8

Closing Process Group

The process in the Closing Process Group is shown in Table 8-1.

Table 8-1. Closing Process Group Process

The Closing Process Group consists of the process(es) performed to formally complete or close a project, phase, or contract. This Process Group verifies that the defined processes are completed within all Process Groups to close the project or phase, as appropriate, and formally establishes that the project or project phase is complete. The key benefit of this Process Group is that phases, projects, and contracts are closed out appropriately. While there is only one process in this Process Group, organizations may have their own processes associated with project, phase, or contract closure. Therefore, the term Process Group is maintained.

This Process Group may also address the early closure of the project, for example, aborted projects or canceled projects.

8.1 CLOSE PROJECT OR PHASE

Close Project or Phase is the process of finalizing all activities for the project, phase, or contract. The key benefits of this process are the project or phase information is archived, the planned work is completed, and organizational team resources are released to pursue new endeavors.

This process is performed once or at predefined points in the project. The inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs are shown in Figure 8-1. Figure 8-2 presents the data flow diagram for the process.

Note: This figure provides the inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs that may be used for this process. Descriptions for inputs and outputs appear in Section 9. Descriptions for tools and techniques appear in Section 10.

Figure 8-1. Close Project or Phase: Inputs, Tools & Techniques, and Outputs

Note: This figure provides the inputs and outputs that may be used for this process. Descriptions for inputs and outputs appear in Section 9.

Figure 8-2. Close Project or Phase: Data Flow Diagram

When closing a project, the project manager reviews the project management plan to ensure that all project work is completed and that the project has met its objectives. The activities necessary for the administrative closure of the project or phase include, but are not limited to:

▶Actions and activities necessary to satisfy completion or exit criteria for the phase or project, such as:

Make certain that all documents and deliverables are up to date and that all issues are resolved.

Confirm the delivery and formal acceptance of deliverables by the customer.

Ensure that all costs are charged to the project.

Close project accounts.

Reassign personnel.

Deal with the excess project material.

Reallocate project facilities, equipment, and other resources.

Elaborate the final project reports as required by organizational policies.

▶Activities related to the completion of the contractual agreements applicable to the project or project phase, such as:

Confirm the formal acceptance of the seller's work.

Finalize open claims.

Update records to reflect final results.

Archive such information for future use.

▶Activities needed to:

Collect project or phase records.

Audit project success or failure.

Manage knowledge sharing and transfer.

Identify lessons learned.

Archive project information for future use by the organization.

▶Actions and activities necessary to transfer the project's products, services, or results to the next phase or to production and/or operations.

▶Collection of suggestions for improving or updating the policies and procedures of the organization and sending them to the appropriate organizational unit.

▶Actions and activities to measure stakeholder satisfaction.

The Close Project or Phase process also establishes the procedures to investigate and document the reasons for actions taken when a project is terminated before completion. To successfully achieve this, the project manager needs to engage all of the proper stakeholders in the process.