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Pre-Meeting Preparation
Review the signed SOW with the account lead
Confirm scope, deliverables, timeline, budget, and revision limits match what was discussed during the sales process. Flag any ambiguities before the client meeting.
Confirm the project budget and billable rates
Verify hourly rates, fixed-fee amounts, or retainer terms. Set up the project budget in your PM tool with the correct billing configuration.
Assign the core team
Identify the PM, creative lead, strategist, and any specialists. Check their availability against the project timeline. Resolve conflicts before committing dates to the client.
Create the project in your PM tool
Use the standard client project template. Set up the folder structure, task templates, and time tracking. Do not invite the client yet.
Prepare the kickoff meeting agenda
Include: introductions, SOW walkthrough, communication plan, approval workflow, timeline review, and asset collection list. Send the agenda to the client 24 hours before the meeting.
Gather existing client assets
Request brand guidelines, logos, photography, content libraries, analytics access, and any previous agency work. Create a shared folder for asset storage.
Research the client's industry and competitors
Review the client’s website, social channels, recent press, and top 3 competitors. The team should walk into the kickoff meeting with baseline knowledge, not blank stares.
Kickoff Meeting
Run introductions (both teams)
Each person states their name, role, and what they will be responsible for on this project. This establishes who to contact for what and prevents all communication from funneling through one person.
Walk through the SOW scope together
Read through each deliverable with the client. Confirm mutual understanding. This is the last easy opportunity to catch misalignment before work begins.
Agree on communication cadence and channels
Define: weekly status meeting (day and time), primary communication channel (email, Slack, PM tool), response time expectations (e.g., 24 hours for non-urgent, 4 hours for blockers), and escalation contacts.
Define the approval workflow
Who approves deliverables on the client side? How many stakeholders review each piece? What is the feedback turnaround window? How many revision rounds are included? Document this and share in the meeting summary.
Review the timeline and milestones
Walk through key dates: draft delivery dates, review periods, final delivery dates, and launch dates. Identify dependencies (e.g., client provides copy before design begins). Get verbal confirmation on all dates.
Collect outstanding assets and access
Identify what you still need from the client: brand files, analytics access, CMS logins, domain credentials, existing content inventory. Assign owners and deadlines for each item.
Set the date for the first deliverable
Commit to a specific date for the first client-facing output. This creates immediate momentum and gives the team a concrete near-term deadline.
Post-Meeting Follow-Up
Send the meeting summary within 24 hours
Include: attendees, key decisions, action items with owners and deadlines, next meeting date, and any open questions. This becomes the reference document for “what we agreed.”
Set up client guest access in the PM tool
Configure permissions so the client can view project progress, approve deliverables, and access shared files. Test the access before sending the invite.
Send the client welcome packet
Include: team contact information, communication guidelines, PM tool access instructions, brand asset upload location, and the project timeline as a visual. This replaces the 5 separate emails you would otherwise send over the first week.
Configure time tracking for the project
Set up time tracking with the correct billable rates, budget caps, and task categories. Brief the team on which tasks are billable and which are internal overhead.
Set up recurring meetings and status reports
Create calendar invites for weekly status meetings. Set up automated status report generation if your PM tool supports it. Configure any Slack channel notifications.
Build the first sprint or production backlog
Break down the first phase of SOW deliverables into specific tasks with estimates, assignees, and dependencies. Prioritize tasks that are on the critical path to the first deliverable.
Brief the full team on the account
Share the client background, SOW summary, communication preferences, and any sensitivities with everyone who will touch the account. Include anyone who was not in the kickoff meeting.
Confirm receipt of all client assets
Follow up on any outstanding assets from the kickoff meeting. Set a hard deadline: if assets are not received by date X, the timeline shifts by the same number of days.
Deliver the first output within 10 business days
This can be a creative brief, strategy document, audit report, or initial concepts. The specific deliverable matters less than the act of delivering something tangible early. It validates the working relationship and surfaces process issues before they compound.
Common Questions About Agency Project Kickoff Checklist How long should an agency kickoff meeting last? 60 to 90 minutes for a standard engagement. Longer meetings lose focus. If you need more time, split into two sessions: a strategic alignment meeting (objectives, audience, approach) and an operational setup meeting (timeline, access, communication). Never combine kickoff with the first working session.
Who should attend the agency kickoff? From the agency: PM, creative lead, strategist, and the account lead who sold the engagement. From the client: the primary point of contact, the final decision maker for approvals, and anyone who will provide regular feedback. Keep it to 4 to 8 people total. Larger meetings produce less alignment, not more.
