Project Closure

Lesson Learning Outcomes

 At the conclusion of this lesson, the student

should be able to:
 Understand the need to carry out project closure.
 Describe the activities undertaken during project
closure.
 Elaborate the outputs of a project closure.
LO - Project Closure Phase

 Project Closure Phase is the last phase of the

Project Life Cycle.

 The commencement of the Project Closure

Phase is determined by the completion of all
Project Objectives and acceptance of the end
product by the customer.
LO - Project closure

 Project closure involves releasing the final

deliverables to the customer, handing over
project documentation to the business,
terminating supplier contracts, releasing project
resources and communicating the closure of the
project to all stakeholders.

 The last remaining step is to undertake a post

implementation review to quantify the level of
project success and identify any lessons learnt
for future projects
Project End, Extension,
Expansion?
Project closure activities

Perform Review
Project Project
Closure Completion
Role of the Project Manager during
Closure
1. Verify your project scope and stakeholder
acceptance
2. Formally terminate activities of the project
3. Close project finances, administration and
contracts
4. Articulate and complete a handover strategy
5. Report to donors
6. Promote learning
Planning for project
closure
 The following closure issues should be addressed
as you initially define and structure your project:
 Acceptance Criteria
 Should define the form and function of specific project
deliverables, establishing end-user expectations and
requirements, and forming the basis by which project
deliverables are accepted or rejected.
 Without acceptance criteria, true project closure cannot
be obtained, as there may be no specific measurement
for completion.
Planning for project
closure
 Closure Kick-off (timing of closure activities)
 Typically, project closure activities should begin
when project deliverables are near completion.
 Overall, the goal is to ensure that valuable time is
not wasted. 
 Once a project nears completion, transition should
begin immediately in order to maintain momentum
and to ensure that sufficient resources are available
to move on to the next project. 
Planning for project
closure
 Transition Needs
 As you plan closure activities, you should consider
specific transition requirements.
 Typically, transition activities relate to the status of
project deliverables. When a deliverable is under
development, the project team is in control.
 Once a deliverable is ready for production, ownership
must be transitioned to end-users and operations staff so
that the deliverable can be used and maintained.
 Turnover planning can involve end-user training,
operations training and the preparation of procedural
and technical documentation
Planning for project
closure
 Resources, Roles and Responsibilities
 As project closure is planned, resource requirements,
including roles and responsibilities must be considered.
For ex:
 What types of resources will be required for project closure
activities (considering activity requirements, tasks, skills and
responsibilities)? 
 Who will be involved in the closure process (including
management and end-users)?  
 As the project draws to a close, how will project team
members be reassigned to other projects?  
 Who will be involved in the post project review process (to
analyze project results and performance)?
Planning for project
closure
 Communication
 Communication is essential to smooth project
closure and transition. In order to ensure that all
parties are informed and in synch with closure
activities, you will need to take appropriate steps to
keep information flowing as needed, and on a timely
basis. For ex:
 Will you have closure planning meetings (how many
and how often)?  
 What types of documentation will be required to
ensure effective project closure? 
Perform project closure

 Project closure, or 'close out', essentially involves

winding up the project. This includes:
 Determining whether all of the project completion
criteria have been met;
 Identifying any outstanding project activities, risks or
issues;
 Handing over all project deliverables and
documentation to the customer;
 Canceling supplier contracts and releasing project
resources to the business;
 Communicating the closure of the project to all
stakeholders and interested parties.
LO- Activities of project
closure
 commissioning
 Start up and trial
 Main objectives of commissioning:
 Prove performance prediction
 To pass test and check
 To search for hazard
 Correction of design
 Personnel training
 Operation and maintenance of facility.
 Technical support required
Activities of project closure

 Issuing certificates
 Completion certificate has consequences,
responsibility changed to client.
 Remedial works start
Activities of project closure
 Preparing documentation
 Maintenance manual
 To tell the client on maintenance operation.
 Record drawing
 As built drawing, changes, variations, etc.
 Purchased equipment records
 Vendor should provide technical back up.
 Technical specification, test certificate, operation manual.
 Correspondence
 Proper storage of legal correspondence.
Activities of project closure
 Finalising financial matters
 Final certificate is issued.
 Independent contractors are being paid.
 Project team report
 List the difficulties.
 Lesson learned for future
 Disposal of staff (Redeployment)
 Handling personnel
 Ensure staffs are motivated
 Keep staff fully informed.
Perform project closure

 A project closure report is documented and

submitted to the customer and/or project
sponsor for approval. The project manager is
responsible for undertaking each of the activities
identified in the project closure report, and the
project is closed only when all the activities listed
in the project closure report have been
completed.
Review project completion

 Following the closure of any project, you should

always review its overall success by undertaking
a Post Implementation Review. This review helps
you to determine whether the project delivered
the business benefits, met the customer's
requirements and remained within scope and
budget.
Review project completion
 To determine how well it performed, the
following types of questions are answered:
 Did the delivered product / solution meet the project
requirements and objectives?
 Was the customer satisfied?
 Was Project Schedule Met?
 Was the Project completed within Budgeted Cost?
 Were the risks identified and mitigated?
 What could be done to improve the process?
LO - Project Closure Benefits

 The outputs from Project Closure Phase

provides as a stepping stone to execute the
next projects with much more efficiency and
control.