Page 185 - Project+

familiar with your management style, so this is your chance to communicate how you

will be managing the project and your expectations for how the team will function.

Depending on the size of the project, you may want to review the roles and
responsibilities for each key team member or skill area. Let them know your
expectations regarding project management procedures, reporting and escalation of
issues, team meeting schedules, what you expect in terms of individual progress
reports, and how they will be asked to provide input into project progress reports.

Question and Answer One of the most important agenda items for the kickoff
session is the time you allocate for team members to ask questions. This engages them
on the project and is the ideal opportunity to clarify questions regarding goals,
deliverables, expectations, and more.

Kickoff for Remote Team Members

For a project kickoff to work effectively, it needs to include all team members. But
what do you do if part of your team is located in a different city or state?

Remote team members often feel left out, especially if the majority of the team,
including the project manager, sponsor, and client, is located at corporate
headquarters where all of the action is.

Getting approval to bring in remote team members is a battle worth fighting,
because it’s so important in making everyone feel like part of the team. When

making your case with the project sponsor, make sure you explain the importance
of this meeting and the benefits it will have to the project. Your sponsor will be
much more receptive to the idea if they know what will be covered and can see that
this exercise is far more than people getting together for a free lunch.

But with more companies tightening their belts and looking closely at travel-
related expenses, bringing in remote team members may not be possible. Perhaps
if you can’t get the budget to bring in all the team members, maybe you can do the

next best thing: fly the sponsor, the project manager, and a key stakeholder or two
to the place where the other team members reside and hold a separate kickoff for
them. Last but not least, there are teleconferencing, video conferencing, and web-
based meeting options that you can use to at least virtually bring everyone
together during the kickoff meeting.

The kickoff meeting is an excellent opportunity to get everyone on the same page. At
the time you start project execution, you will probably have a combination of people
who have been involved with the project since initiation and those who are relatively

new to the project. This meeting is the time to set expectations and remind everyone of
their role on the project.

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