Skip to content

PROJECT CLOSE-OUT, PROJECT EVALUATION

Every project has to be formally concluded [23].

For this purpose

  • the work or service provided must be accepted by the client,
  • the project costs must be calculated and commercial controlling finalised,
  • lessons learned for the next project and
  • in the event of autonomous management, the team must be dissolved and authorisations returned.

In practice, the systematic completion of a project is of great importance. Tasks and problems associated with the completion of a project are assigned to a

  • goal level (e.g. acceptance procedures, tests and reviews, dissolution of key relationships with the project's stakeholders) and
  • relationship level (the team gradually loses its identity; members of the project team may want to leave the project in time to join another project).

It is therefore important to keep an eye on both the issues at the goal level to ensure that the outstanding work is delivered on time and in full, as well as the issues at the relationship level. For example, to prevent team members from leaving too early, they could be assured of a new position.

It is important to bring the project team together once again to thank them for their co-operation. This could be combined with a closing dinner or a closing party (depending on the size and importance of the project).

Meeting at the end of the project

The participants in the meeting analyse and evaluate the

  • project results,
  • project processes and
  • consequences for the post-project phase. They also document the experience gained in the project and assign the tasks still to be completed.

The final report can then be drawn up, which should contain the following points, among others:

  1. Information about
  2. the quality objectives planned at the beginning and those actually achieved,
  3. the originally planned and actual completion dates,

  4. estimated budget and actual costs incurred.

  5. The questions of what

  6. went particularly well in the team and in the relationships with the project participants,

  7. did not go so well.

  8. Information about

  9. consequences for future projects resulting from the deviations,
  10. tasks that still need to be completed.

Work steps after project completion The knowledge gained will be useful for the next project and can be used, for example, to adapt existing procedural instructions, templates and documents.