Close Project or Phase
Close Project or Phase is the process of finalizing all activities for the project, phase, or contract, including archiving project information, releasing resources, and completing final deliverable acceptance.
Explanation
This process ensures that all project work is completed, objectives are met, and the project is formally closed. It involves verifying that all deliverables have been accepted, ensuring all financial transactions are completed, transferring the final product to the customer or operations, collecting final lessons learned, archiving project records, and releasing project resources.
Key inputs include the project charter, project management plan, project documents (such as the assumption log, lessons learned register, milestone list, and risk register), accepted deliverables, business documents, agreements, procurement documentation, and organizational process assets. Tools and techniques include expert judgment, data analysis (document analysis, regression analysis, trend analysis, variance analysis), and meetings.
Outputs include the final product, service, or result transition, a final report, updates to organizational process assets (such as the lessons learned repository and historical information), and updates to project documents. The final report summarizes the project performance. Even when a project is terminated early — whether due to cancellation, resource constraints, or other reasons — the close process should still be performed to capture lessons learned and formally release resources.
Key Points
- •Ensures formal acceptance of deliverables and releases all project resources
- •Final lessons learned are collected and transferred to the lessons learned repository
- •Must be performed even if the project is terminated early or cancelled
- •Produces a final report summarizing project performance against baselines
Exam Tip
The exam may test whether you know that Close Project or Phase must happen even on cancelled projects. Always close formally to capture lessons learned and release resources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Topics
Lessons Learned Register
A lessons learned register is a project document used to record knowledge gained during a project so that it can be used to improve future performance on the current project and for future projects.
Lessons Learned Repository
A lessons learned repository is an organizational process asset that stores and organizes lessons learned from completed projects, making them available for use on future projects.
Project Charter
A project charter is a document issued by the project sponsor that formally authorizes the existence of a project and provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities.
Transition Planning
Transition planning is the process of preparing for the handoff of the project's final product, service, or result from the project team to the customer, operations, or sustaining organization.
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Change Control Board (CCB)
A Change Control Board (CCB) is a formally chartered group responsible for reviewing, evaluating, approving, deferring, or rejecting changes to the project, and for recording and communicating those decisions.
Burndown Chart
A Burndown Chart is a graphical representation of work remaining versus time in a Sprint or release, showing whether the team is on track to complete the planned work.
Resource Leveling
Resource leveling is a resource optimization technique in which adjustments are made to the project schedule to keep resource usage at or below a defined limit, often resulting in a longer project duration.
Risk Register
The risk register is a project document that records the details of individual project risks, including their identification, analysis results, response plans, and current status.
Stakeholder Mapping
Stakeholder mapping is the visual representation of stakeholder relationships, influence, interest, or other attributes using grids, matrices, or diagrams to support analysis and engagement planning.
Relative Estimation
Relative Estimation is an agile technique where work items are sized in comparison to each other rather than in absolute units like hours or days, providing faster and more accurate estimates.
Cost Performance Index (CPI)
Cost Performance Index (CPI) is an EVM efficiency metric that measures cost performance as the ratio of earned value to actual cost: CPI = EV / AC.
Schedule Performance Index (SPI)
Schedule Performance Index (SPI) is an EVM efficiency metric that measures schedule performance as the ratio of earned value to planned value: SPI = EV / PV.
Earned Value Management (EVM)
Earned Value Management (EVM) is a methodology that integrates scope, schedule, and cost data to assess project performance and progress objectively.
Part of
Integration Management
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