Project Achievment Demonstrations

As the project nears the finish line, the project manager must keep the team focused on the project achievement demonstration that proves the specifications have been met. Often, team members tend to move toward a kind of “we did it; we know we did it; let someone else test it and prove it works” thinking. However, the demonstration is built into the project plan, and the project manager must ensure that the workers and other resources assigned to it are ready, and that the demonstration begins as scheduled.

The sponsor, or a chosen representative of the sponsor, must be present at the specification's demonstration to formally accept the project's completion and to sign off on the project. The project manager must ensure that the demonstration is efficiently and effectively presented and that the official is there and actually signs off on the formal acceptance of the project's completion. Remember, “If it isn't in writing, it hasn't been said.”