Project Closure and

Handover

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 Project Closure is more than a
milestone… it is a process with
deliverables, to successfully conclude
the project.

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 This phase is about residual attitudes
toward the project
 Client, stakeholders participants
 ‘taste left in the mouth’
 Lessons about:
- what worked
- what did not work
- how to improve
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 Project Closure
 Types of Project  Close-out Plan:
Questions to be
Closure Asked
• Normal • What tasks are
required to close the
• Premature project?
• Perpetual • Who will be
responsible for these
• Failed Project tasks?
• Changed Priority • When will closure
begin and end?
• How will the project be
delivered?

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14–5
 Implementing Closedown

1. Getting delivery acceptance from the

customer
2. Shutting down resources and releasing to
new uses
3. Reassigning project team members
4. Closing accounts and paying all bills
5. Evaluating the project team, project team
members, and the project manager
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14–6
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 Closure phase
 Projects enter a downward spiral
 Project Closure can be a time of mixed
feelings for the Project Team
 People stop engaging with it or taking an
active part.
 Worried about what the future will hold
 Eager to get on with the next project that
they leave things unfinished
 Elongating the project because they don't
want to leave
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Drift
 Tendency for projects to run on into the
sand
 Leaves everyone feeling dissatisfied and
unrewarded for the work

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 The exit strategy for project staff must be
clear so that they feel adequately
supported whether they are;
- going on to new projects
- returning to routine jobs
- leaving the organisation.
 Your aim is that they will feel satisfaction
at a job well done

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 Project Closure
Project closure ensures
 Outcomes match the stated goals of the

project.
 Customers and stakeholders are happy

with the results.

 Critical knowledge is captured.

 The team feels a sense of completion.

 Project resources are released for new

projects.

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 Closure of all financial issues, contracts,
etc.
 Collection and completion of all project
records
 Archiving of all project records
 Documenting the issues faced in the
Project and their resolution. This helps
other projects to plan for such type of
issues in the Project Initiation Phase itself.

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 Recording lessons learned
 Closure for the project team
 Celebration of the project completion

 Last part of the project lifecycle

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 Formally closed
To ensure:
 The users/customers have formally accepted
all outcomes
 Operational procedures are in place

 The handover to operational staff has been

completed
 Documentation and reference material is in
place
 Any further actions and recommendations
are documented and disseminated
 The results are disseminated to relevant
people
 There are no loose ends

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 It is important to ensure that a project is
properly closed
 There is a tendency for projects to drift on
and become, or develop into, other projects
 To ensure that the work of the project team
is acknowledged
 The lessons to be learned from the project
are formally investigated and recorded for
use on the next project

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 Hectic time
 Reporting is on a daily basis (or even
more frequent)
 High level of detail
 Checklists

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 The Project Manager should produce
confirmation from the
Customer/client or User Group that
the final product or outcome of the
project meets the acceptance criteria
 Inform the finance department to
ensure that they are aware that the
project is closed

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 Post Project Review
Required to check:
 outcomes are those expected

 projected benefits have occurred

 operational working is as planned

 costs are as expected

 review of what went well with the

project and what went less well

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 Include all aspects of the project;
objectives review, performance
criteria, financial criteria, resource
utilisation, slips and gains of time,
quality of work, adherence to the
project definition and plan
 Every aspect you can think of and the
ones that arise from a group
discussion
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 Allow the team time to reflect on and
prepare for the review
 Keep the meeting positive
 Do not dwell on negatives
 Ensure that the positive lessons are
brought out from each negative
event
 No blame
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 Project Process Review Questionnaire
1. Were the project objectives and strategic 10. Were communication methods
intent of the project clearly and explicitly appropriate and adequate among all
communicated? stakeholders? Explain.
2. Were the objectives and strategy in 11. Is the customer satisfied with the
alignment? project product?
3. Were the stakeholders identified and 12. Are the customers using the project
included in the planning? deliverables as intended? Are they
4. Were project resources adequate for this satisfied?
project? 13. Were the project objectives met?
5. Were people with the right skill sets 14. Are the stakeholders satisfied their
assigned to this project? strategic intents have been met?
6. Were time estimates reasonable and 15. Has the customer or sponsor accepted
achievable? a formal statement that the terms of the
7. Were the risks for the project project charter and scope have been
appropriately identified and assessed met?
before the project started? 16. Were schedule, budget, and scope
8. Were the processes and practices standards met?
appropriate for this type of project? 17. Is there any one important area that
Should projects of similar size and type needs to be reviewed and improved
use these systems? Why/why not? upon? Can you identify the cause?
9. Did outside contractors perform as
expected? Explain. 002402 - Project Closure 22
 Organisational Culture Review Questionnaire

1. Was the organisational culture supportive for this type of project?

2. Was senior management support adequate?
3. Were people with the right skills assigned to this project?
4. Did the project office help or hinder management of the project?
Explain.
5. Did the team have access to organisational resources (people,
funds, equipment)?
6. Was training for this project adequate? Explain.
7. Were lessons learned from earlier projects useful? Why? Where?
8. Did the project have a clear link to organisational objectives?
Explain.
9. Was project staff properly reassigned?
10. Was the Human Resources Office helpful in finding new
assignments? Comment.
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 Feedback questionnaire
 Prepare and distribute a detailed
questionnaire for feedback on the project
 2-3 weeks prior to initiating project
closure
 Collate the responses to your feedback
questionnaire.
 If necessary supplement the
questionnaires with interviews.

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 Lessons Learned
 Forms an integral part of the Project Closure
Phase
 Provides the basis to execute the next
projects with much more efficiency and
control.
 Did the delivered product / solution meet the
project requirements and objectives?
 Was the customer satisfied?
 Was project schedule met?
 Was the project completed within budget?
 Were the risks identified and mitigated?
 What could be done to improve the process?

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 Lessons Learned log
 Operated throughout the project
 Lessons Learned log needs to be reviewed
and turned into a report
 Ensure that the project's documentation is
complete and that it is archived in a
manner so that anyone needing to refer to
it can have access
 Identify and define any follow-on actions

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 Project Report
 To provide a complete picture of the
successes and failures (if any) of the
project. Include the following:
 Your objective evaluation of the success of
the project
 Outline the project accomplishments
 Include important project data – good or
bad
 Describe significant project changes and
their effect on the project
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 Describe issues requiring further
work and recommend participation
by team members
 Provide a final project accounting
and explain the variances
 Provide recommendations for future
projects

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Data mining

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 Data mining
The extraction of hidden predictive
information from large databases
 Data mining is the process of analysing data from
different sources and perspectives and
summarizing it into useful information
 Data mining software allows users to analyse data
from many different dimensions or angles,
categorise it, and summarise the relationships
identified
 Technically, data mining is the process of finding
correlations or patterns among dozens of fields in
large relational databases
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Data mining consists of five major
elements:
 Extract, transform, and load transaction
data onto the data warehouse system.
 Store and manage the data in a
multidimensional database system.
 Provide data access to analysts and
professionals.
 Analyse the data [by application software]
 Present the data in useful formats, such as
a graphs, tables, etc.

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 Closing event
 Always have a closing event to formally
round off the project.
 You should always invite the project
accountant and invoice clerk to the closing
event because they are always left out
(unless it’s a new accounting system
project) and you will need their support
for the next project

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 Make a public announcement
 An announcement to the organization is a
good way to highlight the success of the
team, the project and its benefits to the
company
 Arrange for an executive to send out an e-
mail message
 Publish an article in the company
newspaper

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 Recognise and reward
 Your team members have worked
hard, and now they deserve some
real recognition.
 As their project manager, you have
the best understanding of who pulled
the project out of each tight spot,
which members have transformed
themselves with new skills, and who
might be ready for a new level of
responsibility.
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 Evaluation
 Provide each team member with a
performance evaluation
 Highlight contributions the member
made
 Identify skills the member updated
 Recommend new roles the member
might be ready for
 Provide a copy of this document to
the member's employer/supervisor

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 Ensure that the evaluation reaches
all department leads as well as
human resources office

Note: feedback influences annual

evaluations, salary discussions, aid
team members' transitions to new
projects and new responsibilities.
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 Celebrate!
 The team needs and deserves a
celebration
 A team dinner, a team outing, gift
certificates, or other rewards are minor
costs that generate a large return in terms
of morale and job satisfaction.
 Even if its a wake for the project’s passing
 You are not rewarding failure, you are
rewarding effort
 Thank the group

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 Get the sponsor and other executive
stakeholders to make a personal thank-
you to the team
 Thank each team member personally
 Remind the sponsor and other executive
stakeholders of individual members'
contributions

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