The agency project kickoff checklist

A kickoff should remove uncertainty. It should not be a ceremonial call where everyone reads the proposal again.

Use this checklist before, during, and immediately after the meeting.

Before the kickoff

Confirm the people

• agency project owner
• client day-to-day owner
• final approver
• delivery leads
• specialist contributors
• anyone responsible for legal, security, or procurement

Prepare the shared workspace

• create the client space
• add the project and initial board
• attach the contract or statement of work
• link the approved brief
• create a decision log
• create the first status update
• invite the right guests

Resolve obvious gaps

• missing access
• missing brand assets
• unclear deliverables
• contradictory dates
• unnamed approver
• dependencies on another supplier

Do not use the whole kickoff to discover information that could have been collected with an onboarding form.

During the kickoff

1. Restate the outcome

Ask the client to describe success in their own words. Compare it to the agreed brief.

2. Confirm scope

Review deliverables, exclusions, assumptions, review rounds, and the process for changes.

3. Walk through milestones

For each milestone, confirm:

• what will exist
• who owns it
• who reviews it
• when feedback is due
• what could block it

4. Agree how decisions happen

Name the final approver. Decide where decisions are recorded. Explain what happens when feedback conflicts.

5. Agree communication

Set the meeting rhythm, status update day, normal response expectations, urgent channel, and source of truth for files and work.

6. Discuss risk honestly

Ask both sides:

• What could make this late?
• What information may be hard to obtain?
• Which assumption worries you?
• What happened on similar projects before?

Record risks as owned work, not meeting notes.

Immediately after

• publish notes and the transcript
• turn every follow-up into an assigned task
• update the plan with agreed changes
• send the decision summary
• confirm the next milestone
• schedule the first weekly client status update

Do this the same day. A kickoff loses value quickly when actions remain inside a recording.

The 60-second final check

Before closing the meeting, ask:

1. Does everyone agree on the outcome?
2. Does everyone know the next milestone?
3. Is every immediate action owned?
4. Does the client know where progress will be visible?
5. Is the next decision clear?

If the answer is yes, stop. A good kickoff does not need to fill the calendar slot.