The big day has arrived, the day on which your customer decides which of the competing bidders has won his new project. As the Project Manager, you may or may not be the first to hear the news. Customers work differently. Sometimes a member of the customers staff, or more than one, will whisper the news to his opposite number in the bidding company and sometimes full protocol will be observed, with a formal communication being sent from the customers Contracts Manager to your Commercial Manager. Either way, the Project Manager will be one of the first to hear the good news that your bid was considered to be the best and that the job now starts in earnest.
Bearing in mind that a large part of the Project Managers job is man management, one of your first duties should be to arrange a celebration for all the people who worked on the bid. This sign of appreciation will do wonders for staff morale and will ensure that you have a willing team. Depending on the value of the project, this celebration might be a beer in the pub or a full blown lunch. Dont forget to include everyone or this will have the opposite to the desired effect. When having your celebration, use the...