Module 9: Project Closure

We would like to acknowledge the support of the Project Management Institute and the International Institute for Learning, Inc. for permitting the use of their

intellectual property in this curriculum.

Module 9 – Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this module, participants will be able to:

• Identify Project Manager responsibilities for closing projects

• Identify tasks for proper finance, administrative and contract closure

• Lead end of project learning

Project End, Extension, Expansion?

Role of the Project Manager during Closure

1. Verify your project scope and stakeholder acceptance

2. Formally terminate activities of the project3. Close project finances, administration and

contracts4. Articulate and complete a handover strategy5. Report to donors6. Promote learning

Scope Verification & Stakeholder Acceptance

• Did you do what you said you were going to do?

• Two steps:– Sit down with your team and check the WBS– Sit down with the stakeholders

Financial Closure• Has all permitted funding been received from the donor? • Have all receivables (project advances, travel advances, and

advances to vendors) been liquidated or transferred to another project number?

• Have all payables been paid?

Administrative Closure

• Close out the books• Set up project archives or files• Handle equipment, facilities, etc.

Contract Closure• Contract Closure

– Formal closeout of all contracts, review of deliverables, including internal Legal Closing Procedures and External Closing Procedures.

• Internal Closeout– Activities required by the agency and by contract

such as; terminating the contract for moving out agency operations, relieving personnel contracted by agency, etc.

• External Closeout– Legal termination of any contracted support during

project, including acceptance of deliverables, etc.

Administrative Closure• Administrative Closeout

– Activities that are required for reassignment of personnel and other resources, documents required by the agency or donor

• Internal Closeout – Activities required by the agency such as; moving out of agency

operations, return of assets, packing up of daily operations. Including documenting lessons learned and report to donor.

• External Closeout– Activities established with other working groups or commercial

activities, including formal and informal coordination with these groups.

Handover

• Train handover stakeholders.• Distribute documentation.• Complete administrative and contractual

tasks• Provide interim support.• Clean up postponed changes and issues.

End of Project Learning

Learning ActivitiesShould be:• Timely• Relevant• In context• Filed and accessible

Why evaluate?

© 2005 Habitat for Humanity International

The main objectives of program evaluations are:•To inform decisions on operations, policy, or strategy related to ongoing or future program interventions •To demonstrate accountability to decision-makers (i.e. donors).•Shows a clear linkage between your design (using LogFrame) and your actual deliverables.

After Action Review

Review the activity and its related objective or deliverable. For each one ask the following:

1. What did we set out to do?2. What did we achieve?3. What went really well? 4. What could have gone better? 5. What prevented us from doing more? 6. What can we learn from this?

Final Evaluations• Conducted toward the end of the project.• Largely judgment oriented – determining overall

merit, worth or value of a project.• Generally include an external evaluator and require

more planning and investment.

Ex-Post Evaluations• Conducted at a defined period of time after project

completion.• Knowledge-oriented, emphasizing sustainable impact

evaluation• Are especially useful when advocating for

interventions in a specific program or portfolio area.• Not conducted as regularly as final evaluations.

External vs. Internal Evaluators•Provides a fresh look at the project and can draw from other project experiences• Not personally involved, easier to be objective• Is not part of the power and authority structure of the project• Trained in evaluation methods and has wide experience planning and conducting other evaluations• Better able to focus for longer periods of time on evaluation tasks

•Has in-depth understanding of the project and can interpret attitudes and behaviors of participants and stakeholders•May lessen anxiety as he is well-known to project stakeholders and has established relationships •Less expensive

• May have limited understanding of the project, and participants and stakeholders involved and therefore needs time to digest information on the project

• May cause more anxiety as he does not have an established relationship of trust with project stakeholders

• More expensive

• May be unwittingly constrained by attitudes such as “We have always done it this way”

• Personally and professionally involved, so harder to be objective

• Is part of the power and authority structure of the project

• May not be trained in evaluation methods and may have limited experience planning or conducting evaluations

• May have time constraints for evaluation due to other duties

External Internal

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CELEBRATE!

• Celebrate successful conclusions• Recognize closure• Acknowledge social relationships