Development Cooperation Handbook/Designing and Executing Projects/Project Execution and Control/Conduct Project Execution Kick-off event

Conduct Project Execution Kick-off event

The purpose of Conduct Project Execution and Control Kick-off is to formally acknowledge the beginning of Project Execution.

New team members will be introduced to the project at this point, and must be thoroughly oriented and prepared to begin work. Most importantly, current project status is reviewed and all prior deliverables (concept papers, plans, etc.) are re-examined, giving all new team members a common reference point.

Orient New Project Team Members

The goal of orienting new Project Team members is to enhance their abilities to contribute quickly and positively to the project’s desired outcome. If the Project Manager created a Team Member Orientation Packet during Project Planning, the packet should already contain an orientation checklist, orientation meeting agenda, project materials, and logistical information that will again be useful. The Project Manager should review the contents of the existing Team Member Orientation Packet to ensure that they are current and still applicable to the project. Any changes needed to the contents of the packet should be made at this time. Once updated, packet materials can be photocopied and distributed to new team members to facilitate their orientation process. The Project Manager or Team Leader should conduct one-one orientation sessions with new members to ensure that they read and understand the information presented to them.

If the orientation packet was not created during Project Planning and new team members are coming on board, the Project Manager must gather and present information that would be useful to new team members, including:


 * All relevant project information from Project Origination, Project Initiation, and Project Planning
 * Organization charts
 * Description of project team members responsibilities
 * Information on Stakeholder Roles and Responsibilities
 * General information on the Beneficiaries
 * Logistics
 * Project procedures (team member expectations, how and when to report project time and status, sick time and vacation policy; how they can get help and support if needed, etc.)

A Project Team Roster should be completed for each project. This powerful tool identifies team members and their roles and responsibilities. It is also a convenient and efficient way to keep logistical information about the team, such as telephone numbers and e-mail addresses. Typically, when a team roster is first completed, the team is surprised by how many different people and roles are involved in a project, how many redundancies there are between people, and how some key responsibilities have been overlooked. Completing a roster forces members to be more comprehensive in defining their team. Therefore the description of project team members roles and responsibilities should be constantly updated.

Tools
Project Execution Kick-off Meeting Agenda