Nine tips on kicking off a project the right way

Start as you mean to go on. It might be a worn adage, but isn’t it particularly true when it comes to managing projects?

So, why is kicking off a project the right way so difficult? Perhaps you lack the time, energy or resources to think strategically about your project and the people involved, but any effort put into preparation will likely be repaid in more successful delivery.

It’s time to push back and make space so that you start your project properly.

To help you, here are nine top tips from expert project professionals Josie Harries, Global Business Development Director at Domino Printing Sciences, and Tamsin Alli-Balogun ChPP, Associate Director at AtkinsRéalis and 2025 APM Chartered Project Professional of the Year.

1. Be a visible leader from the outset

“No one wants a project manager to disappear into a cave for a month and reappear with a set of shiny plans,” says Alli-Balogun. “During the project mobilisation stage, balance your time between planning and communicating. The project kick-off meeting is the ideal time to share the vision, the aims of the project and the expectations of the team, including desired behaviours.”

2. Be 100% clear on the purpose of the project

Align on the ‘why’ before focusing on the ‘how’, advises Harries: “Take the time to make sure everyone understands the purpose of the project, why it matters and what success looks like. When the team is strongly centred on a shared purpose, its members make better decisions and stay focused on the outcomes, even when the work gets complex.”

3. Expose assumptions early

This means actively looking for hidden assumptions around timelines, scope, availability and expectations for delivery.

“Really put them to the test,” Harries says. “Ask the team: ‘What are we assuming here? What if we are wrong?’” Bringing assumptions into the open early prevents them turning into surprises later.

4. Invest time in the team and create space for quiet voices

Harries advises spending time together to agree on how the team is going to work, including how you want to communicate, make decisions and raise issues.
“Remember that the best insights don’t always come from the loudest contributors. Build in ways for everyone to shape the direction and contribute in a style that suits them best,” she says.

5. Treat risk as an everyday conversation

“Get the team actively engaged in discussing risk, making it part of everyday thinking, rather than just a form to complete. When risks are safe to raise and regularly talked about, they’re far easier to solve before they become issues,” says Harries.

6. Apply the lessons of the past

The start of a new project is the most important stage of any lessons-learned process, says Alli-Balogun: “Speak to people who’ve done similar projects before and, if possible, hold a peer-assisted pre-mortem as part of your risk assessment process. Involving experienced people from outside your team in assessing the risks is invaluable in building good mitigation plans, as you’ll likely hit upon similar issues. While you may not be able to avoid them, forewarned is forearmed!”

7. Be pragmatic

“The concept of minimum viable governance is a good starting point,” says Alli-Balogun. “What governance processes and documents are required by your organisation and your contract? What documents or tools do you need to communicate and manage your project? Work through the project planning according to urgency and remember that documentation supports good governance, but isn’t itself the governance.”

8. The process is important, but people are key

Strong delivery frameworks help, but the culture, behaviour and relationships among the team are what really drive a successful project, Harries reminds us: “Use just enough process to provide clarity and support and drive data-led decisions without slowing down the work. Process should make the project easier and enable people to do their best work.”

9. Understand what key stakeholders want

Find out what they think is most urgent and get any time-critical activities moving as soon as possible.

“I tend to run a mini-mobilisation in parallel with the full mobilisation – the mini-mobilisation gets the most urgent workstreams moving at pace. This involves individual briefings for team members involved in those tasks, so they can make immediate progress while I’m getting on with project planning. It reassures stakeholders that something is happening, without setting the entire team off before proper planning has been done,” says Alli-Balogun.

Josie Harries and Tamsin Alli-Balogun ChPP were speaking to the APM Podcast, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more.