Closing Out the Project

The Project Life Cycle

Initiation

Planning

Implementati on

Closeout

The Project Life Cycle

Close out Phase Provides the customer with all project information Recognize, reward project team members Terminate outstanding purchase orders from subcontractors Prepare final payment Prepare final cost and schedule reports Document lesson learned Celebrate project successes

Closing out a Project

The process for finalizing all activities across all phases

of the project process groups is needed to formally close out all projects-even those that end prematurely or that are otherwise incomplete

Outline Characteristics of Project Closing Common

Project Ending Types
Contract Closeout Process Administrative Closure Process Releasing Project Team

Common Characteristics of Project Closing

How do you know a project is completed

successfully?

During Closing process stakeholders acceptance is

documented though the formal sign-off When it meets or exceeds stakeholders expectations

Common Characteristics during Closing Process

Probability of completion is highest Probability of risk is lowest Stakeholders have the least amount of influence

during Closing Cost is significantly lower during Closing

Project Ending Types

Reasons for project ending: Completed successfully Cancelled or killed prior to completion evolved into an ongoing operations Starvation When resources are cut off from the project or are no longer provided to the project Starved prior to completion for several reasons: Other projects take precedence over existing one, Project budget is reduced Key resource quits Integration Occur when project resourcespeople, equipment, supplies are distributed to other areas or assigned to other projects Different from Starvation because resources are not Cut off but reassigned or redeployed Extinction Best kind of project ending Means project ended and been accepted by stakeholdersgoal of the project has been achieved

Contact Closeout ProcessInputs & Tools

Concerned with completing and settling the terms of the contract Also called Product Verification Determines if the contract work was completed accurately and

satisfactorily Product documentation is verified and accepted during the Scope Verification Process Contract Closeout updates records and archives the information for future reference Inputs
Contract Documentation include

Contract itself and supporting documents May also include WBS, Schedule, Change control documents, financial & payments records, quality control inspection resultsetc.

Contact Closeout ProcessOutputs

Contract Acceptance and Closure Contract Closure is to provide formal notice to the seller in writing that the contract is complete Project Manager is responsible for documenting the formal acceptance of contract Project Manager should inform Procurement department of project completion Contract File All contract records and supporting documents indexed for easy reference

Administrative Closure process Outputs

Contract |Closure Make sure all contracts have been satisfied and vendors have been paid Collect and have available for review product/system documentation contract documentation and other project records Archive contract documentation Administrative Closure Prepare project and contract closeout documentation - lessons learned - final project report Archive project documentation

Project Closeout Issues-Project Team

Loss of interest in remaining tasks
Fear of no future work Loss of project-derived motivation

Diversion of effort

Releasing Project Team

Project manager should inform functional managers ahead of project closure to allow for adequate planning for return of employees

A celebration of project conclusion is a good practice to encourage team members remember lessons learned and how to benefit from their experiences for future projects

Guidelines for project Closeout

Ensure that the project Closeout phase is formally

acknowledged on the project schedule Prepare a detailed closeout plan Continue to preserve the teams identify by stressing the importance of its efforts Continue to conduct periodic status meetings until all project activities have been completed Visit remote sites if the project team is physically dispersed

Guidelines for project Closeout (cont.)

Provide performance feedback to functional managers

for all team members Schedule a formal closeout review Review and document lessons learned to help improve performance on future projects Prepare a final project report and communicate it to stakeholders Celebrate success