Project Closure Celebration

The workforce achieves project closure through a celebration. For a small project, this can be a pizza and pop luncheon in the conference room. A few appropriate coffee mugs might be presented to individuals who have made particularly significant contributions. These people also should be given copies of the commendation letters that the project manager forwarded to their function managers for their personnel files.

Larger projects mean larger celebrations. One large research systems analysis organization operates projects that typically take one year or more. Many hundreds of thousands of dollars go toward the project's personnel salaries. Their closure ritual is distinctive: On the hour that the project report is delivered to the customer, several support personnel and some project team members roll back the partitions dividing the auditorium, bring in an audio system, unlock the liquor cabinet, send out for hors d'oeuvres, pass the word throughout the organization, and telephone spouses, vendors, customers, directors, and other appropriate persons, to announce an open house. The partying can last 24 hours! It ends with a speech from the CEO and with the project manager handing out appropriate symbols of recognition.

These people end projects in grand style! Not surprisingly, their firm has a reputation for being very efficient and effective, with great creativity and a high morale.