A room for New project teams

New Project Campfire

Start with a shared story about the goal, people, limits, and first step.

Why this might help

Starting a new project is exciting — and a little messy. Everyone shows up with different ideas about what you're building, who's doing what, and how much time you actually have. A project story card helps your team get on the same page before the work begins. It's not a big formal document. Think of it like a campfire conversation you write down together. You cover the goal, the people involved, the real limits you're working with, and the very first step. That shared story becomes something everyone can point back to.

Does this feel familiar?

  • Your team has had two kick-off meetings but still can't agree on what 'done' looks like.
  • Someone asks 'wait, who owns this?' three weeks into the project.
  • You start building before anyone has named the one thing the project must achieve.
  • A team member finds out about a key deadline or budget limit way too late.

Try this together

  1. Gather your team for one short session — even 30 minutes works — and fill out the story card together out loud, not solo.
  2. Write the goal in one plain sentence, like 'Launch the new onboarding flow before the school year starts.' If you can't say it simply, keep talking until you can.
  3. List every person who touches this project, even the ones who only show up once or twice, so nobody feels invisible.
  4. Name your real limits honestly — time, budget, headcount, or tools you don't have yet — because pretending they don't exist just moves the problem later.
  5. Agree on one first step your team can actually finish this week, then write it down so it doesn't disappear after the meeting.

Project Story Card

  1. Open a blank project story card and write your project's name at the top — something specific enough that a new person would understand it immediately.
  2. Fill in the goal section together as a group, using everyday words and a single sentence if you can manage it.
  3. Add every team member's name and their main role on this project, even if that role is just 'reviewer' or 'final approver'.
  4. Write down your limits in the constraints section — things like 'we have six weeks' or 'no outside contractors' — so they're visible to everyone from day one.
  5. Close the card by naming your first concrete action, who's doing it, and when it'll be done, then share the finished card with everyone on the list.

Questions worth talking about

If this project goes really well, what does that look like six weeks from now?

What's the one thing that could quietly derail us if we don't talk about it today?

Who needs to know this project exists but isn't in this room right now?

A few common questions

Does the project story card replace a proper project plan?

Nope — it's not meant to. Think of it as the foundation you build a plan on top of. The card captures your shared story so everyone starts from the same place. A full plan with tasks, timelines, and owners comes next, once the story is clear.

What if our goal changes after we fill out the card?

That's completely normal. Just update the card together and talk through what changed and why. A story card isn't a contract — it's a living record. Keeping it current is more useful than keeping it perfect. Even a quick note about what shifted helps the whole team stay oriented.

Can Tindlo help us keep the project story visible as work gets going?

Yes, in a practical way. Tindlo lets you create work items that hold a brief, files, links, and context alongside your schedule. So the story your team agreed on doesn't get buried in a chat thread — it stays attached to the actual work on a shared Day or Week view everyone can see.

Keep the story close to the schedule

A date makes more sense when you can also see the reason, the owner, and the work around it. Tindlo brings those pieces together when a calendar alone isn't enough.

See how Tindlo works →

Where would you like to go next?

Engineering Leadership ExchangeEngineering leadersProduct Operations CircleProduct operations teamsProject Managers' WorkshopProject managers