Overview

Essentially Closing a Project covers the Project Manager's work and responsibilities when a project comes to its natural or premature end. Confirmation of this process is required from the Project Board (DP5 Confirming Project Closure). Using the Project Initiation Document (PID) or Exception Plan all products outlined for delivery must be confirmed, and the Customer's acknowledgement that the Acceptance Criteria have been fulfilled.

The following should be include in the End Project Report:

• Delivery of products
• Acknowledgement of acceptance
• Follow-on Action Recommendations (including Project Issues that have yet to be addressed)
• A comparison of the Project Initiation Document to past events and existing products is included.

The Project Manager must also produce a Lessons Learned Report for any future projects to benefit from, and a Post Project Review Plan to evaluate post project benefits. Finally after project end approval by the Project Board all management documentation archiving should be arranged. So overall responsibility lies with the Project Manager.

Tips

• Maintenance and operational procedures may not be required if the product is for another project.
• Follow-on, maintenance and operational procedures many not be necessary if the product is intangible e.g. cultural change.
• Small projects may just require checking products have been delivered and accepted, recording follow on recommendations and storing the projects records for auditing.

Notes

• Produces an End Project Report and Lessons Learned Report
• Confirms operational and maintenance acceptance of products
• Ensures a clear end to a project
• Required because all projects are (and should be) finite
• Majority of the work is in gaining Project Board approval
• Closing a Project processes are done in parallel - they do not depend on each other
• Without a clear project closure there is a tendency to drift into operational management
• Provides an opportunity to take stock of achievements.

Case studies and examples

Related links

• Search our forum for 'CP Closing a Project'
• Take our CP - Closing a Project - Quiz
• DP Directing a Project.