====== What Subjects Should We Cover at a Team Kickoff or Re-Baseline Event? ======

It is often useful to have a Team kick-off session for the Team. The Team Kick-off Session is a half to full day event, potentially spread over a couple of days, with all Team members in attendance. While it helps that some people involved have at least some background in Agile roles, events, and practices, this is not a requirement for the meeting. The Team can learn as it goes.

The core agenda for the Team Kick-off Session is: 

  * (Optional) Agile Manifesto: Refresh yourselves on the Agile Values and Principles. Do we remember the basics? (See [[agile_values_and_principles|Agile Values and Principles]] for more information).
  * Scrum or Kanban Values and Principles: Refresh yourselves on the Scrum Kanban Values and Principles. Are we making informed decisions around our implementation of Scrum and / or Kanban? (See [[scrum_values_and_principles|Scrum Values and Principles]] and [[kanban_values_and_principles|Kanban Values and Principles]] for more information)
  * Team Name: What is the identity of the Team?
  * Team Vision: Establish the Team Vision. What is the purpose of this Team? Why is it together? Who are the Customers?
  * Team Roles: Understand the named Scrum roles and name someone to fill it on the Team:
    * Scrum Master
    * Product Owner
  * Team Events: Review Scrum Team events, understand their purpose and determine how to address that purpose. Determine your overall Team timetable going forward:
    * [[what_is_the_purpose_of_a_daily_standup_or_daily_scrum_event|Daily Standup]] 
    * [[how_do_we_run_our_first_iteration_planning_or_sprint_planning_event|Planning]]
    * Refinement]
    * [[how_do_we_run_our_first_sprint_retrospective|Retrospective]]
    * [[how_do_we_run_our_first_iteration_demo_or_sprint_review|Review]]
  * Team Skills: What skills are required to deliver value? What skills do we have? How is your team building T-shape people?
  * Team Kanban: Discuss how work flows through the Team and determine the Team Kanban board:
    * States (Develop, test, etc.)
    * Exit agreements for each state
    * Service levels swim lanes (based on type of work – standard, expedite, fixed date, etc.)
    * Initial WIP limits for each state
  * General Team working agreements: What are the agreements we are going to put in place to help us interact and become a successful Team? (See [[what_kind_of_working_agreements_should_we_set_up_for_the_team|What Kind of Working Agreements Should We Set Up for the Team?]] for more information)
  * Determine or update the Team [[how_do_we_initially_setup_our_definition_of_done|Definition of Done]]
  * (Optional) User Stories: Review definition of User Stories Help the Team understand the outcome of the work they do from the perspective of the customer by putting themselves in their shoes.
  * Team Backlog: Build your initial Team Backlog. Based on Product Owner’s view of current priorities and work that is currently in-flight from Team members.
    * For each item in the backlog ensure you record the swim lane (service level agreement) each work item is expected to be placed in. 
    * For inflight items in the backlog, ensure you record the state. New items are assumed to be place in the first colomn.
  * (Optional) Story Points: Review story point estimation based on relative sizes.
  * Estimate: The size of work. Get to a common understanding of the effort required to get something through the Kanban states
  * Prioritize the Team Backlog
  * Determine what the Team will be working on

{{tag>FAQ kickoff team}}