Project Management For Dummies, 6th Edition

Chapter 17

Bringing Your Project to Closure

IN THIS CHAPTER

Planning for a successful project completion

Addressing any remaining administrative issues

Helping your team transition to the end of your project

Evaluating successes and failures with the project retrospective evaluation

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

Unfortunately, not bringing your projects to full closure 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, and performed the project well. Furthermore, team members don’t have the chance ...