The kickoff meeting is where you control the project from the start. Identify all stakeholders, nail down scope, confirm assumptions in writing, and agree on timelines and who does what. Without this clarity upfront, stakeholders bring their own expectations and verbal agreements fall apart.
Initiation. It all starts with the external kickoff meeting, sometimes called initiation in the project management world. This is the phase where you take control of the engagement from day one. You identify all stakeholders, clarify scope— what's included and what's not— confirm assumptions explicitly, and align on timelines, communication cadence, and the client's Responsibilities. Now, depending on the complexity of the engagement, this session may give you everything you need to begin delivery, or it may lead to additional discovery sessions. The goal here is clarity. For example, when you have stakeholders who are not part of the sales process, they'll come in with their own assumptions and interpretations of what the project is about. Another example is, for anything that was discussed verbally over a quick email or a quick message, but did not make it into the signed contract.
