It was my very first time being a Project Manager and also working with a big client like Lufthansa so I felt doubled stressed when the project start time was near. As the Project Manager, I wasn't just coordinating tasks and write emails; I was responsible for making sure our team could deliver great results to meet our client's requirements. This blog is a overview: from how I started planning for the project kickoff to the moment we officially handed over the project to our client.
It's going to be a very long blog.
Weekend's preparation
I wanted to do my best and be well prepared before the project start so I planned to do some works in the weekend. This is what I did:
- Prepare the project folder structure
- Create PowerPoint presentation for the Kick-off meeting (I also started preparing the structure of the end presenation)
- Be informed about the main stakeholders and also who on the client side will be present on-side and online
- (Optional) Prepare for smalltalks if you are not experienced in it like me😄
Monday: First Project Day
I was 45 minutes early. The kickoff meeting supposed to start at 9 AM. I wanted to do all the preparations in a relaxed manner. Since we were expecting someone being present on-side, I need to make sure the meeting room looks nice, that water is available for the guest, and that the equipment for the meeting call is ready. I also brought snacks for my team😋.
Unfortunately, the client, who supposed to join us on-side, decided to join online last minute so I had to adjust some changes to my initial plan for the kickoff. Another thing to mention is that before the kickoff meeting started, I chose one team member to write the protocol. The rest of the day went as follows:
In the kickoff meeting
- In the beginning, ask client for permissions to record the meeting and make sure to introduce the team properly
- At the end, ask for the main communication option (mostly per email) and the main contact person
- Most importantly: Ask for following check-in meetings with the client (Monday afternoon and Wednesday morning)
After the kickoff meeting
- Discuss the requirements with the team, divide the team into groups, and distribute the tasks.
- Write a summary of the kickoff meeting then send it to the client and ask for verification
- Create appointments for the check-ins and send the invation to the client
In general
- Prepare for the first check-in and allocate a suitale timeframe for each group
- Collect any possible questions that urgently need answering and send them to the client
- Make sure to get constantly updated by team members regarding any questions and their current status or planning
Wednesday: Second Project Day
On this day, I started with informing my team about the plan for the day. There actually wasn't much for me to do. Important were:
- Making sure every group get feedbacks and their questions resolved from the client in the second check-in
- Asking client for existing dashboards and their brand colors to maintain consistency in design within the team
- Checking on every groups regarding status and questions, providing help if possible
- Preparing PowerPoint for the end presentation
We actually had one extra day in this project, on Thursday. Normally, it would be a day with training but because of the workload, we had the opportunity to continue working on the project.
Friday: Final Project Day
I started with a short briefing like always. On this day, we should focus on completing works and preparing for the end presentation. The goal in the morning was to have a rehearsal/Dry Run of the end presentation before lunch so that we could see what was great and what should be improved. Unexpected thing can happen anytime so as a project manager, I had to accept it, adapt to the situation and find a reasonable solution at that moment.
My team worked hard completing the final steps until the presentation. In the meantime, I was working on the PowerPoint for the end presentation, setting up the space where we were going to hold the presentation, and preparing to welcome our client who was going to join us on-side.
We started on time with the presentation. It went really well and we had great interactions with the client.
In the following week after the end presentation
There were two things to do for the project manager after their project week: preparing relevant files for the handover package for the client then sending it to them and writing a reflective log about the project.
Finally, I can quit being a project manager😄.
Overall, it was a very stressful week as a manager but I see it as an opportunity to grow for myself.
It was a veeery long blog. See you in the next one!