Choose an optional introduction or communication game, then return to the work: who owns each deliverable, where it goes next, and how the team will ask for clarification.
01 · Start with the work
Name the handoff you need to agree on
Before choosing a game, name one real handoff the project depends on. Keep these questions in your project notes:
What will one person or function produce, and who needs it next?
What must be included before the receiving person can use it?
Where should a question or blocked decision go, and when will the team check back?
For example: a designer may hand approved mobile screens to an engineer. “Design is done” leaves room for different assumptions. Agree on the screens, interaction notes and unresolved decisions the engineer needs. The people responsible set the actual requirements; game roles and scores have no part in that decision.
02 · Make room for an optional game
Choose one format
Use ordinary conversation instead when there is no room for a game or someone prefers not to participate. These alternatives are arrangements for your meeting, outside the game.
An introduction before the work
Two Truths, One Lie
4–20 players5–10 min estimate
Participants write two true statements and one false statement about themselves. The game presents each person's statements in turn for guessing and discussion.
This guide focuses on the 4–10 people in your core team. Invite people to choose details they are comfortable sharing. Someone who prefers not to play can give an ordinary introduction outside the game.
Allow extra time for discussion; the catalog estimate is not a promise that the activity will fit a fixed agenda slot.
Then return to the project: “My role in this project is ___; the handoff I expect to own is ___; I need input from ___.” Confirm those responsibilities together in the project discussion.
A separate communication activity
Codenames
4–10 players5–15 min estimate
Two teams work with a cluegiver and collective word guessing, following the game's clue rules. Use it when the team wants a shared word game and has room for it.
The catalog duration is an estimate. Reserve a separate segment if your kickoff has a tight cutoff.
After play, ask: “Which clue needed clarification?” and “Where did we make different assumptions?” Then leave the game behind and ask where a real project question should go.
This is a facilitator-led discussion. The game does not assess communication skills or determine who should lead the project.
03 · Confirm the project agreement
Write down what happens next
Use a real upcoming deliverable to complete the following in your existing project notes. This step belongs to the project discussion, whether or not anyone plays.
A handoff agreement for your project notes
Agreement
Write down
Deliverable
What will be handed over?
Accountable people
Who prepares it, and who receives or approves it?
Ready signal
What information must be present for the next person to proceed?
Question route
Where will clarification or a blocked decision be raised?
Next check
When will the responsible people confirm the handoff?
Read the agreement back to the people involved. Record unresolved decisions for the appropriate owner instead of treating a game debrief as agreement. At the next project meeting, revisit the actual handoff and adjust the notes if the work has changed.
Hosting continued team sessions
Check your team's existing access first. If you expect to host continued sessions, Team Monthly is an optional recurring plan at $30 USD per month, billed monthly until canceled, for up to 25 members. Each game's player limits still apply. A subscription is not required to use the conversation and handoff prompts in this guide.
Review the current plan details before choosing it.
Further kickoff guidance
Atlassian's project kickoff play separates project purpose and roles from a short icebreaker and suggests optional social time afterward. Magnetic Speaking's kickoff guidance discusses introductions, time for the business discussion and a debrief after a communication activity. The handoff worksheet here is a facilitation suggestion, not a claim that a game improves project performance.