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August 7, 2026
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6 min read

What 180 projects taught us about kickoffs

The first meeting decides more than we like to admit. Here’s our checklist.

What 180 projects taught us about kickoffs

The kickoff is the only meeting where everyone is equally optimistic. We use it to agree on the few things that decide everything later.

Our checklist

  • One sentence that defines success
  • One decision-maker per workstream
  • A shared calendar of every review, booked on day one
  • A list of what we will not do

It takes ninety minutes and saves weeks.