-to-conduct-an-effective-project-kickoff-meeting/1038766
292883689
RE:
Project
Kickoff
Meeting
292005833
Summers Love-Morrison
3/5/2012 6:39:29 PM
Robyn,
Excellent post! it was very informative. I included some of the same information in my post. I think one of the major parts to the kick-off is
sitting down and informing everyone of the purpose of the project and stressing communciation throughout the process.
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292179434
kick-off
meeting
agenda
0
3/4/2012 3:37:14 PM
Echo Woolf
The importance of a kick off meeting is to get key project members to discuss various
requirements of the project. Essentially, this meeting covers the blueprints of the project,
which include: scope of the project, definition of success, details in the project charter, roles of
project team members etc. An advantage of a kick-off meeting is that every department
knows the starting point for the project and how their responsibilities integrate with other
functional areas or team players. Having a meeting such as this also helps reduce the need
for change later in the project.
293798620
RE: kickoff
meeting
agenda
292179434
Derek Cavanaugh
3/7/2012 11:44:48 AM
I was looking around and found some good steps to help have a good kickoff
meeting.
Step 1: Develop the project goals and deliverables
Step 2: Identify the project team members and their responsibilities
Step 3: Develop a project assumptions list
Step 4: Develop the preliminary project plan
Step 5: Define key success factors
Step 6: Schedule the project kickoff meeting
I got this information and what each step includes farther at the following site.
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/a-well-planned-kickoff-meeting-sets-thetone-for-a-successful-project/1038879
292602953
RE:
Project
kick-off
events
0
3/5/2012 9:09:51 AM
Marquita Blair
Modified:3/6/2012 7:50 PM
It is important to signify the start of a new project by holding a project kick-off event/meeting
because they give everyone a change to introduce themselves. Here we learn who were
are working with, roles and responsibilities, we set the "tone" for the project. We set expectations
and set guidelines to help keep the project within budget and on time. Failing to prepare a successful
kick-off meeting could be setting the project to fail right from the start. The purpose is to make
sure that everyone is on the same page with project goals and deliverables defined.
293611008,29356 292921214
Kickoff
Brandi Williams
0
3/5/2012 7:21:41 PM
The kick-off event discusses major topics with the major players responsible for completing the project. It gets the project started with a "bang" so-to-speak
and is upfront about what is to be expected. It can motivate team members and get them excited and focused about the project they are about to begin.
Topics such as Wage and salary, performance evaluations, project scope, constraints, organizational chart, and roles and responsibilities are discussed
before the project begins, this way all the materials and important topics can be studied and addressed.
Also, written material such as handouts, drawings, tables, directives, etc. can be distributed. The kick-off event is part of the organizational process that
essentially launches the project.
293611008
RE:
Kickoff
292921214
3/6/2012 9:50:26 PM
Robyn Little
Modified:3/6/2012 9:51 PM
I agree, I also think this meeting gives the project manager a chance to portray an excitement to the project and set the "tone" for his/her
teams. I think it is up to the project manager to express the importance of everyone's support in achieving the final goals and completion of
the project. This will help get the project started on a good not with good team morale and a feeling of empowerment to achieve the final
results.
293765711,29404 293565736
RE:
Kickoff
292921214
Sharon Jno-Baptiste Griffin
3/6/2012 8:43:07 PM
Brandi, great post, just to add that at the kickoff meeting, topics to be covered will be scope, deadline, budget, mitigation log and risk
management.
294047153
293765711
293565736
RE:
Kickoff
Brandi Williams
3/7/2012 10:20:09 AM
Hi Sharon,
Thanks for the feedback and thanks for mentioning the mitigation log! Very, very important it is to have a mitigation log and
risk management plan. All projects have inevitable risks and they need to be addressed beforehand, so when they occur
later, the reaction will be "proactive" instead of "reactive".
294047153
293765711
RE:
Kickoff
Sharon Jno-Baptiste Griffin
3/7/2012 8:08:04 PM
Brandi, you're welcome. And you're so right when you say that having a mitigation log and risk management
plan will allow a team to be proactive in case there was a critical crisis or issue.
292955301
Kick-Off
Meeting
0
3/5/2012 7:58:05 PM
Mercedes Santana
Well the first thing on that agenda should be the vision of the plan or project being worked on. What does the Project Manager hope to end up with at the
end of the lifeline of the project. In the meeting the stakeholder, the group main people assigned to specific tasks, in the areas of accounting, marketing,
finance, HR if needed, etc. It's important to to signify the beginning to mark the start of the events that will transpire. It helps with time management and
assignments. It's a good way to start the GANTT chart that will outline the expected life of the project.
294005174
292988919
Importance of
Project Kickoff
Meeting
Tyrone Labad
0
3/5/2012 8:33:52 PM
Given that in every project is different from the other in many aspects such as objectives and goals, duration, importance to company and has a different set
of stakeholders, it is very important to ensure that right expectations are set on why the project is being done and what has to be accomplished at the end of
the project. It is also important to align goals of different stakeholders in the same direction and make them realize the bigger picture and how the they would
be working within a team to accomplish a challenging target. It is also essential that people on the project know each other and build a professional and
friendly relationship so that they are able to work with each other. Last but not the least, the various logistics, standards, rules, protocols that would be
followed for various aspects of the project should be made clear to all stakeholders, and any clarifications addressed so that they understand and follow
them. All these key aspects ensure proper and effective delivery of projects and can be addressed right at the start of the project through a project kick off
meeting.
294005174
RE:
Importance
of Project
Kickoff
Meeting
292988919
Echo Woolf
3/7/2012 7:11:01 PM
Well stated. There is nothing worse than attending a meeting and walking out not
knowing what is expected or what the main purpose is for all the hard work your
about to put in. Like one of my classmates mentioned this meeting helps to establish
a basis for meetings to follow and "sets the tone" which I think is a great way of
putting it. Adding more to what Tyrone said, team building is something else that can
be done here. One of the main reasons is because employee conflict can be one of
the harder things to overcome. Therefore, building the relationship early is a great
thing to do.
293347994
The
importance of
Project Kick
off Events
0
3/6/2012 2:41:03 PM
Daniel Worcester
The importance of project kick events are directly related to the circumstances of the project. If the project is high profile, high value, and requires a lot of
manpower than I can see these events being important. Even then I think the events should be limited to a meet and greet for managers, project members,
stakeholders, and contractors. It is a good atmosphere to get to know who is going to be working with who and a good time for people to voice their early
concerns. However I don't think any official business should be conducted because of the amount of info that will be passed I feel project members could
easily be overwhelmed with situations and requests from the stakeholders, and contractors.
A smaller project with that is made up entirely of in house employees with a lesser value should not need any kick off events. Maybe a meet and greet with
the stakeholders to discuss concerns and a opportunity for project members who have not worked together to get to know one another. Other wise All that
can be done in a kick off event can be done in a preliminary meeting where the project manager can go over all positions and pass out standard operating
procedures as well as project plans.
293415522
The
Project
Kick-off
0
3/6/2012 5:11:28 PM
Sheila Williams
The kick-off meeting/event is one of the most important events because it's the first time that the entire project team comes together in one place and where
the project manager can gain commitment from them. The meeting will help the team understand the "how's" and "why's" of the project administration which
will facilitate a smooth run of the project. The meeting will help:





Clarify and understand the project goals and objectives
Identify individual roles and responsibilities
Identify interdependence with other projects
Know the points of contact
Gain commitment to the project's success
Source
http://www.projectmagazine.com/executing/61-communication/79-kick-off-meetings
296166336,29437 294040373
Project
Kick-Off
Meeting
and Project
Manager
Absent
0
3/7/2012 7:58:59 PM
Professor Firestone
Folks, sometimes the project manager should or will not be attending the kick-off meeting. Why do you think the project sponsor would or would not chair the
meeting?
296166336
294040373
RE:
Project
Kick-Off
Meeting
and
Project
Manager
Absent
Herbert Anderson
3/11/2012 10:09:53 PM
During the kickoff meeting Is the sponsor has the lack of interest to view and understand the project management implementation, then NO
they shouldn't attend. In most most cases the team members need to view the PM as a authority of decision making; having the sponsor
their would only allow for confusion. Now, stakeholder meetings with the customer, sponsor, VP, any senior management is ok to show a
progress. Now in other cases if the sponsor is willing to accept the PM implementation is ok to have at the meeting. If the PM and sponsor
has a relationship of understanding working toward a goal and not taking charge, then the sponsor should attend the meeting.
295984137
294374025
RE:
Project
Kick-Off
Meeting
and
Project
Manager
Absent
294040373
John Sebastien
3/8/2012 1:29:12 PM
It is always essential that project manager be able to attend the kick-off meeting,
since he's the one with the responsibility for administering the project up to
completion. He is also knowledgeable of the entire project inside out, therefore
would better enlighten the project team, with regards to the project scope and
execution strategies. However, in the absence of the project manager, a PM
assistant should be assigned so as to fill in for the PM in his absence. The project
sponsor may not want to chair such meetings, since he/ she may not be capable or
possess the technical knowledge to respond to technical questions or concerns that
relates to the project.
295984137
294374025
RE:
Project
Kick-Off
Meeting
and
Project
Manager
Absent
Derek Cavanaugh
3/11/2012 6:16:28 PM
John I agree with you on this with the instance of maybe an emergency in the PM's personal life of maybe a project that they
have to finish with. With the idea that the project sponsor would lead it they may have a little knowledge of what needs to be
done but they don't know the more in depth things about the project and the PM's assistant would know what needs to be
talked about and done first.
294414423
RE:
Project
Kick-Off
Meeting
and
Project
Manager
Absent
294040373
Vanansio Samson
3/8/2012 3:00:01 PM
Modified:3/8/2012 3:17 PM
I think a project sponsor should not chair the meeting. The role of a sponsor in any project is that, there are responsibilities that typically
reside with the sponsor. For example, when something happens that functional manager/or line manager, and project manager cannot
manage within the agreed parameters, then a sponsor makes the decision how to proceed.
The role of a project sponsor is to: represent the project at a senior management levels in things such as changes or developments, help
communications, advice and making decisions, comprehensive budget for resources, chair the steering committee meetings NOT projectkick-offs, sign project documents, and finally, anything to support the project at the request of the project manager.
295399738
RE:
Project
Kick-Off
Meeting
and
Project
Manager
Absent
294040373
Frederick Rock
3/10/2012 1:58:47 PM
If the project sponsor is or has a vested interest in the project, then it would behoove
the sponsor be their to ensure that the project gets off to a good start. Adding the
sponsors expectations also communicates to the team that it has managements
support. However if the Project Sponsor has no vested interest on whether the project
fail or succeeds they may choose not attend. Another reason could be that by being
there they may feel that the sponsor is the go to guy for problems. To avoid this they
may choose to not attend.
294067101
RE:
Project
Kick-Off
Meeting
and
Project
Manager
Absent
294040373
Sharon Jno-Baptiste Griffin
3/7/2012 8:34:36 PM
The roles of the sponsor are Allocating funds agreeing to proceed to the next stage, being the ultimate owner of the deliverables, the ultimate
decision maker when it comes to issues and making business users available. The sponsor should not should not chair the kick-off
meeting. If the PM is unable to chair the meeting, then a team lead should be deignated to do so.
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Tyrone Labad
3/8/2012 6:53:28 AM
There could be many reasons why a project sponsor would not attend a kick off meeting or be an active participant in project
communications. Some of them are
1. The project is very transactional in nature or is being done for compliance reasons, and there are no strong strategic reasons for doing the
project
2. The project is a routine project being done by the same team, and hence expectations are well set
3. The project sponsor may be veyr busy and hence the project may be lower in priority
In the same way, a project sponsor would attend the meeting and be an active participant when the project is of strategic in natire, would
need large budgets, there are many issues and escalatons, the team is new and hence a context needs to be set etc. Also, if it is a high
visibility project where the top management or executive team would be needing updates on the project, the project sponsor would be very
interested.
In my opinion, I think the project manager should try their best to ensure that the project sponsor is there at least at the kick off meeting as it
sets the tone and importance for rest of the team and motivates them to do well in the project.
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Sheila Williams
3/8/2012 1:16:06 PM
Tyrone, you make some great points as to the reasons why a sponsor would or would not attend a kick-off meeting. Notably,
a sponsor is generally some on the executive level and that person may be involved in several business activities that carry a
higher priority, at the time. By the same token, a sponsor may want to attend a kick-off meeting because s/he can
communicate directly with employees about the reasons for the changes and build coalitions to manage resistance to
changes.
With this being said, I, too, think that the project manager should make every effort to attend/chair the kick-off meeting; this is
the prime opportunity to gain commitment from the team, so if the PM is not there, commitment can be lax.
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David Froning
3/8/2012 9:07:51 AM
I think that it would be a good idea for the team to here from the Executive sponsor. This way the team all understands the importance of the
project to the entire organization, not just the area that they have expertise in.
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Daniel Worcester
3/8/2012 9:46:16 AM
One reason for the absence of the project manager may be the grooming of an assistant project manager into the lead role. From my
experience when a manager takes a step back and allows an assistant to play the part they are viewing to see if the assistant can handle the
pressures and coordinate everyone for future projects. Another situation in which the project manager would not be there is to fully allow the
team members to fully interact with each other and potential contractors. With a project manager on site questions would be focused towards
that person off site questions and problem solving would be left to the individuals working the project. One reason I can thi nk of this back
firing onto the project manager is that if stakeholders are present it is easy for them to create scope creep amongst the project team by
influencing them to take care of there concerns over the concerns of the whole project. An experienced project manager would know how to
deflect these attempts at his team and ensure that the stakeholders went through the project manager rather the project team.
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Michael Boston
3/7/2012 8:53:47 PM
I can see see many reasons why it is a good reason for the project manager to be present at the project kick off. Setting the tone of the
project with all of the people involved, what is expecting, how work is to commence and what the chain of command is going to be so that the
project starts and continues in a smooth manor. I don't know of any reasons why it would benefit the project manager not to attend or benifit
the project.
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Sindy Guerra
3/8/2012 1:00:08 PM
I don't think the project manager and the project sponsor are the same person. It may happen that the Project manager is at
the same the project sponsor, but it is usually not like that. I am aspiring to be a project manager soon (God willing), and I
feel that it will be imperative for me to attend every meeting. I need to be aware of how everything is going, and I feel like I
won't be able to miss not one step. The project sponsor doesn't have to be in every meeting since he/she is "the personn or
group that will provide the finanacial services. But they are also involved in many other issues concerning the project"
(PMBOK Guide pg. 25).
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Brandi Williams
3/8/2012 10:28:07 AM
I would think the Project Sponsor would want to promote the project and show support by attending the meeting, however the project
sponsor is not actively managing the project itself. It would be more appropriate for the PM or team leader to chair the meeting. The PS's role
centers more around championing the project, supporting and obtaining the budget, signing off of financial documents, and
advertising/promoting the project's development and completion. The PS is committed to the project, but will not actually be involved in the
implementation phases of how the project will be completed.
This is not to suggest the Project Sponsor cannot chair the meeting, but he would probably end up introducing others who actually can
provide more detailed directional regarding the daily operations for the upcoming event. Any questions regarding operations would more
appropriately be answered by functional managers, team leaders, etc.
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Kathryn Martinez
It is important to signify the start of a new project by holding project kickoff' events because it allows others to get familiar with the project and help
decide what areas they are interested in. It allows for the team to get familiar
with what jobs need to be done and help on how the project will turn out.
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3/8/2012 8:18:33 PM
Professor Firestone
Ah, an opportunity for the D.A. (Devil's Advocate) ;-)
All - let's keep poking and take a look at the minutes of the kick-off meeting (as well as all meetings for the project).
Who should take the meeting minutes? Should the project manager act as the scribe? Why? Or why not (then, who should be the scribe)? [Your rationale is
very important.]
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Syleisha Smythe
3/11/2012 10:10:49 PM
I do not think that the project manager should be responsible for taking
meeting minutes in the kickoff meeting or other project meetings. There should
be an additional role of the scribe or possibly this could be the responsibility of
one of the more critical involved functional employees who is involved with the
project but wouldn't normally attend these meetings. This could provide them
with a better understanding and more information they might not be exposed to
throughout the project and could contribute to a higher level of commitment to
the project. On the other hand, having the project manager take the meeting
minutes would be distracting from them steering the meeting and being able to
fully participate in it. In my opinion it can also come across as undermining
their position, as in all my experience, taking meeting minutes has been the job
of lower level admin.
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3/11/2012 9:36:29 PM
Albert Wells
The PM should not be keep track of the meeting minutes. The reason for this is usually when someone is recording data from a meeting
they are taking a passive role and focusing more on recording than interacting and observing. The kick of meeting in my opinion is a great
place for a PM to start learning how all the cogs of the project are going to interact with each other and to really build the foundation for a
working relationship. I think a SME may be a good option for the scribe because they should be having less contribution to the meeting as
whole and can really focus on the details. Maybe this is the wrong choice, if so I would love to hear some alternatives.
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3/10/2012 8:34:36 AM
Melissa Burr
I think the minute should not be taken by the PM because their attention should be focused on high-level interaction/facilitation of the
meeting itself. I think the person taking minutes should be picked by the PM and be someone that would track all records throughout the
project.
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3/9/2012 7:20:47 AM
David Froning
The minutes need to be taken by someone other than a PM or a lead. The PM has to much to do to be writing minutes to a meeting. I would
have my administrative assistant taking notes and putting together minutes to the meeting. If I did not have an assistant, I would pick one of
the team members as the controller of the minutes. It is important that you keep the same person in charge of taking and managing the
minutes, so you get a standard product to the entire project.
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Sindy Guerra
3/9/2012 2:10:54 PM
I agree with you David. Chapter 11 of of our textbook starts by stating that " the most important responsibilities of a project
manager are planning, integrating, and executing plans" (pg. 412). Although taking the meeting minutes and acting as a
scribe is very important to keep the meeting running smoothly, the Project manager should not be held on to this
responsibility. It should be given to another responsible member willing to do this in every meeting. And it should be the same
person, as you have pointed out David.
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Miriam Hassan
3/9/2012 2:51:11 PM
Modified:3/9/2012 2:57 PM
I too agree with David and Sindy. If the PM is busy taking notes how will he be able to run the meeting
without missing important details while trying to juggle two tasks at the same time. It is very possible for
anyone to add, request or omit crutial information pertinent to or even outside the scope of work that could
later blow up in his/her face. s/He should assign an individual who is responsible for taking the minutes for
every meeting held. The responsibllity of the PM is to run the project, focus on all aspects of the meeting,
provide feedback, intercede and redirect the members when needed and to keep things on track - not take
notes.
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Sheila Williams
3/9/2012 3:23:21 PM
Off
Meeting
Minutes
I don't think the project manager should take on the responsibility of taking minutes either. The project
manager would be too busy conducting the meeting, making it too difficult to try to follow an agenda, answer
questions, and take meeting notes all at the same time. I would delegate the responsibility to the assistant
project manager. The reason is because the assistant would understand the meeting plan and its expected
outcome and thus could be instrumental in keeping the project manager on track, as well document other
comments made throughout the meeting.
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Daniel Worcester
3/9/2012 8:54:55 AM
Depending on the size of the project and for this example I'm going with a medium sized project I think its important for an assistant project
manager or a department manager to keep responsible for the meeting minutes. The PM is going have a lot on their plate with fielding
questions and concerns from the stakeholders. To coordinating the both the project team members meet and greet and the contractors. I
also believe that when a PM spreads responsibility for project aspects they are showing the team that it really is a team project and the PM
does not want to micromanage the project.
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Brandi Williams
3/9/2012 8:04:14 PM
As already mentioned by my classmates, the PM should not take the minutes for the meeting, instead the PM should assign one of the team
members to do so because the PM needs to focus on the meeting's agenda. I liken it to when managers or executives have their assistance
"scribe" for them, such as letters, memos, etc. The PM already knows his/her thoughts and how those thoughts will be communicated, so it is
best that someone else write down, track, note, or document these thoughts in behalf of the PM.
A project team member can scribe, or someone who is not on the project team as a task-assigned team member but who is assisting with
the project's administrative work can be the scribe. The PM cannot "walk and chew gum at the same time" so to speak. By this, I mean the
PM cannot oversee the kickoff meeting actively (explain the operations, ask questions, answer questions, etc.) and take meeting minutes.
Team members need to pay attention to what is being said at the kickoff meeting and that may be hard to do if the member is taking minutes.
So my rationale is that someone who is "not" working directly on the project in respects to daily operations should take the meeting minutes.
If there is not someone available, then a team member should take the meeting minutes.
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Summers Love-Morrison
3/9/2012 2:33:26 PM
I believe that a project manager should have a deputy. I think that the person that will be the scribe should have some knowlededge of
project management and the intricate terminology. I think that the project manager already have a number of tasks associated with the
project and scribing would not allow him to convey the importance of the project.
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Michael Boston
3/9/2012 8:44:03 PM
As always I think that this depends on the situation. For example lets say the kick off meeting for a new construction project is
being held at the job site that is in a different city. I don't think that it is always possible to have a different person be the
scribe. If the meeting is in a conference room of the company then yes I think that a separate scribe can take notes even
those the PM may think are not important but are good to reflect back on. Part of being the PM on a job is figuring even the
smallest and simplest of tasks that make the project run more smoothly.
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Professor Firestone
0
3/9/2012 8:30:36 PM
Be Held?
Soooo , Team - let's look at the timing for the Kick-off meeting. Ideally a kick-off meeting is to introduce the project to the team and the team members to
one another. A certain amount of information and facts about the project is needed in order to define the project team and stakeholders - correct? (Big hint
here!)
That said, WHEN should a kick-off meeting be held? Be sure to include your rationale.
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Sharon Jno-Baptiste Griffin
3/10/2012 6:58:45 PM
Kick-off meetings should be held after the company have made the decision to enter the execution phase of the project and when they have
an approved Project Plan.
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Robyn Little
3/10/2012 3:09:41 PM
I think the kick off meeting should be held after the project scope is defined and the WBS, and the budget are created. This is the time to get
functional managers together and set up their teams. That way they can plan for risk management meetings and how they want to
accomplish their area of the project. Everyone will be able to hear the same things in the same way and will know what to expect from the
others and what their budgets are.
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David Froning
3/10/2012 5:12:46 PM
I am not sure I understand where you are going with the Functional Managers statement, But I agree that the Kick Off
Meeting needs to occur after the project charter SOW and WBS have been created and the stakeholder and the team has
been identified, if not who would you have at the meeting?
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Shadina Pennybaker
3/10/2012 3:53:36 PM
The kick off meeting should be held after the project charter is developed, and the project manager is assigned. This should be done,
because without the project manager and or project sponsor who is going to head the meeting? If you don't have the project charter to
explain what the project is, what's the deliverables are, who's responsible for what, and how are we going to get to DONE then what would
be the use of the meeting? It's called the kick off meeting, because it's the start of something, and it can't start if no one knows what IT is.
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Daniel Worcester
3/11/2012 6:26:13 PM
Meeting
Be Held?
The project kick-off meeting should be held after it has been aproved to start through the parent company. In my experience for a project to
get approved through the company it has passed a point of turning back and is ready to be fully implemented. If a kick off meeting is held
before it has been approved for start than a kick off meeting could possibly be a waste of time. I belive that the sooner the meeting can be
kicked off the better if a kick off meeting is held to far into the project there is a chance that information passed out does not reach everyone.
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3/10/2012 10:04:51 PM
Professor Firestone
As with any important organizational initiative, there should be someone much higher up in the organization championing the project cause. What exactly is
the role of the project sponsor, and what is his or her significance to the project? What level of the organization should the project sponsor come from, and
should he or she be someone functionally related to the project? Why or why not?
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Nazish Raja
3/11/2012 12:46:52 AM
The role of a Project Sponsor is:
-To meet with the project manager
-To keep project on track
-To be available for consultation with the project manager and team
-To provide resources for the project
-To confirm project direction and monitor the project
-To provide funding for the project (leading budget/external funding)
-To act as an escalation route for the project manager
-To help define the schedule, scope and outputs
-To celebrate and transition
-To help with navigating he organizational political environment
http://leadershipchamps.wordpress.com/2008/03/07/roles-and-responsibilities-of-a-projectsponsor/
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Sindy Guerra
3/11/2012 12:23:14 PM
Very useful information, Nazish. I think one of the most important tasks of the sponsor is to provide the financial resources
wether it be cash or or in another kind of way. The sponsor also serves as the spokesperson between higher levels of
management and the project manager. The sponsor is very significant to the project and should be involved since the
beginning becuase they are part of the development of theh initial scope and charter.
(PMBOK Guide pg. 25)
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Michael Boston
3/11/2012 8:52:02 PM
Looks like we have pretty well established what many of the roles and responsibilities are of the project
sponsor. here are a few more that I don't think have been said yet.
The project sponsor works with the project management team, especially helping with project matters such as
funding, scope clarification, progress monitoring, and influencing others in order to benefit the
project.Expectations of Project Sponsor is an important component which is to be reviewed by the project
manager throughout the project life cycle. The sponsor leads the project through the engagement/ selection
process till it is formally authorized, and therefore plays a dominant role in the development of the initial scope
and charter.
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