PRINCE2 Tailoring Closing a Project
The activities in the Closing a Project process may be combined, split or run concurrently to suit the context, but care should be taken to ensure the integrity of the interface to the directing a project and controlling a stage processes.
If the final stages of the project include initial operation of the outputs, the Handover Products activity may not be undertaken in the project’s final management stage as part of closing the project, but instead, may happen within many of the previous management stages.
Closing the project would then only require confirmation that all handovers have been completed.
Tailoring products in Closing a Project
End project report
Any element of the composition may be provided in a separate document or information source, which should be cross referenced.
Decomposition may be adapted to suit the readership. As an example, here, confidential elements such as the review of the business case or team performance, may be included in separate documents.
Lessons log
Lessons from the log or Lessons Report, if one has been created, is usually included in the end project report, but may be presented in a separate document.
Tailoring roles in Closing a Project
The project manager is responsible for the creation of all new management products in this process, but may delegate work to others provided overall responsibility is retained.
The checking that post project benefits reviews are planned to take place may be undertaken by the senior user in the hand over products activity.
Closing a simple project
For a simple project, all activities may happen in a very short timescale. For example, Handover, a valuation and closure approval (from directing a project), could all happen at a single meeting.
Closure activities do not need to be formally documented, with a daily log entry, minutes of a meeting or e-mail sufficing, provided it is clear to all stakeholders and the project management team that the project is closed and what the follow-on actions are.
Closing a Project when using an agile approach
Even when using agile, project closure is still likely to be a formal event. However, most of the information is already known and most of the work is already done due to the iterative and incremental nature of the agile way of working.
Examples of this would be that benefits may already be being realized, most of the project’s products are in operational use and documentation is almost complete and just needs to be finalized.
In addition, many lessons will already have been identified during retrospectives at the end of each sprint.
Closing a Project from a supplier perspective
It should be decided when the project is completed from a supplier perspective. As an example, is may be when the work is completed, after any maintenance or warranty period has elapsed, or when the contract is fulfilled.
Closing a Project within a programme
All the guidance provided above is applicable to a project within a programme, except that any decisions for the planned benefits reviews will be made in the context of the program, whether closure is premature or is on completion of the project.
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