Module 9:
Project Closure
We would like to acknowledge the support of the Project Management Institute
and the International Institute for Learning, Inc. for permitting the use of their
intellectual property in this curriculum.
Module 9 – Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this module, participants
will be able to:
• Identify Project Manager responsibilities for
closing projects
• Identify tasks for proper finance, administrative
and contract closure
• Lead end of
project learning
Project End, Extension, Expansion?
End
• Transfer of
Assets
• Final
Reports
• Ex-post
evaluation
Extension
• A no-cost
extension
or
additional
cost
extension
to finish
activities
Expansion
• Identify
new target
population
• Identify
what to
replicate
Role of the Project Manager during Closure
1. Verify your project scope and stakeholder
acceptance
2. Formally terminate activities of the project
3. Close project finances, administration and
contracts
4. Articulate and complete a handover strategy
5. Report to donors
6. Promote learning
Scope Verification & Stakeholder Acceptance
• Did you do what you said you were going to
do?
• Two steps:
– Sit down with your team and check the WBS
– Sit down with the stakeholders
Financial Closure
• Has all permitted funding been received from the
donor?
• Have all receivables (project advances, travel
advances, and advances to vendors) been
liquidated or transferred to another project
number?
• Have all payables been paid?
Administrative Closure
• Close out the books
• Set up project archives or files
• Handle equipment, facilities, etc.
Contract Closure
• Contract Closure
– Formal closeout of all contracts, review of
deliverables, including internal Legal Closing
Procedures and External Closing Procedures.
• Internal Closeout
– Activities required by the agency and by contract
such as; terminating the contract for moving out
agency operations, relieving personnel contracted by
agency, etc.
• External Closeout
– Legal termination of any contracted support during
project, including acceptance of deliverables, etc.
Administrative Closure
• Administrative Closeout
– Activities that are required for reassignment of
personnel and other resources, documents required
by the agency or donor
• Internal Closeout
– Activities required by the agency such as; moving out
of agency operations, return of assets, packing up of
daily operations. Including documenting lessons
learned and report to donor.
• External Closeout
– Activities established with other working groups or
commercial activities, including formal and informal
coordination with these groups.
Handover
• Train handover stakeholders.
• Distribute documentation.
• Complete administrative and contractual
tasks
• Provide interim support.
• Clean up postponed changes and issues.
End of Project Learning
Learn
Before
Learn
After
Learn
During
Learning Activities
Should be:
• Timely
• Relevant
• In context
• Filed and accessible
Why evaluate?
The main objectives of program evaluations are:
• To inform decisions on operations, policy, or strategy
related to ongoing or future program interventions
• To demonstrate accountability to decision-makers
(i.e. donors).
• Shows a clear linkage between your design (using
LogFrame) and your actual deliverables.
© 2005 Habitat for Humanity International
After Action Review
Review the activity and its related objective or
deliverable. For each one ask the following:
1. What did we set out to do?
2. What did we achieve?
3. What went really well?
4. What could have gone better?
5. What prevented us from doing more?
6. What can we learn from this?
Final Evaluations
• Conducted toward the end of the project.
• Largely judgment oriented – determining overall
merit, worth or value of a project.
• Generally include an external evaluator and require
more planning and investment.
Ex-Post Evaluations
• Conducted at a defined period of time after project
completion.
• Knowledge-oriented, emphasizing sustainable impact
evaluation
• Are especially useful when advocating for
interventions in a specific program or portfolio area.
• Not conducted as regularly as final evaluations.
External vs. Internal Evaluators
Disadvantages
Advantages
External
Internal
•Provides a fresh look at the project and can draw
from other project experiences
• Not personally involved, easier to be objective
• Is not part of the power and authority structure
of the project
• Trained in evaluation methods and has wide
experience planning and conducting other
evaluations
• Better able to focus for longer periods of time
on evaluation tasks
•Has in-depth understanding of the project and
can interpret attitudes and behaviors of
participants and stakeholders
•May lessen anxiety as he is well-known to project
stakeholders and has established relationships
•Less expensive
• May have limited understanding of the project,
and participants and stakeholders involved and
therefore needs time to digest information on
the project
• May cause more anxiety as he does not have an
established relationship of trust with project
stakeholders
• More expensive
• May be unwittingly constrained by attitudes such
as “We have always done it this way”
• Personally and professionally involved, so harder
to be objective
• Is part of the power and authority structure of
the project
• May not be trained in evaluation methods and
may have limited experience planning or
conducting evaluations
• May have time constraints for evaluation due to
other duties
CELEBRATE!
• Celebrate successful conclusions
• Recognize closure
• Acknowledge social relationships