§1Why the first fortnight decides the rest
Projects rarely fail at the end; they fail at the start and get discovered at the end.
Most of the classic late-project pathologies — scope arguments, missing authority, a schedule nobody baselined, a risk register invented for the first steering meeting — are not delivery problems. They are kick-off items that were never closed, quietly compounding while everyone was busy being busy. The cure is unglamorous: a written checklist, worked through in the first two weeks, with every box either ticked or consciously waived by the sponsor.
How to use this page. Print it, or copy the table into your project workspace. Work the 24 items in order within each domain. A box may be ticked, or waived in writing — the only forbidden state is silently open.
§2The checklist — 24 items in five domains
Mandate first: authority and money before people, people before scope, scope before controls, controls before logistics.
| Domain | Checkpoint | Done |
|---|---|---|
| Mandate | Signed business case or works order on file | ☐ |
| Named sponsor with delegated authority confirmed | ☐ | |
| Success criteria written as measurable statements | ☐ | |
| Funding released for the first control period | ☐ | |
| Constraints and assumptions logged | ☐ | |
| People | Core team named, with availability confirmed in writing | ☐ |
| RACI drafted for the first ten activities | ☐ | |
| Key stakeholders mapped and first contact made | ☐ | |
| Escalation path agreed with the sponsor | ☐ | |
| Kick-off meeting held and minuted | ☐ | |
| Scope | Scope statement signed by the sponsor | ☐ |
| Exclusions written down, not implied | ☐ | |
| WBS to at least level 2 | ☐ | |
| Acceptance criteria agreed for the first deliverables | ☐ | |
| Change control route named in one sentence | ☐ | |
| Controls | Baseline schedule issued and stored | ☐ |
| Cost codes open and mapped to the WBS | ☐ | |
| Risk register opened with the first ten risks scored | ☐ | |
| Reporting calendar issued to all parties | ☐ | |
| Document register and numbering scheme live | ☐ | |
| Logistics | Site or system access arranged for every team member | ☐ |
| Inductions and permits booked | ☐ | |
| Collaboration space set up and shared | ☐ | |
| Standing meetings in every diary | ☐ |
§3The first-week cadence
The checklist tells you what; a simple cadence tells you when.
Days 1–5
Close the whole Mandate column and start People. Nothing else matters if the authority to proceed is soft. The kick-off meeting sits at the end of this week, not the start — a kick-off without a signed mandate is a rehearsal.
Days 6–10
Close Scope and Controls, book everything in Logistics. Issue the baseline schedule on day 10 even if it is coarse — a coarse baseline you can measure against beats a perfect one that arrives in month two.
§4Failure signatures — what a skipped box costs
Every open item has a signature you will meet later, wearing a different name.
| Item skipped | Reappears in month three as… |
|---|---|
| Exclusions written down | “We assumed that was included” — unpriced scope, delivered under protest. |
| Escalation path agreed | Decisions ageing for weeks while everyone is technically waiting on someone. |
| Baseline schedule issued | Progress reports that compare this month with last month’s opinion. |
| Cost codes mapped to the WBS | A forecast rebuilt from invoices, backwards, at reporting time. |
| Risk register opened | The first risk workshop held in response to the risk arriving. |
§5Quick reference
The working core of the resource on one card rack.
Rule
Every box ticked, or waived in writing — never silently open.
Order
Mandate → People → Scope → Controls → Logistics.
Deadline
All 24 items closed by day 10; baseline out the same day.
Owner
The project manager runs the list; the sponsor signs the waivers.