When they ask,
be worth finding.

1. Agree on what “good” looks like

Start with the outcome the client bought, not a list of your tasks. “Launch the new services page before the October campaign” gives the team a decision to work toward. Record the deadline, the audience, and the person who will approve the work.

2. Request the minimum you need to begin

Avoid sending a twenty-item questionnaire when five answers will unlock the first draft. Ask for the current brief, relevant brand files, required access, examples the client likes, and any claims that need their verification. Use invitations with appropriate permissions for account access; don’t ask for passwords in a shared file.

3. Give the first week a visible finish line

Replace “we’ll get started” with a small schedule. For example: brief confirmed on Tuesday, outline delivered on Thursday, consolidated feedback due on Friday. Treat those dates as an agreement, and adjust them together if an input arrives late.

4. Decide where feedback belongs

Choose one place for decisions and one person to consolidate feedback. A useful review request says what to check: “Please confirm the audience, the three service descriptions, and the order of sections.” A general “thoughts?” invites a very different conversation.

5. End the kickoff with the next three moves

Before anyone leaves, read back the action, owner, and date for each immediate task. Put them in the shared project record. Your client should be able to return a day later and understand what happens next without searching a meeting recording.

Keep the checklist small enough to use

If an item doesn’t help the team start, decide, or deliver, move it out of the first-week checklist. You can collect secondary details later. The point is to create momentum without making your client manage your process.

Your first deliverable is confidence: a client who knows what’s happening, a team that knows what to do, and a project that can move.