§1Why the first fortnight decides the rest

Projects rarely fail at the end; they fail at the start and get discovered at the end.

Most of the classic late-project pathologies — scope arguments, missing authority, a schedule nobody baselined, a risk register invented for the first steering meeting — are not delivery problems. They are kick-off items that were never closed, quietly compounding while everyone was busy being busy. The cure is unglamorous: a written checklist, worked through in the first two weeks, with every box either ticked or consciously waived by the sponsor.

How to use this page. Print it, or copy the table into your project workspace. Work the 24 items in order within each domain. A box may be ticked, or waived in writing — the only forbidden state is silently open.

Contents

§2The checklist — 24 items in five domains

Mandate first: authority and money before people, people before scope, scope before controls, controls before logistics.

Domain	Checkpoint	Done
Mandate	Signed business case or works order on file	☐
	Named sponsor with delegated authority confirmed	☐
	Success criteria written as measurable statements	☐
	Funding released for the first control period	☐
	Constraints and assumptions logged	☐
People	Core team named, with availability confirmed in writing	☐
	RACI drafted for the first ten activities	☐
	Key stakeholders mapped and first contact made	☐
	Escalation path agreed with the sponsor	☐
	Kick-off meeting held and minuted	☐
Scope	Scope statement signed by the sponsor	☐
	Exclusions written down, not implied	☐
	WBS to at least level 2	☐
	Acceptance criteria agreed for the first deliverables	☐
	Change control route named in one sentence	☐
Controls	Baseline schedule issued and stored	☐
	Cost codes open and mapped to the WBS	☐
	Risk register opened with the first ten risks scored	☐
	Reporting calendar issued to all parties	☐
	Document register and numbering scheme live	☐
Logistics	Site or system access arranged for every team member	☐
	Inductions and permits booked	☐
	Collaboration space set up and shared	☐
	Standing meetings in every diary	☐

Contents

§3The first-week cadence

The checklist tells you what; a simple cadence tells you when.

Days 1–5

Close the whole Mandate column and start People. Nothing else matters if the authority to proceed is soft. The kick-off meeting sits at the end of this week, not the start — a kick-off without a signed mandate is a rehearsal.

Days 6–10

Close Scope and Controls, book everything in Logistics. Issue the baseline schedule on day 10 even if it is coarse — a coarse baseline you can measure against beats a perfect one that arrives in month two.

Contents

§4Failure signatures — what a skipped box costs

Every open item has a signature you will meet later, wearing a different name.

Item skipped	Reappears in month three as…
Exclusions written down	“We assumed that was included” — unpriced scope, delivered under protest.
Escalation path agreed	Decisions ageing for weeks while everyone is technically waiting on someone.
Baseline schedule issued	Progress reports that compare this month with last month’s opinion.
Cost codes mapped to the WBS	A forecast rebuilt from invoices, backwards, at reporting time.
Risk register opened	The first risk workshop held in response to the risk arriving.

Contents

§5Quick reference

The working core of the resource on one card rack.

Rule

Every box ticked, or waived in writing — never silently open.

Order

Mandate → People → Scope → Controls → Logistics.

Deadline

All 24 items closed by day 10; baseline out the same day.

Owner

The project manager runs the list; the sponsor signs the waivers.

Contents

Handbook application: from concept to controlled practice

Purpose. This expanded section turns the original page into a practical handbook. It preserves the supplied material and adds a repeatable way to apply, check and review Project Kick-Off Checklist. It does not replace a contract, legislation, a controlled standard, competent engineering judgement or specialist advice.

The operating aim is to make the blank artefact usable by explaining what belongs in each field, who supplies it and how it is reviewed. Read the original explanation first, then use the workflow and checks below to convert knowledge into evidence.

Use Project Kick-Off Checklist as a decision instrument rather than an administrative form. The subject terms—checklist, kick-off, five, domains, cadence—need an explicit connection to the project objective, business value and stakeholder commitments. Before completing the artefact, write one sentence stating who will use it, what decision it supports and when that decision is required.

Apply a disciplined information model. Separate facts supported by evidence, forecasts derived from a method, assumptions awaiting validation, constraints that limit choice, risks that may occur, issues that already exist and actions assigned to people. Each material entry should have an owner, date, status and next review point. Where probability or impact scores are used, define the scale so different reviewers interpret it consistently.

A baseline is useful only when changes are visible. Give the artefact an identifier, version, approval state and effective date. Define which changes require reapproval, how superseded versions are retained and where supporting evidence is stored. During reviews, focus on exceptions, decisions and trends rather than reading every field aloud. Record the decision and rationale, not merely that a meeting occurred.

Close the loop beyond delivery. Confirm acceptance criteria, unresolved items, transferred responsibilities and operational ownership. Where benefits are expected, identify the outcome measure, baseline, target, observation period and owner who remains accountable after the project team disbands. Lessons should describe the condition, consequence and reusable action; a generic statement such as “communicate better” cannot improve the next project.

Step-by-step operating method

Name the decision. Write the decision, approval, handover or control activity the completed template must support.
Assign ownership. Nominate one accountable owner and identify contributors, reviewers and approvers.
Gather evidence. Use records, estimates, stakeholder input and source references rather than unsupported opinion.
Complete with discipline. Use consistent dates, units, identifiers, status values and version controls.
Review and maintain. Check completeness and logic, approve the baseline, then update it when trigger conditions occur.

Completion and governance protocol

Start with a short drafting workshop involving the accountable owner and the people who hold the evidence. Complete high-consequence fields first: objective, scope, owner, baseline, acceptance, dependencies and escalation. Mark unknowns as assumptions or actions rather than hiding them behind vague prose. Circulate a review draft, resolve conflicting interpretations, baseline the approved version and place the next review date in an owned schedule.

Information type	Minimum useful content	Review test
Outcome	Observable change and intended recipient	Not merely a deliverable or activity
Measure	Definition, baseline, target, frequency and source	Two reviewers would calculate it the same way
Ownership	One accountable role plus contributors and approver	Authority matches responsibility
Uncertainty	Assumption, risk or issue with response and trigger	Status reflects current reality
Control	Version, approval, review date and change rule	Current baseline is identifiable

Common failure modes and recovery actions

1. Watch for

Filling every box even when a field is not applicable instead of recording why.

Recovery: Return to the governing definition or requirement and restate the decision in one sentence.

2. Watch for

Writing vague statements without an owner, measure, date or evidence source.

Recovery: Separate evidence from assumption, assign an owner and set a date for validation.

3. Watch for

Copying a previous project without revalidating assumptions and stakeholders.

Recovery: Run a small counterexample, boundary test, pilot or independent check before proceeding.

4. Watch for

Using the document as a private worksheet when it is meant to support a shared decision.

Recovery: Record the consequence, decision and rationale, then update the controlled baseline.

5. Watch for

Creating an approved baseline but failing to define who maintains it and when.

Recovery: Escalate when the issue affects safety, compliance, acceptance, material value or an agreed tolerance.

Review checklist

Is the purpose and intended decision clear to a reader outside the team?
Are owners, dates, measures and sources complete and internally consistent?
Which fields are assumptions and how will they be validated?
What event, threshold or review date causes this document to change?
Are mandatory requirements distinguished from recommendations and illustrative values?
Are sources, assumptions, units, dates and versions recorded closely enough to reproduce the decision?
Have safety, legal, ethical, stakeholder and operational consequences been considered at the appropriate level?
Is there a named owner and a trigger for review, escalation, change or retirement?

Questions for deeper application

What is the most important distinction a practitioner must preserve when applying Project Kick-Off Checklist?