Project Complete? Submit It for Recognition!
Project work is the foundation of everything we do in Northwestern IT, from implementing an enterprise system to enhancing our data center cooling capabilities to improving security elements that protect critical data. Our project work is collaborative and impactful and worthy of recognition through Northwestern IT’s Project Team Excellence Award process.
We connected recently with Mike Dice, learning engineer lead in Teaching and Learning Technologies and current chair of the Project Team Excellence Award committee, to discuss the award and what he’d like to share with his colleagues across Northwestern IT.
“First, I want to share that we’re looking for more submissions,” said Dice. “We’re nearing the end of the vetting process for the final FY23 quarterly submissions, but as a committee, we’d really like to see more projects submitted for the FY24 cycle. We know there are many out there worthy of consideration. If you were part of a significant project you think went above and beyond, please mention it to your project manager.”
What is the Project Team Excellence Award?
Northwestern IT offers a quarterly and annual Project Team Excellence Award (PTEA) to recognize project teams comprised of cross-unit participation and highly successful in implementing significant projects.
The quarterly award recognizes project teams based on several criteria, including:
- Collaboration: Working with units inside IT, outside of IT, and outside Northwestern
- Impact: Displaying significant impact on the Northwestern community
- Fulfillment: Achieving a high level of satisfaction amongst the project team members and customers
- Product/Service: Creating an innovative product or service that is secure, reliable, and highly effective
When to Submit the Quarterly Nomination
Nominations are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year. However, the best time to submit a nomination is at the project’s close.
“We really encourage all project managers to consider nominating their project at the close of the effort, but we’ll still accept nominations up to six months from the project’s completion,” said Dice. “We know thinking about nominating a project after a lengthy effort can seem overwhelming, so we work to make the process as efficient—and painless—as possible.”
The submission form is available on the Inside IT site. Dice also added that before submitting, project managers are encouraged to review the prescribed matrix to ensure the effort can reach the 7.75 threshold to receive the award.
We also hope that project team members help in the nomination process to ensure the work is considered for recognition”
Learning Engineer Lead in Teaching and Learning Technologies
Chair of the Project Team Excellence Award Committee
A committee representative will notify project leads directly about the nomination’s status. Quarterly winners are then announced at the next Extended Staff Meeting and are eligible to be considered for the Annual Project Team Excellence Award. The annual award is then determined by the IT Senior Leadership Team—which carefully considers each quarterly awardee for the fiscal year—and is announced at the first Extended Staff Meeting of the calendar year.
To learn more about the Project Team Excellence Award, the nomination process, the committee, or past winners, please visit the award’s page on Inside IT. You can also reach out to Mike Dice directly at michael.jr@northwestern.edu.