Close a Project
Purpose
Objective
Context
Activities
Prepare planned closure
Prepare Premature closure
Hand over products
Evaluate the Project
Recommend Project closure
The purpose of the closing a project process is to provide a fixed point at which acceptance for the project product is confirmed and to recognize that objectives set out in the original project Initiation Documentation have been achieved (or approved changes to the objectives have been achieved ) , or that the project has nothing more to contribute
The objective of the closing a project Process is to
Verify user acceptance of the project's products
Ensure that the host site is able to support the products when the project is disbanded
Review the performance of the project against its baseline
Assess any benefits that have already been realized, update the forecase of the remainint benefits and plan for a review for those unrealized benefits
Ensure that provision has been made to address all open issues and risks , with follow on action recommendations
One of the defining features of a PRINCE2 project is that it is finite - it has a start and an end. a clear end to a project
is always more successful than a slow drift into use as it is a recognition that
the original objective have been met (subject to any approved changes)
the current project has run its course
Either the operational regime must now take over the products or the products become inputs into some subsequent project or into some larger programme
The project management team can be disbanded
project costs should no longer be incurred
Provides an opportunity to ensure that all un achieved goals and objectives are identified so that they can be addresed in the future
Transfers ownership of the products to the customer and terminates the responsibility of the project management team
Closure activities should be planned as part of the stage plan for the final management stage
it is also possible that the project board may wish to trigger a premature closer of the project under some circumstances (for example, if the business case is no longer valid )
A number of actions specific to the project's products may be required after the project, and these should be documented and planned for as follow-on action recommendation
Before closure of the project can be recommended, the project Manager must ensure that the expected results have been achieved and delivered
In some situations, the project board may have instructed the project manager to close the project prematurely
In such circumstances, the project Manager must ensure that work in progress is not simply abandoned, but the project slavges anything of value created to date and check that any gaps left by the cancellation of the project are raised to corporate or programme management
The project's Product must be passed to an operational and maintenance enviroment prior to the project being closed
This may happen as a single release at the end of the project or the project approach may include phased delivery where products are handed over in a number of releases.
The Benefit Review plan may need to be updated to include the post-project benefits reviews of the performance of the project Products in operational use
Successful organizations learn from their experiences with projects
When evaluating the project, the objectives is to asses how successful or unsuccessful the project has been
it may also be possible to improve the estimation for future project by analyzing the estimates and actual progress metrics fo this project
once the project manager has confirmed that the project can be closed, a closure recommendation should be raised to the project board