Project Kickoff Meeting
In the world of Engineering Design, this is a common phrase for teams tin the lifecycle of their projects.
Whether it be software engineers, water resource professionals, or vehicle manufacturers, there is a meeting of the minds that takes place to kickoff the design of their product or solution.
In this meeting the schedule is laid out with milestones, goals ,and—most importantly—the desired outcome ,or “end-state,” of the project. A fully functional design and contract will be delivered to the client by a specific date.
The most successful Engineering Design teams have excellent kickoff meetings. Expectations are well defined, channels of communication are established, and plans for minimizing friction points are laid out in explicit detail. I believe this Project Kickoff Meeting principle is one that Jesus used when establishing the Church in the first century—and one that we might adopt to finally overcome the false notion of New Year’s Resolutions.
I submit to you today a new approach to your Resolutions this year: New Year’s Kickoff Meeting.
New Years Kickoff Meeting
The last two weeks of the year and the first few weeks of the new year are often dedicated to reset our lives and get focused for tackling what projects and priorities the coming year may hold.
Of course, this is where the tradition of New Year’s Resolutions comes in—often vain commitments to achieve unrealistic goals in impossible time frames, yielding no discernible impact in who we are or what we are trying to accomplish. The intentions are usually noble but rarely achievable.
I believe that the New Years Kickoff Meeting brings an intentional approach to resolutions—one that produces increase rather than disappointment. Planned progress and intentional action brings discernible differences in our lives. This means we keep our promises to ourselves and our year ends in celebration of Project Success rather than Resolutions that never rendered.
To have this meeting correctly you have to begin at the End.
The End State
Although it may seem backward to most, the appropriate place to start in a Project Kickoff Meeting is the End State. If I know that I need stamped, signed drawings and official contract documents to be advertised for Bid by May 13th, 2026, now I can come up with a plan.
If there is no deadline or no accountability system then Projects are always “not due yet.”
Oh I don’t need to start on that, the project doesn’t have a due date yet. - The First-Year (failed final exam)
With New Years Resolution’s the schedule and milestones are often impossible. I’m gonna lose 150 lbs in three weeks or I’ll read through half my reading list this year (approximately 350 books).
The opposite can be true also, a lack of definition makes it impossible to define metrics. I’m gonna read more this year. Technically, reading this article fulfills that commitment if you didn’t read a single article last year.
A well-defined End State can be broken down into achievable tasks with known durations and thus a schedule is born.
The Schedule
This portion of the meeting cannot be universally defined. Each schedule is unique. What matters is not what the schedule looks like, but that one exists. Planning is the discipline; intentionality is the increase.
Without well defined markers for the journey of your year, goals, habits, and lifestyles do not bear their fruit.
In the same way a seed must be planted in season, watered at particular times, and pruned at particular moments, our lives need this level of intentional planning.
If you intend to lose weight this year do not just plan to go to the gym twice a week but declare that on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2:00 PM you will go to this gym on this street. Make yourself accountable to your calendar and schedule your season.
This kickoff meeting establishes your resolutions this year in more than just grandiose ideas but actionable “blocks” of time that yield 50 lbs of weight loss and 10 lbs of muscle gain by November 1st of 2026. Or posting to your blog every two weeks increasing frequency to every week by the end of the first quarter! 😅
The End State you defined fills in your schedule with well defined timelines and milestones you can check-in on. If I want to be a better reader this year and schedule 30 minutes a day to read, I can check in quarterly and see the fruit of my effort (19 books in 2025 compared to 3 in 2024).
The Milestones
The Milestones are the markers along the way. They are the touchpoints to grade your success and revisit the schedule.
Milestones allow you to have honest conversations about your tasks, timelines, and your end state.
If the pace was unreasonable your milestones will slow you down or speed you up. If your end-state was unrealistic you can redefine your goals to reach an end state this year that adds up to your original intention in three years.
What was your dream weight this year becomes your three year goal and this year you only need a third, which you are now on track to crush this year!
Milestones keep you accountable but also establish the wins in your Project that can be celebrated. This is where the kickoff meeting really makes a difference!
Instead of disappointed days of lost progress and lousy resolution follow through; you’ve got proof of your progress and renewed energy to keep going because you’re already halfway there!
How Jesus Did It
It may seem odd to proclaim that Jesus did this, especially when considering it to be an annual practice. Of course, what I mean is that Jesus taught us the principle of planning well.
It was Jesus who asked after all
…“Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’”
Jesus was talking about planning well to ensure that we could finish what we start and build something strong. As we are building our lives, the focus of this blog, we need to ensure we have considered our ability to finish.
Jesus charge to His disciples to establish and build the church came with similar plans. He said that upon the revelation that He is the son of God He would build His church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. The End State.
He then broke it down into tasks and milestones. The commission charged the disciples to teach, baptize, and teach to the whole world to establish the church.
Then, as Jesus laid out the schedule, the were to wait in Jerusalem to receive the promise, then preach to Jerusalem, Judea, and the uttermost parts of the earth.
Luke 24:48-49 48 And ye are witnesses of these things. 49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Acts 1:8 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth
The Holy Spirit came with a promise, Jesus said that when He came to dwell in our hearts, He would give us the teaching we needed to learn, the power to do, and the boldness to begin.
The disciples had their end state, their schedule, and their milestones to track progress. They also were given the resources and power they needed to finalize the Project.
Jesus had a Church Kickoff meeting to establish His bride and the gathering of His body to encourage each other and grow together until His return.
In the same way, I believe a great practice for the beginning of our New Year is a New Year’s Kickoff Meeting. No more empty promises or progress that never materializes but intentional plans to practice the Way as we become the men and women who God has called us to be.
Schedule your meeting today and let’s design our New Year.
Let's build together.