Why It Is Important to Close the Project
If your project is not closed properly, significant legal, warranty, asset management, and financial implications to IBM can result. Closing your project is the final step in what everyone hopes has been a successful project.
I once had a project that I never took the time to close. I had moved on to the next project and felt I did not have time to do what I considered "paperwork." I had not verified that the commitments had been met, and I did not update the documentation. As a result, that project haunted me for months. The customer felt that the project had not ended, and continued to call me constantly to ask for things. As time passed, it became increasingly difficult to remember the agreements and status of the project. Because I had not taken the time to update the documentation, I did not have the documentation as backup when I needed it. What had been a very successful project became a nightmare. The customer grew increasingly unhappy.
Don’t forget the Delivery Organization Benefits key. I believe significant benefits are realized from gathering and documenting lessons learned. When I am getting ready to start a new project, I go through the lessons learned that our team has accumulated for the last several years. Every time I do, I find something that I can use to make this new project better. Most of the time my findings are simple suggestions that helped clarify an issue. A terrific example, one that served me well at one point on a project, was to ensure that the sponsor and the other vendors were using the same word processor to facilitate review of project documents. Although this compatibility had already been specified for my project, seeing the same information in a lessons learned reminded me to ensure that this compatibility was properly addressed.
When closing the project, take care of your good people. Recommending awards or having a final thank you celebration can make a team feel good and more willing to work for you again. A good project manager knows the importance of locating and keeping employees with good skills. Do not lose team members to another project manager who has been more appreciative. Whenever I make an effort to say thank you to my team, I find them willing to work with me again.