Warning
🚧 Work in Progress: This page is currently under construction. Content may be incomplete or subject to change. To contribute, see the contribution guide.
Kickoff Checklist
Use this checklist at the start of every new project or significant feature to ensure alignment before development begins.
Business alignment
- Problem statement is clearly defined and agreed upon with stakeholders
- Success metrics / KPIs are defined (how will we know it worked?)
- Business owner and technical owner identified
- Priority and target timeline agreed upon
Scope and requirements
- Scope is documented (what is IN and what is OUT)
- User stories or functional requirements written
- Non-functional requirements defined (performance, availability, security)
- External dependencies identified (third-party APIs, vendor timelines, etc.)
Architecture
- Existing systems impacted by this project are identified
- Integration points mapped (see Integrations & APIs)
- Data flows designed (if data is involved — see Data Architecture)
- Architecture Decision Record (ADR) created if a significant technical decision is being made
- Security and data privacy review completed (see Data Privacy for Devs)
Team and access
- Squad members and roles defined
- Access to required environments provisioned (see Environments)
- Repository created and configured (branch protection, secrets, CI/CD)
- ServiceNow change category identified for go-live
Documentation
- System documentation page created (copy template to
systems/[name]/index.md) - Runbook skeleton created (copy template to
runbooks/[name]/) - Relevant ADRs linked
Tip
Kickoff meeting agenda suggestion:
- Problem statement and context (5 min)
- Walk through this checklist together (15 min)
- Open items and owners (10 min)
- Next steps and first sprint goal (5 min)