Project Management For Dummies®

Chapter 15. Bringing Your Project to Closure

In This Chapter

• Planning for a successful project termination

• Crossing those t's and dotting those i's: The remaining administrative issues

• Helping your team through closure

• Producing a value beyond the project: The post‐project evaluation

One characteristic that distinguishes a project from other work assignments is its distinct end, a point at which all work is complete and the results are achieved. However, with the intense demands pulling you on to your next assignment, completed projects can languish and eventually fade away instead of clearly ending with an announcement, recognition of the results, and a thank‐you to the people who made them possible.

Unfortunately, this demise hurts both the organization and the people who performed the work. When you don't assess the extent to which your project achieved the desired outcomes, you can't determine whether you conceived, planned, or performed the project well. Furthermore, team members don't have the chance to experience closure, achievement, and a job well done.

This chapter shows you how to bring your project to a close by finishing all substantive work, performing the final administrative tasks, and helping team members complete their association with your project and move on. In addition, this chapter helps you announce your project's end and conduct a post‐project evaluation.

Staying the Course to Completion

Following your project all the way through to completion helps ensure that everyone ...