Agile kickoff readiness checklist: is your project ready to start?

A sponsor and a product owner are named, attend the kickoff sessions and answer within 2 working days
Sessions slip when the sponsor is not available, and every question that waits holds up the backlog. Adwaizer Agile kickoff practice
The team, or its leads, can attend a 90-minute refinement and planning session
That session agrees the top of the backlog and the first sprint goal with the people who will do the work. Adwaizer Agile kickoff practice
What exists today is gathered: a brief, a pitch deck, a feature list, or an existing backlog or board export
The backlog starts from what you already know instead of a blank page. Adwaizer Agile kickoff practice
The board tool is chosen (Jira, Linear, Trello, monday.com or another) and guest access can be limited to the one project
The board is set up where the team already works; no admin or production credentials are needed. Adwaizer Agile kickoff practice
What you share holds no customer or employee personal data, and no regulated health or finance data without a written scope
A kickoff does not need personal data, and regulated data needs its rules agreed in writing first. Adwaizer Agile kickoff practice
You have decided yes or no on AI tools working on your documents
With a no, the work uses only session notes with names and client data removed. Adwaizer Agile kickoff practice
There is a prioritised backlog with user stories and acceptance criteria for the first release
Acceptance criteria tell the team when a story is done before the sprint starts. Adwaizer Agile kickoff practice
There is a roadmap with goals per horizon or release, its dates labelled as estimates
Dates or sizes read as commitments cause the arguments later; labelling them estimates prevents that. Adwaizer Agile kickoff practice
There is a risk register with an owner, a response and a trigger for each risk
A risk with no owner and no trigger is noticed only once it has happened. Adwaizer Agile kickoff practice
The ceremonies and a definition of ready and done are written down
The team agrees once how it plans, meets and closes work, instead of in every sprint. Adwaizer Agile kickoff practice
You know whether you need an ongoing Scrum Master or project manager after the kickoff
A kickoff sets the team up; an ongoing role is a separate decision and a separate agreement. Adwaizer Agile kickoff practice

0 of 11 in place

11 left to do:

A sponsor and a product owner are named, attend the kickoff sessions and answer within 2 working days
The team, or its leads, can attend a 90-minute refinement and planning session
What exists today is gathered: a brief, a pitch deck, a feature list, or an existing backlog or board export
The board tool is chosen (Jira, Linear, Trello, monday.com or another) and guest access can be limited to the one project
What you share holds no customer or employee personal data, and no regulated health or finance data without a written scope
You have decided yes or no on AI tools working on your documents
There is a prioritised backlog with user stories and acceptance criteria for the first release
There is a roadmap with goals per horizon or release, its dates labelled as estimates
There is a risk register with an owner, a response and a trigger for each risk
The ceremonies and a definition of ready and done are written down
You know whether you need an ongoing Scrum Master or project manager after the kickoff

Want us to set it up with you?

Our Agile project kickoff pack delivers the backlog, the roadmap, the risk register, the ceremonies and the definition of ready and done, built with your team in working sessions.

See a sample kickoff pack Ask about the Agile kickoff pack Our services

This checklist is general guidance, not an assessment of your project.

Is your project ready to kick off?

0 of 11 in place

Want us to set it up with you?