Project Management ToolBox, 3rd Edition

17PROJECT CLOSURE

This chapter focuses on best practice project closure tools, techniques, and functions the project manager facilitates to ensure project closure leads to continuous improvement from lessons and experiences learned. Four specific tools will be detailed in this chapter: Project Closure Plan and Checklist, Project Closure Report, Lessons Learned, and Postmortem Review. Prior to the tools, however, an overview of project closure is offered to ensure understanding with regard to closing a project.

Project closure consists of the work necessary to end, or close out, any pertinent project activities across life cycle phases and the project itself. Such work here is often associated with contractual obligations, procurement paperwork, handoff agreement(s) between the project and operations teams, and reallocation of resources, just to mention a few.

Project closure is not reserved for the end of the project, but rather closing is about reviewing and learning throughout the project life cycle. Waiting until the end of the project to reflect and learn becomes a problem not only for the project, but also for their entire company. Any project team that waits until the end of the project’s life cycle loses out on opportunities to learn and improve throughout the project. Highly experienced project managers and organizations with mature project management organizations know the value of intentionally engaging stakeholders in closing work throughout the life cycle of any ...