Introduction to Project Management (Part 6 of 6) - Visual Paradigm Free Ebook Series

IT Project Management Framework CLOSEOUT

Closeout

Identification

Planning

Initiation

Closeout

Execution & Control © Copyright 2017 Visual Paradigm | All Rights Reserved 1

Overview The previous phase, which is the Execution and Control phase, ends with the acceptance of project deliverables.

In this phase, the Closeout phase, the project team documents the lessons learned from the project, and transfers the deliverables to operations staff, who will use and maintain the deliverables as an on-going activity.

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Closeout

Lessons Learned

Project Closeout Report

Project Manager Part of this phase involves having the project manager captures the lessons learned from the project, and developing a Lessons Learned document.

Another document to develop is the Project Closeout Report, which consists of studies of variances between the actual and baseline performance goals, project cost and schedule.

This document will serve as an input for similar projects in the future, allowing these projects to run more smoothly.

It also includes a description of on-going operation and maintenance plan.

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Phase Activity Summary Activities

Deliverables

Conduct Closeout Meetings Develop Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned

Develop Closeout Report

Project Closeout Report

Archive Project Documents and Artifacts Conduct Transitioning Activities

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Conduct Closeout Meetings This phase begins by conducting meetings with different participants of this project, which include but not limited to the stakeholders who took part in different project activities such as requirements elicitation and acceptance testing, and the project team members.

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Identify Lessons Learned • Discuss things that went wrong and went well during the project, and determine how the experiences learned from this project can benefit similar projects in the future.

2 Develop Transitioning Plan

• Discuss the arrangement of the transitioning of project deliverable to operations staff.

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Develop Post-Implementation Review Plan • Discuss the dates for post-implementation reviews.

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Develop Lessons Learned

• Now that you’ve completed the Identification, Initiation, Planning, and Execution and Control phase of the IT Project Management Lifecycle.

• It’s time to document the lessons learned based on both the positive experiences, and the negative experiences that result in undesirable outcomes 6

Lessons Learned

Lessons learning is a process to convert experiences into knowledge to aid future decision making and problem solving.

Highexperiences into knowledge to aid future Convert decision making and problem solving

Improve Project Performance Avoid same mistakes Maintain good practices

Document the lessons learned from these experiences 7

Lessons Learned

Let’s take a look at the contents of a typical closeout report.

Project Succsess

Project Challenges and Difficulties

Shortcoming 8

Lessons Learned - Project Success Key successes achieved by the project.

Example:

Project Succsess Success

Factors that Contributed to the Success

Activities are completed as planned

Project risks were identified early and discussed often, reducing the chances of changing schedule caused by unexpected issues.

Quick deployment of changes

The use of continuous integration makes deployment fast and stable.

Budget within control

Appropriate cost benefit analysis, resource and procurement planning.

• Instead of just describing the successes the project has had, it’s more valuable to state the factors that contribute to these successes so that similar projects can repeat the successes.

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Lessons Learned

Let’s take a look at the contents of a typical closeout report.

Project Succsess

Project Challenges and Difficulties

Shortcoming 10

Lessons Learned - Project Challenges and Difficulties Conditions, not under the control of the project team, which affected the project negatively.

Example:

Project Challenges and Difficulties Challenge

Recommended Solution

The existing system must be kept running whilst the developing of new system

Separate the development and production environment.

Stakeholders aren’t clear about their needs

Try to use storyboard and wireframe to gather and confirm their needs.

• It’s not something the team did right or wrong, but a situation the team has faced and require tackling. So, based on this challenge, a solution is recommended.

• It’s recommended that the development and production environment should be separated.

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Lessons Learned

Let’s take a look at the contents of a typical closeout report.

Project Succsess

Project Succsess Challenges and Difficulties

Shortcoming 12

Lessons Learned - Shortcoming Tasks that were done wrongly or poorly, or any decisions made incorrectly

Example:

Shortcoming Shortcoming

Poor communication among the team

Recommended Solution Use instant messenger in project.

• Shortcomings are the tasks that were done wrongly or poorly, or any decisions made incorrectly.

It’s sometimes confused with challenge and difficulty, yet it is neither. • To make it simple, challenge and difficulties are adverse situations that require resolving in order for the project to complete, while shortcomings are fault and failures.

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Develop Closeout Report Performance, Cost and Schedule Variance • The deviation between project result and project plan is inevitable.

• Part of this activity involves identifying the variances from the baseline plans, in terms of project performance, project cost and schedule.

• Besides stating the planned and actual figure, it is important to state the variances and, most important, an explanation of why such variances exist.

Baseline

Final Result

Compare the variance between the actual and baseline Performance Goals, Project Cost and Schedule 14

Contents

Closeout Report Performance Goals Project Cost Project Schedule Scope Changes Project Resources Operations and Maintenance Plan and Cost Project Documentation Post Implementation Review and Report Open Issues

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Archive Project Documents and Artifacts Project Management Repository

• The project manager has to work with other project participants in storing all project documents and artifacts for future use or references.

• He also need to ensure that all necessary approvals and signatures are present.

• Besides, make sure the required final versions of documents are archived in auditable form in the agreed upon place, and ensure that they cannot be edited.

• Store the other project artifacts according to the agreed upon procedures.

Project Management Docs

Procurement Docs

Identification

Signed Contracts

Initiation

Purchase Orders

Planning

Statement of Work

Execution and Control

Closeout

General Documents and Artifacts Policies

Standards

Procedures

Guidelines & Practices

References

Other Artifacts

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Conduct Product Transition • The project is about an end.

• You have to transfer the physical product and any other knowledge those who require to operate it • They will use and maintain the product as an on-going activity by using those documented knowledge.

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Product Transitioning

Knowledge Transfer (i.e. Knowledge requires to operate with the end product) Documentation Transfer (e.g. Manual) Physical Transfer (i.e. Proper installation and configuration of hardware and software require to run the system)

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Summary Understanding the objective of the Closeout Phase The core activities:

• Conduct clouseout meetings • Develop Lessons Learned • Develop Closeout Report • Archive project documents and artifacts • Conduct transitioning activities

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Identification

Planning

Initiation

Closeout

Execution & Control

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