How To Authorize project closure
The primary purpose of this activity is to bring the project to a controlled close. Projects can continue longer than initially planned.
This can be due to people needing more understanding of when the project is completed, or customers and users, for example, may disagree about what the project has delivered. Therefore the controlled close of a project is as essential as the controlled start.
The Project Initiation Documentation is used to determine whether the project objectives have been achieved, acknowledge any deviations from the original plan, and agreement reached that the project has nothing more to contribute.
There is also a danger that the project may never actually end, and the project drifts into operational life with the original focus on benefits being lost.
This activity, authorizing project closure, is the last act of the project board before the project is disbanded and may therefore need an endorsement from corporate or programme management. As is always the case, the project board may appoint project assurance to undertake some of the reviewing as part of project closure.
Authorize Project Closure – the steps:
To ensure that the project is shut down in a controlled manner, PRINCE2 recommends that the following steps be taken:
The version of the Project Initiation Documentations was initially signed off at the end of the initiation stage, and the current version should be reviewed to understand how we got to this point.
As part of the Closing a Project process, the project manager will create the End Project Report, which will need to be reviewed and approved by the project board. The End Project Report will contain the project’s performance data and any deviations from approved plans.
Also, the project manager will create the follow-on action recommendations; these are ‘ loose ends’ usually resulting from current issues or any risks which could still occur after the project has finished in the end product’s operational life.
The project board will want to confirm who should receive these and ensure that those individuals or groups have accepted such responsibilities.
The project manager also creates the Lessons Report. After a review by the project board, this will generally be copied to the organization’s Project Office or Center of Excellence.
The Project Board should verify that the project’s products have been handed over as laid out in the Change Management Approach and that users and those providing operational and maintenance support have agreed to accept them.
The Benefits Management Approach should be updated to reflect any benefits yet to be realized. It should include those resources needed to measure and realize such benefits after closing the project. The business case should be updated from actual and forecast data so that it can be used from this point onward.
The Communication Management Approach should be referenced, and a project closure notification should be issued and reviewed.
All those who have provided resources and project infrastructure should be advised that the project is about to close and that such resources can be withdrawn, also providing a final closing date for costs being charged to the project.
Project Closure authorization
The primary purpose of this activity is to bring the project to a controlled close.
Projects can continue longer than initially planned simply because people need more understanding of when the project is completed or that customers and users, for example, may disagree about what the project has delivered. Therefore the project closure is as essential as the controlled start.
The Project Initiation Documentation determines whether the project objectives have been achieved and acknowledges any deviations from the original plan. The agreement was reached that the project has nothing more to contribute so that project closure can start.
There is also a danger that the project may never actually end, and the project drifts into operational life with the original focus on benefits being lost.
This activity, authorizing project closure, is the last act of the project board before the project is disbanded and may therefore need an endorsement from corporate or programme management. As is always the case, the project board may appoint project assurance to undertake some of the reviewing as part of project closure.
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