Project Kickoffs That Work

This session will walk you through some of Palantir’s top tools and tips for client experience-building through awesome kickoff strategies. Successes and takeaways on recent projects will also be discussed.

So, you’ve got your sticky notes, colored markers, and enough stakeholders to fill a room; but, how do you make the most use of your time face-to-face with your client when you start a project to ensure a great client experience?

We’ve all been in those kickoff meetings at the beginning of a project — the room is tense, half the people are checking their phones, and your time with the key stakeholders is limited. What do you do?

In this session, Palantir project manager Tom Jones will walk you through some of our thinking about building great client experience through awesome onsites. We’ll share some tips and tools, and also discuss successes and takeaways on recent projects, large and small.

Learn more about:

• How to prepare before you get there

  • Roles and Responsibilities - Get your project team on the same page prior to kickoff.

  • Shaping an Agenda - Collaborating with your client to create an agenda gets the right stakeholders together, and gives us insights into what’s most important to them.

• How to use interactive exercises to better understand your client’s business requirements and build relationships with stakeholders. Example exercises include:

  • I Like, I Wish, I Wonder

  • Stop. Start. Continue.

  • Empathy Mapping

  • and more...

• Techniques for productive interviews, rich surveys and uncovering truths. Facilitate using open ended or leading questions.

  • “In six months, this project will be successful if…”

  • “In one word, what is the biggest key to success on the project?”

  • “What outcomes can you share from usability studies, cost-benefit analysis, etc.?”

  • Identify the Product Owner. Outline roles and responsibilities for the project, gain consensus on the most important role of Product Owner.

• Artifacts and deliverables such as the Foundation Plan, Build Spec, Project Risk Log

• What happens next? - Setting goals for a clear path forward during kickoff meetings.

You’ll leave with a deeper understanding of how to ensure that your projects start strong. We’ll share some sample documents and resources that you can build on as well.