They say that a job well begun is half done. Software development projects are no different.
Each software development project starts with a project kickoff. My work at STX Next involves quite a few of those, so today I’d like to share what you can do to ensure your kickoff is as productive as possible. I've also included a sample kickoff agenda and the checklist I use to measure kickoff success.
Let’s start with what a project kickoff actually is. In the context of a software house, a project kickoff is a meeting or a series of meetings at the beginning of a project between the client and the software house. A project kickoff typically lasts 1 to 5 working days.
Typically, the goals I try to achieve during the kickoff are as follows:
Interestingly, while the aim of each kickoff meeting is usually similar, the way the meeting is organized can vary greatly. Having experienced many different approaches, and having seen my share of failed ideas, here are my tips on how to maximize the value of a project kickoff: