Pm project kickoff

PM Project Kickoff Skill

Scaffolds a new client project end-to-end: DB/PM records, phase task list, scope_doc baseline, and welcome email — in a consistent, repeatable process.

Works for any service business. Adapt the phase list to your workflow.

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Configuration

Replace these placeholders before using:

Placeholder	Replace with
{{AGENCY_NAME}}	Your agency or business name
{{SUPPORT_EMAIL}}	Your client-facing support email
{{PM_TOOL}}	Your PM system (Linear, Jira, Asana, ClickUp, Notion, etc.)
{{APPROVER_NAME}}	Project owner / account manager name
{{APPROVER_EMAIL}}	Their email
{{HOURLY_RATE}}	Your standard hourly rate

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Kickoff Sequence

Step 1 — Gather Project Info

Required before creating anything:

client_name         → company or person name
project_name        → descriptive name, e.g. "Acme Website Redesign 2026"
project_type        → website | app | design | marketing | consulting | etc.
deliverables        → list of contracted deliverables (becomes scope_doc)
budget              → total contracted amount
kickoff_date        → today or agreed start date
target_delivery     → estimated completion / launch date
revision_rounds     → number of revision rounds included
primary_contact     → client name + email + phone

If anything is missing, create the project with a needs_info flag and follow up before doing any work.

Step 2 — Write the scope_doc

Before creating any tasks, write the scope_doc. This is the single document all future scope detection runs against. Be specific.

See references/scope-doc-template.md for the full template.

Quick version:

Project: [name]
Contracted: [list every deliverable explicitly]
NOT included: [list explicit exclusions]
Revisions: [X] rounds
Assumptions: [what client must provide]

Store in your PM tool on the project record. Never leave it blank.

Step 3 — Create Project Record in {{PM_TOOL}}

Fields to set:

Name:          [project_name]
Client:        [client_name]
Type:          [project_type]
Status:        Active
Phase:         Discovery
Scope doc:     [paste scope_doc]
Budget:        $[budget]
Start date:    [kickoff_date]
Target date:   [target_delivery]
Owner:         {{APPROVER_NAME}}
Contact:       [primary_contact name + email]

Step 4 — Scaffold Phase Tasks

Create all tasks upfront. Don't build incrementally — the full task list gives the client (and you) a complete picture of the project.

Default phases for a website project (adapt to your service type):

Phase	Key tasks
Discovery	Intake questionnaire, brand assets request, goals doc, contract + deposit
Design	Competitor review, wireframes, mockups, client approval (×revision rounds)
Development	Hosting setup, CMS install, all contracted pages built, forms configured
Content	Copy received, images received, copy loaded, SEO metadata
Review	Internal QA, client review link sent, punch list, final approval
Launch	DNS / hosting config, SSL, go-live confirmation
Post-launch	30-day check-in, training (if applicable), handoff doc

Full task list → references/project-task-templates.md

Due date calculation from kickoff_date:

Discovery:   kickoff + 0–3 days
Design:      kickoff + 4–14 days
Development: kickoff + 15–30 days
Content:     kickoff + 20–35 days  (parallel with dev)
Review:      kickoff + 36–42 days
Launch:      kickoff + 43–45 days
Post-launch: launch + 30 days

Adjust these to your actual workflow speed.

Step 5 — Send Welcome Email

From {{APPROVER_EMAIL}}, to primary contact. Template:

Subject: Welcome to {{AGENCY_NAME}} — [Project Name] Kickoff

Hi [first name],

We're excited to get started on [project name]! Here's what to expect:

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
→ You'll receive our intake questionnaire within 24 hours
→ We'll schedule a kickoff call to align on goals and timeline
→ Our target delivery date is [target_delivery]

YOUR PROJECT OVERVIEW
• [Deliverable 1]
• [Deliverable 2]
• [Deliverable 3]
• [X] revision rounds

WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU
• Completed intake questionnaire
• Logo and brand assets
• Any existing content you'd like to use

Questions? Reply directly to this email — it goes straight
to your project queue.

Looking forward to working together.

— {{APPROVER_NAME}}
  {{AGENCY_NAME}}
  {{SUPPORT_EMAIL}}

Log the email in your CRM or project history.

Step 6 — Internal Notification

Notify the project team (Slack, email, or PM comment):

✅ New Project Started
Client:   [client_name]
Project:  [project_name]
Budget:   $[budget]
Launch:   [target_delivery]
Owner:    {{APPROVER_NAME}}
[Link to project in {{PM_TOOL}}]

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Adapting for Different Service Types

The phase names and tasks change, but the process is the same:

Design / branding project: Discovery → Concepts → Revisions → Final delivery → Brand guide handoff

Development / app project: Discovery → Architecture → Sprint 1..N → QA → Deploy → Handoff

Marketing retainer: Onboarding → Strategy → Month 1..N → Reporting → Renewal / offboard

Consulting engagement: Scoping → Research → Analysis → Presentation → Follow-up

Customize references/project-task-templates.md for your service type.

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Key Rules

1. scope_doc before tasks — write it first, always
2. All phases scaffolded at once — don't add phases as you go
3. Welcome email before first billable hour — sets expectations early
4. Missing info → flag, don't guess — create a needs_info task and follow up rather than assuming
5. One project per engagement — don't mix multiple client engagements in one project record

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Reference Files

• references/scope-doc-template.md — How to write a scope_doc
• references/project-task-templates.md — Full task list per phase
• references/intake-questionnaire.md — Client intake questions

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Need This Built Into Your System?

This skill describes a process. If you want it running automatically — new client emails triggering project scaffolds, tasks created in your PM tool, welcome emails sent, scope docs written — that's a systems build.

Cynthia Schomp builds AI-powered operations infrastructure for service businesses: custom dashboards, automated client onboarding, PM integrations, and the full stack behind skills like this one.

→ cynthiaschomp.com