Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Project Closure
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All
rights reserved.
Where We Are Now
14–2
Major Tasks of Project Closure
1. Evaluate if the project delivered the
expected benefits to all stakeholders.
• Was the project managed well?
• Was the customer satisfied?
2. Assess what was done wrong and
what contributed to successes.
3. Identify changes to improve
the delivery of future projects.
14–3
Project Monitoring Activities
• A review of why the project was selected.
• A reassessment of the project’s role
in the organization’s priorities.
• A check on the organizational culture to ensure it
facilitates the type of project being implemented.
• An assessment of how well the project team is
functioning well and if its is appropriately staffed.
• A check on external factors that might change
where the project is heading or its importance.
• A review of all factors relevant to the project
and to managing future projects.
14–4
Project Closure and Review Deliverables
FIGURE 14.1
14–5
Project Closure
• Types of Project Closure • Close-out Plan:
– Normal Questions to be Asked
– Premature – What tasks are required
to close the project?
– Perpetual
– Who will be responsible
– Failed Project
for these tasks?
– Changed Priority
– When will closure begin
and end?
– How will the project be
delivered?
14–6
Wrap-up Closure Checklist
TABLE 14.1
14–7
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.
14–8
Creating the Final Report
14–9
Project Performance Evaluations
• Reasons for Poor-Quality Project
Performance Evaluations:
–Evaluations of individuals are left to
supervisors of the team member’s
home department.
–Typically measure team performance only
on time, cost, and specifications.
14–10
Pre-Implementation Conditions: Team
14–11
Sample Team Evaluation and Feedback Survey
TABLE 14.2
14–12
Project Performance Evaluation: Individual
• Performance Assessment Responsibilities:
–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.
14–13
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 behaviors 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.
14–14
Individual Performance Assessment
• Multirater 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.
14–15
Retrospectives
• Lessons Learned
–An analysis carried out during and shortly after the
project life cycle to capture positive and negative
project learning—“what worked and what didn’t?”
• Goals of Retrospectives
–To reuse learned solutions
–To stop repetitive mistakes
14–16
Retrospectives (cont’d)
• Barriers to Organizational Learning
–Lack of post-project time for developing lessons
–No post-project direction or support for teams
–Lessons become blame sessions
–Lessons are not applied in other locations
–Organizational culture does not recognize
value of learning
14–17
The Value of Retrospective Analyses
• Making Retrospectives Effective:
–Use an independent facilitator to guide the project
team through the analysis project activities.
–Include a minimum of three in-process learning gates
during the life project cycle.
–Designate a team member as owner for each point in
the retrospective.
–Develop an easy-to-use learning repository to ensure
future utilization of retrospective lessons.
–Mandate use of retrospectives as part of the normal
process for all projects.
14–18
Characteristics of a Facilitator
1. No direct involvement or direct interest in the project.
2. Perceived as impartial and fair
3. Respect of senior management and other project
stakeholders.
4. Willingness to listen.
5. Independence and authority to report results without
fear of recriminations from special interests.
6. Perceived as having the best interests of the
organization in making decisions.
7. Broad-based experience in the organization or
industry.
14–19
Initiating the Retrospective Review
• Have automatic times or points when reviews will
take place. Avoid surprises.
• Conduct reviews carefully and with sensitivity
• Review staff must independent from the project.
• Review reports need to be used and accessible.
• Reviews support organizational culture
• Project closures should be planned and orderly.
• Certain “core conditions” must be in place to support
team and individual evaluation.
• Conduct individual and team evaluations separate
from pay or merit reviews.
14–20
The Retrospectives Process
FIGURE 14.2
14–21
Conducting a Retrospective Analysis
14–22
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. TABLE 14.3
14–23
Organizational Culture Review Questionnaire
14–24
Archiving Retrospectives
• Classifying of Projects:
– Project type
– Size
– Staffing
– Technology level
– Strategic or support
– Issues and problems
– Project mission and objectives
– Procedures and systems used
– Organization resources used
14–25
Key Terms
Lessons learned
Organization evaluation
Performance review
Project closure
Project evaluation
Project facilitator
Retrospective
Team evaluation
360-degree review
14–26
Appendix 14.1
Project Closeout
Checklist
Project Closeout
Checklist
14–28
Appendix 14.2
Euro Conversion—
Project Closure
Checklist
Euro Conversion—
Project Closure
Checklist
14–30