It is just as important to have a controlled close to a project as it is to have a controlled start. Closing a project gives an opportunity to assess how successful the project has been. It also helps to make sure that everything is ‘tidied up’ – that everything that you said you would do has been done and nothing has been forgotten.
There is a simple checklist that you need to complete before you can consider closing the project:
Once you are happy that the answer to all of these questions is “yes”, you can complete the End Project Report.
The End Project Report is used to inform the Project or Programme Board that the project has been completed and is ready to close. It contains information on:
Follow on actions are used to highlight further work that could or should be done once the project has handed over the product to the users. This might include things like:
Download End Project Report Template
For Category A (high cost / high impact) projects (such a PFI schemes), post project reviews should be carried out a year or more after project completion to assess whether the planned benefits have been realised and outcomes achieved.