Why and How to Celebrate Project Completion | Video

Your project has been completed. Yay! But, what now? Should you all just move on to whatever is next? Good grief no! You need to celebrate project completion. Let’s talk about why and how.

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Why Should You Celebrate Project Completion?

There’s a simple sequence that happens…

• When we celebrate, we recognize success
• And, when we recognize success, we feel good
• When we feel good, our confidence grows
• When our confidence grows, our performance improves
• And, when our performance improves, we get better results
• When we get better results, we have more success
• And, when we have more success, we can celebrate 🎉

It’s a virtuous cycle.

Some Principles for Celebrating Project Completion Right

The only rule is that, whatever you do, it has to be properly available to the whole team. It’s fine if people choose not to participate. But, if anyone would feel they cannot participate, then your idea is discriminatory, and you should look for something else.

It should also feel appropriate and proportionate to the team, its culture, and the project you have done together. A huge celebration for a small project and a low-key team is just as inappropriate as a cheap greetings card, with a rushed signature at the end of a three-year multi-million-dollar project that will make the company tens of millions each year.

Ideas for How to Celebrate Project Completion 

Any Context

• Fancy dress – loads of possible themes
• Quizzes
• Raffles, draws, potluck, and secret Santas
• Gifts, or gift cards and vouchers
  Small and universal, maybe: book, nice food items, vouchers for local cafes or eateries
• Scavenger hunts
• Thank-you cards – personalized better than standard – handwritten best of all. Can come from you (the PM) or from your sponsor – or better: both.
• Project completion gifts – branded objects or completion cards or certificates
• Award ceremonies
• Make a short celebration video 
• Give people some time off to be with their families
• And, of course… Say thank you

Onsite Project Completion Celebration

• Food – always start with food: cakes, snacks, buffet. Be careful with alcoholic drinks – most workplaces have rules, and many have outright bans
• Announcement posters naming the team

Celebrate Project Completion Online

• Food: bring your own food to a meet-up – combine it with other activities
• Online gaming competitions
• Show your favorite videos: comedy sketches, magic tricks, inspirational (short) speeches…

Local Project Completion Celebration

• Café, bar, pub, or restaurant
• Picnic, barbeque 
• Bowling, go-carting, ice skating, darts
• Comedy club, karaoke
• Learning activities: pottery, chocolate making, cake making, build-a-bear
• Escape room or mystery night
• A show: theatre, cabaret, 

Recommended Videos

Carefully curated video recommendations for you:

• Top 10 Ways to Make an Enthusiastic Team
• 10 Ways to Say Thank You to Your Team | Video
• Project Management in a Nutshell: Close Your Project
• There are No Endings | Bite-Sized Project Management Thought from Hilary Mantel

Recommended articles

• Project Closure: How to Miss Nothing when You Shut-down Your Project

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What Kit does a Project Manager Need?

I asked Project Managers in a couple of forums what material things you need to have, to do your job as a Project Manager. They responded magnificently. I compiled their answers into a Kit list. I added my own. 

Check out the Kit a Project Manager needs

Note that the links are affiliated.

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