ant for project team members to be aware of major assumptions that apply to the project. For example, spell out the assumption that each team member has been selected and made available to the project by their manager to ensure its success. That assumption means that their assigned tasks must take priority, and each participant must be committed to the success of the project if they are to participate.

Step 4: Develop the preliminary project plan
You can save a lot of time by going ahead and developing the tasks, responsibilities, and timeframes of the project plan. Going through this exercise will help you validate whether you have the right resources, identify risks, and determine the appropriate timelines for tasks and milestones.

Use whatever resources you need to help you create the initial project plan. The point here is that when you go into the kickoff meeting, you will already have a plan drafted. Doing so will save time and get the project off to a faster start. (To develop a project plan, download this project-planning template.)

Realize that the plan is not carved in stone at this point. Actually, it should never be. Up until the kickoff meeting, it is a knowledgeable draft. Once you have the team assembled and assign clear responsibilities, you should ask team members to validate their task responsibilities and timeframes for reasonability, completeness, and accuracy. The plan will become more established at the first project status meeting.

Step 5: Define key success factors
Every project team member needs to know what it takes to have a successful project. Take the time to define in specific terms each item that will be required for success. Validate your list with the project owner(s).

Step 6: Schedule the proj