Why project closure is not to be overlooked

There are several examples in Zimbabwe, where one cannot tell whether the project is still ongoing or not, due to lack of a formal project termination.
Formal termination of projects is necessary for the following reasons, checking the work for completeness and accuracy, documenting formal acceptance, disseminating project closure information and archiving records and lessons learned.
Not all projects make it to the end and this necessitates frequent reviews during their life cycles.
Important decisions are made at these review points to hold, fold or continue with the project, if it is feasible to do so.
Project closure is performed at the end of each phase of the project as well as at the end of the project.
The project or phase closure process involves checking that the work of the project was completed correctly and to the satisfaction of the stakeholders.
Documenting formal acceptance of the product of the project is an important aspect of project closure as well.
This assures that the stakeholder or customer is satisfied with the work and that it meets their needs.
Different ways of Project Closure
Projects come to an end for several reasons; they are completed successfully, cancelled or killed prior to completion.
Projects come to an end in one of the following formal ways. Addition is when projects evolve into their own business unit.
Projects that evolve into ongoing operations are considered projects that end because of addition; in other words, they become their own ongoing business unit.
An example of this is the installation of an enterprise resource planning system.
These systems are business management systems that integrate all areas of a business, including marketing, planning, manufacturing, sales, financials and human resources.
After the installation of the software, these systems can develop into their own business unit because ongoing operations, maintenance, and monitoring of the software require full-time staff.
These systems usually evolve into an arm of the business reporting system that no one can live without once it is installed.
Starvation happens because the project is starved of resources. When resources are cut off from the project or are no longer provided to the project, it is starved prior to completing all the requirements, and you are left with an unfinished project on your hands.
Starvation can happen for any number of reasons; other projects come about and take precedence over the current project, thereby cutting the funding or resources for your project, the customer curtails an order, the project budget is reduced or a key resource quits.
Resource starving can include cutting back or withholding human resources, equipment and supplies, or money.
In any case, if you are not getting the people, equipment, or money you need to complete the project, it is going to starve and probably end abruptly.
This is one of those cases where documentation becomes your best friend. Organisations tend to have short memories.
As you move on to bigger and better projects, your memory regarding the specifics of the project will fade.
Six months from now when someone important wonders why that project was never completed and begins the finger-pointing routine, the project documents will clearly outline the reasons why the project ended early.
That is one of the reasons project documentation is such an important function.
Integration occurs when the resources of the project – people, equipment, property, and supplies – are distributed to other areas in the organisation or are assigned to other projects.
Perhaps your organisation begins to focus on other areas or other projects, and the next thing you know, functional managers come, calling to retrieve their resources for other, more important things.
Again, your project will come to an end due to lack of resources because they have been reassigned to other areas of the business or have been pulled from your project and assigned to another project.
The key difference between starvation and integration is that starvation is the result of staffing, funding, or other resource cuts while integration is the result of reassignment or redeployment of the resources.
Again, good documentation describing the circumstances that brought about the ending of a project because of integration should be archived with the project records for future reference.
Extinction is the best kind of project end because extinction means the project has been completed and accepted by the stakeholders. This means that the project no longer exists because it had a definite ending date, the goals of the project were achieved, and the project was closed out.
Regardless of the way the project is terminated, it is important to document and archive the project closure information for reference purposes on future projects.
Professional Responsibility
at Project Closure
Project management professionals are responsible for reporting truthful information about their work to their customers, clients, and employers (including project successes and failures), especially at project closure.
As a project manager, you are responsible for the integrity of the project management process and the product.
In all situations, you are responsible for your own personal integrity. Personal integrity means adhering to an ethical standard.
At the Project Management Institute of Zimbabwe, we urge all our members to adhere to the PMIZ Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
As part of this code, it involves avoiding putting your own personal gain above the project objectives.
As a professional, you should strive to maintain honesty in project reporting. You are required to abide by laws, rules, and regulations regarding your industry and project management practices.
You should also report any instances that might appear to be a conflict of interest.
It is always better to inform others of an apparent conflict than to have it discovered by others and have your methods called into question after the fact.
As a project manager, you are likely to come across confidential information or intellectual property during your project management experiences.
Respect the use of this information and always verify who might have permission to access the information and when disclosures are required.
As a professional, do not attempt to withhold information at project closure, in an attempt to seek permanent employment with a client or ensuring over-reliance on you after the project is done.
l Robert Taruwona is the President of the Project Management Institute of Zimbabwe. Send your views and comments via email; [email protected] or [email protected] website link www.pmiz.org.zw