End Gracefully

I like movies because I like projecting myself into the story. Stories have a beginning, middle and an end. Star Wars (one of my favorite movies) doesn't end when they destroy the Death Star, it ends in a ceremony where the heros are recognized for their efforts. For the same reason I like projects. They have a beginning, middle and end. I've always promoted that the key is to end gracefully.

"Project management is the discipline of organizing and managing resources (e.g. people) in a way that the project is completed within defined scope, quality, time and cost constraints." according to wikipedia.

Most project managers have been taught how to organize the tasks and build a team to complete them but few have learned how to gracefully end a project. They simply complete the job, get the sign off, have a party and go off to the next project.

Here is a quick assessment question. When you finish a project and have the obligatory party, does the client want you to leave or stay?

Ending gracefully is simply providing a service in a friendly and helpful way. "Added value" is the term used most frequently to describe this idea. Office politics is all about liking the people you work with and them liking you. If people don't like you then it does not matter how much immediate value you provide eventually, when you alienate the rest, no one will help you and you will fail.

Be nice and (try to) end each project gracefully.