Project Management Framework
Closure - Celebrate
Definition
A celebration is a fun event that acknowledges the successful completion of a project or project milestone.
Why is this important?
Celebration gives project team members an opportunity to feel good about themselves, each other, the successes they have attained, and the challenges they have addressed together. This gives the team a chance to be expressive about their good work and effort. It is a "thank you" for a job well-done.
Celebration provides recognition and reinforcement for the project team and is an incentive to help ensure the project meets its objectives.
A project has a better chance of success if the people working on the project are motivated to do a quality job and work as a team. Celebration recognizes motivation and quality performance and promotes team building.
Too often, focus is on attaining the project goals and forgetting to appreciate accomplishments. Taking a little time away from the regular demands of a project can be refreshing and improve subsequent work.
How to do it well
- Celebrate significant milestones. Celebrate when you meet specific goals the team set for themselves.
- Do not leave anyone out.
- Make sure team members are available to attend a scheduled event.
- Celebrate the small stuff because that reinforces success.
- Do not let issues around successes spoil acknowledgment of the actual accomplishments.
- Celebrate specifics over generalities. That shows a true understanding of the work done and its value. Recognize what everyone specifically contributed.
- When things are not going well, focus on quality. Do not throw a party for the sake of having a party. Associate work done well with a celebration.
- If the celebration is rather elaborate, plan it carefully. A celebration event that goes awry once may be amusing, but recurring problems may result in questioning the sincerity behind the effort.
- Do not violate any agency standards (e.g., employee incentive regulation, liquor in the workplace).
- Consider giving some token award or acknowledgement for significant accomplishments to project participants such as certificates, plaques, coffee cups, t-shirts, etc.
- Consider the varied ethical makeup and interests of the project team. What seems like a celebratory event to some people may be offensive to others.
- Bring in a project sponsor or executive to underline the significance of the reason for celebration.
Checklists