Elizabeth HarrinDirector| RebelsGuideToPM.comLondon, England, United Kingdom
This month we draw to a close a long programme of work, that some of my team have worked on for about 4 years. Multiple projects have been delivered and the programme is widely considered a success.
At the end of the month we have a lunch for the team members plus our project sponsor. I would like to do something at this lunch to mark the fact that it is the end of a long piece of work and that we are celebrating success. In other words, we have been out for lunch as a group before, not least a couple of weeks ago for Christmas. How can I make this lunch special?
Last year at our half-year review point I contacted all our key suppliers and asked them to contribute promotional items, and at the lunch I gave each team member a gift bag with a promotional umbrella, pens, lanyard and other free things that suppliers had provided. I can't do that again. I also only have 3 weeks to get it sorted!
I thought about doing a quiz.
Ideas need to be free or very cheap and something I can sort out easily in the next few weeks. What have you done to mark the end of a project? Any ideas that I can use for my team?
They got goodies, and lunch! my suggestion is not free nor is it too cheap, the London Eye! will be great, it is different and an experience to remember, they are worth it ! Saving Changes...
Alan CaseySenior Project Manager| Ford Motor Credit CompanyDewitt, Mi, United States
One item I have received at project closeout - and appreciated very much - is a letter of comendation or Certificate of Appreciation. For one large State Government project, we had the State's CEO sign a certificate of appreciation for everyone who played a significant role in the project (about 60 people).
In my experience people really appreciate something that thay can hang on the wall and share with prospective clients or employers.
Letters are cheap, and a high level executive will appreciate the chance to reward your team for their successful project.
Alan Saving Changes...
Sunando ChaudhuriDirector - PMO & Governance| ModonDist: Burdwan, West Bengal, India
After London eye to the Shakespere's Globe before dinner. or bowling!!! That should do it :-) of course some cost involved. I think a small goody bag would be the best and chepest option with the project name highlighted somewhere.(but you have already done that)..even a simple thing like an ID tag with the project name would be good...real cheap.
Individual gifts would be better, I mean the person's name mentioned along with the project...or a project team picture on a coffee mug or something like that.
I like the Quiz idea with some gifts to winners. I have done that in the past and people really enjoyed it. The quiz was based on the project (like number of resources who have worked on the project, how many man-days, some key deliverables etc.) I have found people getting throughly engaged in such a discussion and providing a few stories which most of the team are unaware of.
Another thing that has worked very well with me isover lunch people need to say a couple of things about somebody else that most people don;t know. I know this is more a team building idea but it will keep the group engaged. Other option is you can read out some real good things the members have delivered in the project naming the individuals. Saving Changes...
Elizabeth HarrinDirector| RebelsGuideToPM.comLondon, England, United Kingdom
All excellent suggestions, thank you! I would love to go to the Globe but I'm not sure that would go down so well with everyone else. Besides, the season hasn't started yet - it is still winter so there are no plays. Maybe later in the year!
I will look into the London Eye, and if I do a quiz I'll have to sort out a prize - thanks for the reminder! I have to say that a certificate of appreciation might not work, but I do have another idea along those lines (thanks for prompting that thought, Alan) that might be more appreciated.
Any other ideas out there? I still have two weeks to get sorted! Saving Changes...
Taralyn Frasqueri-MolinaSenior Project Manager| Independent ContractorPasadena, Ca, United States
- How about things centered around the #4 since that was how long the project was.
- Create a "thank you card sized" photo collage in the shape of a #4 for each crew member. Pictures can be of your team. When you make the first collage, scan it and print it out on good hard paper - one for each crew member. Write a personal thank you inside. You could also just make a large sized photo collage in the shape of a #4 if you have too many crew members.
- Even easier, take the #4 cards out of a few decks ofplaying cards and glue those to the front of some hard stock paper. Turn that into a thank you card.
- Give each person 4 small tokens of appreciation that are specific to how they helped the team.
- Buy some designer cupcakes, some #4 candles, and present each team member with their own #4 cupcake.
Saving Changes...
David MorganProject Manager| Experian PLCGrantham, United Kingdom
Another alternative to the london eye could be a dinner on a Thames river cruise boat. Something different enough to be memorable?
Also, given the availability of video recording these days, how about getting everyone to record a few words about the project - both team members and ask the key stakeholders. Then get all the segments spliced together onto a DVD and hand out at the dinner as a gift to everyone. Not only would that allow the stakeholders to show their appreciation but would also provide something that team members would doubtless treasure for years - especially as so many folk move jobs these days, having a video of all their colleagues/bosses would be good to look back on.
Alternatively, take them down to the dog track and ply them with free booze. Depends on the characters in your team :) Saving Changes...
Mick GavinPMO Co-Ordinator| NHS PensionsFleetwood, United Kingdom
People often use the phrase 'Been there/Done that - Got the t-shirt'
So how about a project/programme themed t shirt
'I was part of the XYZ project - this is the t-shirt'
Not quite as catchy but in the same ball park cost wise is a coffee mug with the project name / logo.
I think it needs to be
a) unique iei not generic but branded with the project
b) retainable - meals/London Eye are one time time only use Saving Changes...
Elizabeth HarrinDirector| RebelsGuideToPM.comLondon, England, United Kingdom
These are all great ideas. We don't have a project logo though, so T-shirts or mugs etc are out. I don't quite know how we ended up doing all this work for so long without a catch project code name, slogan or logo.
I can't tell you yet what I am planning, inspired by all these ideas, in case they check! Saving Changes...
David MorganProject Manager| Experian PLCGrantham, United Kingdom
Do let us know after the event though! Saving Changes...
Mark Price PerryBusiness Driven PMO Evangelist| BOT InternationalOrlando, Fl, United States
Elizabeth, great post and comments. Just a quick thought.... You might not know this but gantthead now has a number of really cool t-shirts with different kinds of taglines taken from blockbuster movies and made relevant to all of us that are involved in projects. The idea is that based upon the design of the t-shirt (the artwork) and the tagline, you have to guess the movie.
For example, the t-shirt from the movie Jaws has the tagline "you're gonna need a bigger portfolio" and this tagline is just above the picture of the large shark. This is from the scene where the character played by Roy Schneider sees the shark for the first time and tells the captain, "you're gonna need a bigger boat."
I don't want to give the rest of the shirts away, but gantthead has a wide selection that include such quips as "I love the smell of process in the morning" taken from Apocalypse Now, "Make my deadline" from Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry, "Toto, I don't think we're in compliance anymore" taken from The Wizard of Oz, "There's no crying in project management" taken from that Tom Hank's baseball movie A League of Their Own, "Damn it Jim, I'm a project manager not a doctor" taken from Star Trek, "You had me at Justify" taken from the Tom Cruise movie called Jerry MaGuire. And in addition to these very funny t-shirts, gantthead has a number other project management related t-shirts that would suit the various personalities of just about any project team.
