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Project closure
 A project must be administratively closed once its
product is successfully delivered to the customer.

 A failed project must also be administratively

closed.

 A deadlocked project (drastic change of focus,

support, personnel, executive decision, etc.) must
be administratively closed.

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 Project closure

 Three broad activities are carried out at the

closing stage of the project:

Administrative closure of
contracts and accounts

Performance appraisal
and evaluation

Project audit

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 1. Administrative closure

 Following activities must be address in the

project closure plan:
 Identifying tasks necessary to close the
project
 Assigning individuals to carry out closure
tasks
 Monitoring implementation
 Ending closure process

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 2. Performance appraisal and
evaluvation
 Objectives:
 To evaluate contribution that individuals
make to the project success
 To provide feedback to the individual
regarding career development
 Most organizations have established
standards for performance appraisal

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 Performance appraisal
 In appraising an individual consider
 Innovation and creativity
 Responsiveness
 Team work
 Customer relations
 Learning and adaptability
 Triple constraints (time, cost, focus)
 Value added contribution to the project
 One-on-one conference with individual team
members
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Project performance evaluations
 Reasons for Poor-Quality Project Performance
Evaluations:
• Evaluations of individuals are still left to
supervisors of the team member’s home
department.
• Typical measures of team performance center
on time, cost, and specifications.

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Project performance evaluation: Team based
 Are standards and goals for measuring performance
Clear, challenging, and attainable?
 Are responsibilities and performance standards known by
all team members?
 Are team rewards adequate? Management believes teams
are important?
 Is there a career path for successful project managers
 Does the team have discretionary authority to manage
short-term difficulties?
 Is there a high level of trust within the organization
culture?
 Are there criteria beyond time, cost, and specifications?
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Sample Team Evaluation and
Feedback Survey :

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Project performance evaluation:
Individual based
 Responsibility for assessing performance
 Functional organization or functional matrix: the
individual’s area manager.
 The area manager may solicit the project manager’s
opinion of the individual’s performance on a specific
project.
 Balanced matrix: the project manager and the area
manager jointly evaluate an individual’s performance.
 Project matrix and project organizations: the project
manager is responsible for appraising individual
performance. 10
Project performance evaluation:
individual based
 Multi rater appraisal or the “360-degree
feedback
 Involves soliciting feedback concerning team
members’ performance from all the people
their work affects.
 This includes project managers, area
managers, peers, subordinates, and even
customers.

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 Project Audit
 Project audit is done during and after projects
are complete. The outcome of project audit is a
report that suggests:
1. Are we doing the right thing (at each milestone)?
Did we do the right thing (for completed
projects)?
1. Are we doing it right (at each milestone)? Did we
do it right (for completed projects)?
2. The lessons learned? What adjustments are
necessary?
3. Lessons from successes? From failures?
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 Project Audit
 Auditing a project is not about:
 Finger pointing
 Who did what wrong?
 Judging
 Punishment
 Auditing a project is about:
 Project success issues
 Prevention
 Learning from mistakes
 Continuous improvement

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 Project Audit
 For an on-going project, audit helps to decide:
 Are we making adequate progress? Can
performance be improved?
 Have organizational priorities changed
affecting project priorities? Is closure
necessary now?
 Are stakeholders and top management still
supportive of the project?
 Is the project team functioning as expected?
 Are there significant issues of internal,
external, morale, and the like that impact
project outcome?
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 Project Audit
 For a completed project, audit helps to decide:
 Did the project meet customer satisfaction?
 What are the lessons learned for future
projects?
 Leadership lessons?
 Team interaction lessons?
 Organizational lessons?
 Top management support?
 External entities, vendors?
 Group performance measures

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Project closure checklist

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Types of project audits :

 In-process project audits :

Allows for corrective changes if conditions have
changed and for concentration on project
progress and performance.

 Post project audits :

Take a broader and longer-term view of the
project’s role in the organization and emphasize
improving the management of future projects.
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Conducting a project audit

• Initiation and staffing

step1

• Data collection and

Step 2 analysis

• Reporting
Step 3

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 Step1: Initiation and staffing
Characteristics of audit leaders

1. Respect (perceived as impartial and fair) of senior

management and other project stakeholders.
2. Willingness to listen.
3. Independence and authority to report audit results
without fear of recriminations from special interests.
4. Perceived as having the best interests of the
organization in making decisions.
5. Broad-based experience in the organization or
industry.

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Step 2: data collection and analysis
Organization View

 Was the organizational culture supportive and correct?

 Was senior management’s support adequate?
 Did the project accomplish its intended purpose?
 Were risks appropriately identified and assessed
 Were the right people and talents assigned?
 What does evaluation from contractors suggest?
 Were the project start-up and hand-off successful ?
 Is the customer satisfied?

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Step 2: data collection and analysis
Project Team View

 Were the project planning and control systems

appropriate for this type of project?
 Should all similar projects use these systems?
 Did the project conform to plan for budget and
schedule?
 Were interfaces with stakeholders effective?
 Have staff been fairly assigned to new projects?
 Did the team have adequate resources?
 Were there resource conflicts?
 Was the team managed well?
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 What does evaluation from contractors suggest?
 Step 3: Reporting
 Executive Summary :  Recommendations :
 Project goals met/unmet  Technical
 Stakeholder satisfaction improvements
with project  Corrective actions
 User reactions to quality
of deliverables
 Lessons Learned :
 Reminders
 Analysis :
 Retrospectives
 Project mission and
objective
 Procedures and  Appendix :
systems used  Backup data
 Organization resources  Critical information
used
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 Project Closure
 Conditions for Closure :  Close-out Plan:
 Normal  Questions to be Asked
 Premature  What tasks are required

 Perpetual
to close the project?
 Who will be responsible
 Failed Project
for these tasks?
 Changed Priority
 When will closure begin
and end?
 How will the project be
delivered?