Week 8: Project Closeout

Project Closeout
 Project Management

Define Plan Execute

Close Out
Major Goals of Project Closeout
1. Evaluate if the project delivered the expected benefits
to all stakeholders
• Was the customer satisfied?
• Was the project managed well?
2. Assess what was done wrong and what contributed to
success
3. Identify changes to improve the delivery of future
projects
Project Closeout Deliverables
• Wrap-up activities
• Customer
• Vendor
• Project Report
• Performance evaluations
• Team
• Individuals
• Project Manager
• Lessons learned retrospectives
• Archives/Repository
When is a Project Closed?
1. Normal: a completed project
2. Premature: early completion with reduced scope
3. Failed Project: terminated due to poor
performance
4. Changed Priority: eliminated due to shift in
strategy or resource allocation
Creating the Final Report
• Executive Summary • Recommendations
• Project goals met/unmet • Technical improvements
• Stakeholder satisfaction with • Corrective actions
project
• User reactions to quality of • Lessons Learned
deliverables • Reminders
• Action Plan
• Analysis
• Project mission and objective • Appendix
• Outcomes achieved • Backup data
• Procedures and systems used • Critical information
• Organization resources used
• Project management processes
Lessons Learned Retrospectives
• Captures positive and negative project learning—
“what worked and what didn’t?”
• Creates an action plan that ensures lessons learned
are used to improve management of future projects
• Goals
• To reuse learned solutions
• To prevent repeating mistakes
Sample Project Process Review Questionnaire
1. Were the project objectives and strategic intent 9. Did outside contractors perform as expected?
of the project clearly and explicitly Explain.
communicated? 10. Were communication methods appropriate
2. Were the objectives and strategy in alignment? and adequate among all stakeholders? Explain.
3. Were the stakeholders identified and included in 11. Is the customer satisfied with the project
the planning? product?
4. Were project resources adequate for this 12. Are the customers using the project
project? deliverables as intended? Are they satisfied?
5. Were people with the right skill sets assigned to 13. Were the project objectives met?
this project? 14. Are the stakeholders satisfied their strategic
6. Were time estimates reasonable and intents have been met?
achievable? 15. Has the customer or sponsor accepted a formal
7. Were the risks for the project appropriately statement that the terms of the project charter
identified and assessed before the project and scope have been met?
started? 16. Were schedule, budget, and scope standards
8. Were the processes and practices appropriate met?
for this type of project? Should projects of 17. Is there any one important area that needs to
similar size and type use these systems? be reviewed and improved upon? Can you
Why/why not? identify the cause?
Project Management: The Managerial Process, Gray & Larson, McGraw-Hill, 2011
Effective Lessons Learned Process
• Mandate use of lessons learned retrospective as part of the
normal process for all projects
• Include in-process learning/reflection points during the life
project cycle
• Conduct as promptly as reasonably possible at end of project
• Use an independent facilitator to guide the project team through
the analysis
• Ground rules: focus on outcomes and process, not people; no
blame
• Develop an easy-to-use learning repository to ensure future use
of lessons
Barriers to Learning from Projects
• Lack of post-project time for developing lessons
• No post-project direction or support for teams
• Debriefs become blame sessions
• Lessons are not applied in other settings
• Organizational culture does not recognize value of learning
Conducting Performance Reviews
• Begin by asking the individual to evaluate his or her own
performance.
• Avoid drawing comparisons with other team members;
rather, assess the individual in terms of established standards
and expectations.
• Focus criticism on specific examples of behavior rather than
on the individual personally.
• Be consistent and fair in treatment of all team members.
• Treat the review as one point in an ongoing process.
Individual Performance Assessment
• Multiple rater appraisal (360-degree feedback)
• Involves soliciting feedback concerning team
members’ performance from all of the people that
their work affects.
• Project managers, area managers, peers,
subordinates, and customers
• The objective is to identify areas for
individual improvement.
Implementing Closeout
1. Getting delivery acceptance
from the customer
2. Reassigning project team
members
3. Closing accounts and paying all
bills
4. Lessons learned retrospective
5. Creating final reports
6. Evaluating the project team,
project team members, and
the project manager