Project closure is the final phase of any project. It is just as important as the other project phases of initiating, planning and monitoring. However, many companies do not pay sufficient attention to this phase whereas others just do not bother with it at all.
Project closure involves preparing a complete and comprehensive project file that forms a history of the project. This file can be used as historical input for future projects. Due to the amount of documentation and data entry required, it is often overlooked.
A project can be terminated two (2) ways, naturally and unnaturally. Natural project closure occurs when the project requirements have all been met. Unnatural project closure occurs when performance is inadequate, the project's requirements have changed or some assumptions are proven to be false and are no longer valid, The most frequent causes of unnatural closure are insufficient time and inadequate project funding.
Benefits of Complete Project Closure
There are many benefits that are derived from closing the project properly. It improves the morale and confidence of the project team. The team members feel a sense of achievement. Therefore, performance on future projects can improve.
Customer satisfaction is also increased. The company receives experience in controlling project costs. Staff members can learn from the project's lessons and they will be able to continually improve the company's processes.
Activity Checklist for Terminating a Project
Project closure must be recognized and documented. For the best possible project closure, the project team must perform the following activities:
- Closeout begins on the first day of the planning phase;
- Review outstanding work packages or activities;
- Confirm that resources are still available to perform any remaining work;
- Review change control log to identify any outstanding change requests;
- Check with sales and marketing to identify any outstanding items with the customers; and
- Prepare all project documentation for a post-project review.
There are also certain activities which the (overall) company must perform. They are:
- Identify and release available resources;
- Notify the transition team of the upcoming turnover;
- Prepare any necessary performance evaluations; and
- Notify the accounting section and conduct internal review processes.
Even the customers must perform certain activities as well. They need to prepare all their documentation showing that they have accepted the product or service created by the project. They must ensure that all their assets are returned. Also, the customer should provide the company (or project team) with their original signatures.
When completed, project closure verifies that all the other phases and defined processes are completed and the project is no longer active.
Sources
Lewis, James P. "Project Planning, Scheduling and Control". The McGraw Hill Companies, Inc., 2001
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