It is the project sponsor’s role to approve the closure of a project. However, if a project is to be closed part way through and other projects are affected (the project definition will define interproject interdependencies), approval may need to be given by a higher authority or agreed with other affected parties.
‘Yes, in the old days that was so, but we have changed all that.’
MOLIÈRE 1622–1673
The objective of project closure is to ensure that:
Closure is the formal ‘end-point’ of a project: this is either because it is completed or because it has been terminated. Termination may occur because the project is no longer viable or because the risks associated with it have become unacceptably high. The closure review should:
As far as the project sponsor is concerned, either the project has been completed and he/she can now expect to benefit from it, or the project has been terminated. In the latter case, this may be because the original business need no longer exists, but, if it does, the project sponsor will need to take action to address the unresolved business need which initiated the project in the first place.
There are three key steps to closing a project:
It is the project sponsor’s role to approve the closure of a project. However, if a project is to be closed part way through and other projects are affected (the project definition will define any project interdependencies) approval may need to be given by a higher authority or agreed with other affected parties.
When a project is to be closed, you, as project manager, should:
The purpose of the closure report is to record the reason for closure, the benefits the project is expected to achieve and any outstanding accountabilities which need to be handed over. It also documents any lessons learned regarding how the project was conducted and the efficacy of the supporting processes.
The project closure report should include the following sections:
An appendix should give the terms of reference for the Post-Implementation Review, if one is required.
1 Business objectives
Restate the business objectives as given in the Business Case, including any changes that have been approved since it was authorised (see p. 298). If there have been any major changes, state the reasons.
State the circumstances under which the project is being closed as one of the following:
If the latter is the case, describe the reasons for termination and indicate the current likelihood of resurrection.
3 Benefits measurement
Restate the tangible benefits (given in the Business Case; see p. 298) which the project will provide and how these will be measured, together with who will be accountable for measuring them. In addition:
4 Outstanding risks, issues and deliverables
List any issues or key deliverables not yet accepted. For each give:
5 Project efficiency
State the actual cost and resources consumed as well as the actual schedule achieved compared with the plan.
Referring to project efficiency and the project team’s experiences, (e.g. major issues encountered, changes of strategy) state what could have been done better:
7 Acknowledgments
Acknowledge all individuals who have made special contributions to the project.
The Post-Implementation Review (PIR) is designed to measure the benefits realised by the project against the conditions of satisfaction given in the Business Case (see also p. 298).
If a Post-Implementation Review is required, state:
You should invite key individuals to a meeting at which the project is formally approved for closure by the project sponsor. By drawing the group together, the project manager has an opportunity to:
The quality and sharing of feedback is always greater when done in a group than when conducted in isolation.
A suggested agenda for a closure meeting follows and is detailed in Figure 27.1:
The draft project closure report, which should be circulated prior to the meeting, provides the briefing for the attendees. This will be amended based on the discussions and feedback received at the meeting.
If the project is small or if the project sponsor and project manager do not believe a meeting will add value, formal closure should be agreed by the project sponsor after a review of the closure report by the relevant individuals.
Following approval to close the project from the project sponsor, the project manager should:
A full checklist is included in Project Workout 27.1.
Collecting the lessons learnt from each project and focusing on them at project closure will ensure those involved in the project are less likely to fall into the same traps twice. It will not, however, ensure no one else does! If your organisation as a whole is to benefit, you need to be able to make these lessons more widely available. In large organisations this can be problematic as the volume of information can be daunting. Don’t fall into the trap of just listing each lesson in a long document; no one will find anything. You must invest some time in making the lessons accessible and relevant. Think of a cookery book. It is not merely a set of recipes that the author has cooked over the past year. It is carefully divided up and indexed to make it as easy as possible for the reader to find what is needed. Your lessons learnt should be the same. Intranet capabilities are invaluable in helping you distribute the lessons.
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