Project closing phase is the finale phase of the project .For a successful project completion the closing phase has to be carefully dealt with as it has a lot of detailed checking with the list and that list is the final report .The final reports helps us understand that every task in the projects are complete and all the required rules are followed in the project .
Based on my own work experience, the closing phase of a clinical study that my team was working on is based on checking off all the documents and paperwork, which indicates the completion of all the stages of the study. A closure report/ presentation is needed to inform the superiors of the results conducted from the study. Once the directors approve of the report, the clinical study then becomes officially closed.
The closing phase is an important part of the project, so you definitely can't celebrate project completion too early! The main idea of a closing phase is to make sure the customer is satisfied and then make sure all transactions are recorded, documents are filed in a place which it is easy to find anything that may be called upon later. Also taking note of execution plans for the future so that lessons are taken away from the project, making the company more successful in their future feats.
Closing phase is where we can see if everything fit together as is intended to. Starting by reviewing the objectives, the scope, and all the small details that was mentioned in the documents to see we where are we standing compare to where we should be.
In other to tell if a project is a success you need to check if the project met the goals and objectives of all deliverables, is the clients or sponsors of the project happy with the outcome, was the project delivered on time and within project and was it worth all the effort time and money put into it. This process is known as the closure phase.
During the closing phase, to ensure that the project is properly closed out, you will need to dot the i’s and cross the t’s which will include: making certain that all documents and deliverables are up-to-date and that all issues are resolved; confirming the delivery and formal acceptance of deliverables by the customer by getting the sign-offs on deliverables; disband the team, closeout contracts; ensuring that all costs are charged to the project; closing project accounts; and archive the documentation for future reference.
Closing phase is probably the most impactful phase of the project cycle. It may be addressed as the final step for a project or an initial step for another domain. The closing phase of any project will include personnel relocation, project extra resources, facilities relocation, elaborating the project reports as per the company policies. I agree with the previous comments mentioning the objective of closing phase ensures that formal acceptance of the project is accepted by the customer, collected documents are recorded , finalized and archived.The stakeholder satisfaction is one of the the most important part as it establishes the procedure to investigate and document the reasons for actions taken if a project is terminated before completion. The project manager's duty is to ensure that the stake holders should be informed about the actions in the process. There are multiple documentations and deliverable forms which are required to be signed by the project team lead or the project managers which would mark the beginning of the closing phase.
During the Closing Phase, contracts must be closed, all payments must be completed, final performance reports must be given, lessons learned from the project must be logged, and the project must be handed off. For the completion of every product, certain criteria and regulations must be met and recognized by administration. This criteria is formally known as project deliverables, and these deliverables that are explicitly mentioned in all contracts revolving around the completion of the product. Once the product is completed, the device can be handed off from this development department to the production department.
The end of the Monitoring and Controlling Phase is marked by the Closing Phase. What are steps that need to be followed to ensure that phase is carried out effectively?
To ensure that the closing phase of a project is effective there should be a complete analysis of the product created to check the quality and fix any remaining errors. This final check should also include an assessment of the successes and problem areas in the development process. Specifically, whether or not the budget for a project was successful, will the next endeavor require a bigger team or more effort and other related questions. These steps will create a Closing phase that is successful, efficient and introspective.
One important component of closing is creating a project closure report. This project closure report lists every activity that is required in order to close the project. This report enables the project manager and the team to make sure they are completing every single activity required to close the report smoothly and efficiently. The project closure may include identifying project closing criteria, listing outstanding activities, creating a plan to pass deliverables to the customer, closing supplier contracts and agreements, releasing projects resources to the business, and how to communicate the closure of the project. Once this report is approved, the project manager then has a list of activities it can assign to their team to make sure of proper closing.
Great post! I would love to see a sample report you have worked on in the past. This seems like a great way to document the closure of the project. Do reports like these usually include any review/feedback on performance of the project?
I would imagine that someone would want to determine what made the project go smoothly/roughly and document that. That could be used to create a record of all the things that made this project work or not that may be reused for future projects.
I think for the closing phase to be carried out effectively, it is essential that all parts required for the closing phase are clearly monitored and that it is ensured that they are completed correctly. The closing phase is not just a checklist of things that need to be done, it is essential for ensuring that all parts of the process have been documented, for ensuring that all people are compensated for their work, and for ensuring that the project is ready to be either completed or ready to be passed onto the next team. First, it is essential to review and ensure that the project is ready to enter the closing phase. If the project is not actually complete yet all the required resources are removed and relocated then the project either fails or experiences a major set-back. It is essential to formally recognize that the project is finished and ready to enter the closing phase. Next, it is essential to complete and release all deliverables. If any of these deliverables are not completed, then the project itself is not completed and should not enter the closing phase. Finally, the design transfer must be completed and organized in such a way that anyone taking the project is aware of its details and how it functions.
A good closing phase is your stamp on that project. Of course you should properly close contracts and pay any outstanding bills. However the other steps are what will help your team members and other teams in future projects such as performance reports of what you were able to accomplish with your project and why. Logging the last of what you learned, what were the last few snags that your team ran into, what could you have done differently to make this a smoother close. And handing off a viable product to which this team will be credited for pulling together.
One significant part of closing phase is making an undertaking closure report, which records each action that is needed to close the project, before signing the closing contracts and settling down the payments. The project manager should ensure that all work has been completed according to the project plan and scope, and the project manger has received final sign-off and approval from all parties. Also, the project manger must have checklist to ensure your project is successfully completed.
As Dr.Simon mentioned in the lecture, the closing phase has various steps like closing out contracts, paying everyone, final performance reports, logging everything that was learnt and hand off the product. The closing phase should have everything completed and delivered. The design controls gas to be finished and handed off device from development to production. All the specs should be verified and validated. A complete DHF and all the above information is certified to Design Transfer Document.
It is important to ensure that the project closing is carried out accordingly because it will help to avoid unfavorable scenarios. The steps to ensure that the project has been closed properly should include making sure that all the tasks of the project have been completed, confirmation of completion from the project managers involved in it, and a confirmation of completion from other members of the project. Everything needs to be accounted for and there should not be anything left to confirm nor sign with paperwork. All reports must be finalized for the project. A project needs the closing phase because when presenting it to clients, there should be no issues and satisfaction can be reached. All payments and contracts are finalized during the closing process.
I agree that a part of the steps in making sure that the closing process is complete involves all documents being filed with all transactions being recorded for the project. The closing of the project must be carried out sufficiently in order to satisfy the client. There are multiple layers to the close of the project that can not be rushed by the company. You also made a good point in making sure to keep note of executive plans for the future. This will help to avoid similar issues that were created in the previous project.
