How to close a project

Project Closure
 At the end of the execution phase, all required
deliverables will have been constructed and accepted
by the customer as complete.
 The project should have achieved the objectives and
delivered the business benefits described in the
business case.

Characteristics of closing a project
 Normal The most common circumstance for project
closure is simply a completed project. The finish a project,
such as a building a new facility, is marked by the transfer
of ownership to the customer.
 Premature For a few projects, the project may be
completed early with some parts of the project eliminated.
For example, in a new product development project, a
marketing manager may insist on production models
before testing: Give the new product to me now, the way it
is. Early entry into the market will mean big profits! I know
we can sell a bazzillion of these. If we don’t do it now, the
opportunity is lost!

Characteristics of project closure
 Perpetual Some projects never seem to end. The
major characteristic of this kind of project is constant
“add-ons,” suggesting a poorly conceived project scope.
 At some point the review group should recommend
methods for bringing final closure to this type of
project or the initiation of another project.
 For example, adding a new feature to an old project
could replace a segment of a project that appears to be
perpetual.

 Failed Project Failed projects are usually easy to
identify and easy for a review group to close down.
 However, every effort should be made to
communicate the technical (or other) reasons for
termination of the project; in any event project
participants should not be left with an embarrassing
stigma of working on a project that failed.
 Many projects will fail because of circumstances
beyond the control of the project team

 Changed Priority Organizations’ priorities often
change and strategy shifts directions. For example,
during the 2008–10 financial crisis organizations
shifted their focus from money-making projects to
cost savings projects. Projects in process may need to
be altered or cancelled.
 Thus, a project may start with a high priority but see
its rank erode or crash during its project life cycle as
conditions change. When priorities change, projects in
process may need to be altered or cancelled.

Project Closing Activities
1. Getting delivery acceptance from the customer.
2. Conduct evaluation
3.Write a report
4. Celebrating

Customer Acceptance
 At this juncture it is the role of the project manager to
demonstrate that the deliverables meet the client
specifications
 In small projects this acceptance can be informal
and ceremonial or it can very formal, involving
extensive acceptance testing against client’s
specifications
 Formal acceptance occurs in projects for which you
and the client have written an acceptance test
procedure i.e. computer applications development.

Evaluation
 The evaluation is done in order to find out if the goals
of the project and activity achievement are according
to project plan, budget, time deadlines, quality of
deliverables, specifications and client satisfaction,

Why do projects fail to perform
proper project evaluation
 lack of time
 Managers do not want to pay the cost
 It is not a priority

Questions to be answered
 Was the project goal achieved?
 Does it do what the project team said it would do?
 Does it do what the client said it would do?
 Was the project work done on time, within budget,
and according to specification?
 Was the client satisfied with the project results?
 Was the business value realised? (check the success
criteria)

Questions
 What lessons were learned were learned about your
project management methodology?
 What worked and what didn’t ?

Writing a report
 The final report acts a memory or history of the
project.
 It is the file that others can check to study the progress
and impediments of the project.

Format of the report
 Executive Summary
 This summary simply highlights the key findings and facts relating to
the project implementation. For example, the project goals for the
customer were met, or not.
 Are stakeholders satisfied that their strategic intents have been met?
 What has been user reaction to quality of the deliverables?
 Are the project deliverables being used as intended and providing the
expected benefits?
 Final time, cost, and scope performances are listed.
 Any major problems encountered and addressed are noted.

 Review and Analysis
 Analysis examines in detail the underlying causes of
problems, issues, and successes.
 The analysis section includes brief, factual review
statements of the project—for example, project mission
and objectives, procedures and systems used, and
organizational resources used.
 Strength and weaknesses of the project processes

 Recommendations
 Usually, review recommendations represent major
improvement actions that should take place.
 They are often technical in nature and focus on
solutions to problems that surfaced.

 Lessons Learned
 Perhaps lessons learned are the most valuable
contribution of the closure process.
 Given the process evaluation and input from the
stakeholder meetings, lessons learned should be briefly
and clearly set out.

 The appendixes may include:
 backup data or details of analysis that would allow
others to follow up if they wished.

Celebrate completion of the
project
 It is recommended that there must be recognition for the
project team at the end of the project.
 Why
 You have brought new products to clients
 Friendships have developed
 Mentor relationships have been established
 Team members have grown professionally
 It’s a source of loyalty, motivation, and commitment in their
professional staff

How to close a project

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How to close a project