Software agency · Delivery
Software project kickoff
Start building on day one of the first sprint instead of waiting for access. The client names their decision makers and grants access through a shared link, and the kickoff stays locked until the project manager approves the brief.
- Duration: 1 to 2 weeks
- How often: For every new project
- Steps: 9 steps
- AI agents: 1 AI agent
- Approvals: 1 approval
Free plan, no credit card needed.
What changes with this template
Without it
The first sprint starts and half the team still has no access.
Passwords arrive by email and stay in inboxes.
Nobody knows who on the client side signs off a release.
Kickoff decisions live in one person's notes.
With it
Every access is tested before the kickoff, and missing access blocks the run.
The client grants access in each system or through a password manager.
The client names who decides on scope, who accepts releases and who approves invoices.
The client confirms the kickoff decisions on the run.
The template, step by step
Each step says who does it: someone on your team, an AI agent, or the client through a shared link. An approval keeps every later step locked until it is given.
- Done by your team
- Done by an AI agent
- Done by the client, through a shared link
Starts when
The client signs the contract or statement of work. The project manager starts a run with the client name and the planned start of the first sprint.
- 1
Prepare the project and share the kickoff link
Day 1Project manager · Team
Fill in the project details from the contract, write down the scope and milestones, and send the client the shared link with what you need from them.
Checklist
- Team assigned
- Kickoff date proposed
- Shared link sent to the client contact
Fields to fill in
- Client name (required)
- Link to the signed statement of work (required)
- Scope and milestones (required)
- First sprint starts (required)
- 2
Client names the decision makers
Days 1 to 3Client contact · Shared link
Through the shared link, the client names who decides on scope, who tests and accepts releases and who approves invoices.
Checklist
- Sprint demo time agreed
- Preferred way to reach the team chosen
Fields to fill in
- Product owner (required)
- Product owner email (required)
- Who tests and accepts releases (required)
- Invoice approver email
- 3
Client grants access to systems and accounts
Days 1 to 5Client contact · Shared link
Through the shared link, the client gives the team access to each system on the list, in the system itself or through a password manager. Passwords never go in a field.
Checklist
- Code repository access granted
- Hosting or cloud account access granted
- Domain and DNS access granted
- Third-party service accounts shared
Fields to fill in
- Link to existing technical documentation
- Access still to arrange
- 4
Test every access and set up the environments
Days 3 to 6DevOps engineer · Team
Test each access the client granted and set up the development and staging environments and the deployment pipeline. If an access is missing, mark the run blocked and note what is missing.
Checklist
- Every access tested
- Development environment ready
- Staging environment ready
- Deployment pipeline runs
Fields to fill in
- Missing access
- Staging link
- 5
Draft the kickoff brief
Day 6Kickoff brief writer · AI agent
The kickoff brief writer pulls the scope, milestones, decision makers and access status into a kickoff brief and agenda, following the agenda in its instructions.
Fields to fill in
- Draft kickoff brief (required)
Checked by: The project manager corrects and approves the brief in step 6.
- 6
Review and approve the kickoff brief
Day 7Project manager · Team
Correct the brief, check that the milestones match the contract and approve it.
Checklist
- Milestones match the contract
- Decision makers and access are right
- Every open item has an owner
Approval: The kickoff stays locked until the project manager approves the brief.
- 7
Hold the kickoff
Week 2Project manager · Team
Walk the client through the brief, the way of working and the first milestone, record the decisions and email them to the client the same day.
Fields to fill in
- Kickoff decisions (required)
- First milestone date (required)
- 8
Client confirms the kickoff decisions
Week 2Client contact · Shared link
The client reads the kickoff decisions the project manager emailed and, through the shared link, confirms them or notes what they understood differently.
Fields to fill in
- Decision (required)
- What we understood differently
- 9
Plan the first sprint
Week 2Engineering lead · Team
Plan the first sprint from the confirmed decisions and check that every developer can start on day one.
Checklist
- Sprint stories ready and estimated
- Every developer has working access
- Sprint demo date set with the client
Fields to fill in
- Link to the sprint board (required)
Done when
The kickoff has taken place, the client has confirmed what was agreed, the team has working access to every system and the first sprint is planned.
Make it yours. Rename steps, change owners and add checklist items, fields or approvals. The template is a starting point for the way your team works.
The AI agents in this template
An agent only works on its own steps, and a person on your team checks what it did. Anything an agent writes to a connected app waits for approval unless you allow it.
Kickoff brief writer
Pulls the scope, decision makers and open items into a first kickoff brief and agenda.
What it does
- Reads the scope, milestones and decision makers on the run
- Notes which access is still missing
- Follows the kickoff agenda in its instructions
- Completes its step, so the project manager can review
Checked by: The project manager corrects and approves the brief in step 6.
Questions this template answers
Collect the decision makers and access before the kickoff, and start the first sprint only once the setup works. In steps 2 and 3 the client names their decision makers and grants access through the shared link, and in step 4 the DevOps engineer tests every access.
Send one list of every system you need, and make missing access visible as a blocker. In step 3 the client ticks off each access through the shared link, and in step 4 the DevOps engineer marks the run blocked and notes what is still missing.
Never by email or in a form: the client grants access in the system itself or shares it through a password manager. Step 3 tells the client exactly that, and its fields only ask for links and for what is still to arrange.
The goals, scope and first milestone, who decides what on the client side, how you work together and what is still open. In step 5 the kickoff brief writer drafts that agenda, step 6 is an approval gate for the project manager, and step 7 is the kickoff itself.
Write the decisions down the same day and ask the client to confirm them. In step 7 the project manager emails the decisions to the client, and in step 8 the client confirms them through the shared link or notes what they understood differently.
Let AI pull the scope, decision makers and open items into a first brief, and let the project manager decide what goes in front of the client. The kickoff brief writer drafts it in step 5, and the project manager corrects and approves it in step 6.
Run this workflow in OKiDO
Set up the steps, owners and approvals once, then start a run for every new case.