Project Management: Achieving Competitive Advantage, Fifth Edition

Natural Termination—the Closeout Process

1. LO 14.2 Recognize the seven key steps in formal project closeout.

When a project is moving toward its natural conclusion, several activities are necessary to close it out.5 Some of the activities we will examine, such as finishing the work, handing over the project, and gaining acceptance for the project, are intended to occur in a serial path, with one set of activities leading to the next. At the same time that these tasks are being done, however, other activities occur concurrently, such as completing documentation, archiving records, and disbanding the team. Thus, the process of closing out a project is complex, involving multiple activities that must occur across a defined period. Let us consider ...