4 Ways to Celebrate Project Success 

Kool and the Gang figured it out years ago when they sang, “Celebrate good times, come on! Let’s celebrate!” But, it’s easy to lose sight of the importance of celebrating project success. Deadlines, meetings, and issues pop up immediately, forcing us to move on, and giving us little time to reflect on the good work that was just completed. 

Celebrating project success is important, because it builds morale, develops team cohesiveness, and increases motivation. And, it doesn’t have to be complicated, time-consuming or expensive. Consider the following suggestions for your next project celebration: 

• Team Outing - There’s nothing better than coming in on a Friday morning anticipating everyone on the team is going to head to the park for a picnic. Or, that an Escape Room has been booked after lunch for the team, who will compete for bragging rights to the fastest escape time. It doesn’t matter what the outing is. What’s important is that everyone gets out of the office for some sort of food and teambuilding, and blows off a little steam. 
• Public Recognition - People love to see their name (and project) in lights, another way that celebrates project success. At the next company meeting, you could make sure the project and its team members are called out for their success. Have them stand up in the room–or better yet–come up on stage when the project sponsor is talking about how this project is bringing value to the business and bottom line. An email could be sent to the company listing all the team members and their contributions. If you have digital signage in your office, be sure to light it up by congratulating the team on a job well done. 
• Personalized Gifts - This one is a bit more work, but makes a lasting impression that project team members will literally carry with them for years. Search the internet for thoughtful gift ideas that can be personalized with someone’s name and their contribution to the project. Or, it could be the same gift for everyone, but accompanied by a heartfelt and personalized card of appreciation for each team member. Engraved pens or desk accessories, team photo frames, or shirts with the project name or logo make great gifts. They’ll be reminded for years to come of the good times they had on this project and the difference they made. 
• Special Rewards or Bonuses - Finally, you can never go wrong by hitting someone in their pocketbook. A financial award will always be appreciated, such as a bonus or gift card. Or, if someone performed exceptionally well, a promotion may be in order, along with a bump in pay. 

Be creative with whatever you come up with. For example, one of The PMO Squad’s earliest clients had a tradition of passing along a small monkey on a surfboard (The Surf Monkey) from teammate to teammate each week. The ritual consisted of highlighting the special contribution that person made to the team, and handing over the rights to show off The Surf Monkey for the next 7 days. The tradition lasted for years and was a great motivator for the team. 

There are so many more ideas out there, but if you can’t come up with something, go back to Kool and the Gang and join the “party going on right here, a celebration, to last throughout the years!”