Closing a Project

The purpose of the Closing a Project process is to provide a fixed point to check that the project has reached its objectives and that the products have been accepted.

Objective

The objectives of the Closing a Project process are to:

• Verify user acceptance of the project’s products.
• Ensure that products can be supported after the project is disbanded.
• Review the performance of the project. This is done by comparing the project to the baselined documents.
• Assess the benefits already realized and plan review of benefits that will be realized after the project is complete.
• Address open issues and risks with a follow-up on action recommendations.

This information is then given to the Project Board , as it is the Project Board that closes the project; the Project Manager only prepares the project for closure. As you can guess, it is the Project Manager that does all the activities in the Closing a Project process.

Context

Projects can be closed naturally when all the work has been done, or the Project Board can request a Premature Close. Closing a Project process is the last part of the last stage of the project.

The project should have a clear end with a correct handover of information and responsibility. A clear end to the project means the following:

• Check that the original objectives have been met.
• Transfer ownership of products to the customer.
• Identify all unachieved objectives so that they can be addressed in the future.
• Disband the project team and make certain that costs can no longer be incurred by the project.
• The Project Manager prepares for the project to be closed and provides the necessary information to the Project Board. It is the Project Board that then makes the decision to close the project. In fact, they call it “Authorize Project Closure.”

Activities

There are 5 activities in the Closing a Project process for the Project Manager and they are:

• Preparing planned closure: Confirming the completion and acceptance of products.
• Preparing premature closure: Done instead of the “Prepare planned closure” if requested by the Project Board.
• Handover of products: Hand over products to customer, as described in the Change Control Approach document.
• Evaluating the project: Compare the project objectives with the actuals and write the End Project Report.
• Recommending project closure: Send a notification to the Project Board to close the project.

Inputs

There are two triggers for the Closing a Project process: a natural close towards the end of the project and a premature close, which comes from the Project Board. All other input documents are used, as the Project Manager wants to create an End Project Report and prepare the project for closure.

Outputs

• Lessons Report
  • This information will come from the Lessons Log.
  • These lessons will be valuable to future projects and are given to the Project Board.
• Follow-on Action Recommendations
  • These are comments that are given to the persons who will support the products.
  • The information comes from the Issue Log (outstanding comments, requests, etc.).
• Updated Configuration Item Record
  • Make sure the all product CIR documents are up to date.
  • Draft Closure Notification:
  • This is prepared by the Project Manager for the Project Board.
  • The Project Board will use this to notify stakeholders that the project is closed.
• Updated Benefits Management Approach
  • The Project Manager updates the plan to plan the Benefits reviews that should take place after the project is closed. Corporate or Programme Management will follow up on this Benefits Review.
• End Project Report
  • This is a report on the performance of the project.
  • The Project Manager will use the Project Plan, Business Case and most other information in the baselined Project Initiation Documentation to create this End Project Report.
• Request to the Project Board
  • Finally the Project Manager will send a Closure recommendation to the Project Board.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Project Manager
  • Create or update all CP Management Products, including End Project Report, Lessons Report, and Benefits Management Approach
• Project Support
  • Assist the Project Manager (Configuration Item Records, all records, etc.)