eCourse - Organizational Project Management

Introduction A course on the principles,

methods, practices and skills required for
Lesson 6 successful project management

ADAPTIVE
PROJECT
MANAGEMENT

Published by: PM4DEV

Project Management
for Development
Email: [email protected]
WEB: www.pm4dev.com

© PM4DEV - 2020 1
eCourse - Organizational Project
Management

LESSON 6

CLOSING PHASE

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the closing phase

• Explain the steps to close the
project
• List the content of the final project
report

ADAPTIVE
• Identify the benefits of
PROJECT documenting lessons learned
MANAGEMENT

Welcome to lesson 6 – The learning objectives of this lesson are:

• Understand the closing phase
• Explain the steps to close the project
• List the content of the final project report
• Identify the benefits of documenting lessons learned

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eCourse - Organizational Project Management

LESSON 6

CLOSING PHASE

Lesson Units

• Unit 6.1 – The Closing Phase

• Unit 6.2 – Project Evaluations
• Unit 6.3 – Final Report
• Unit 6.4 – Team Transitions

ADAPTIVE
PROJECT
MANAGEMENT

This lesson consist of the following units:

• Unit 6.1 – The Closing Phase

• Unit 6.2 – Project Evaluations
• Unit 6.3 – Final Report
• Unit 6.4 – Team Transitions

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eCourse - Organizational Project Management

LESSON 6

CLOSING PHASE

Lesson Units

• Unit 6.5 – Closing Contracts

• Unit 6.6 – Administrative Close
• Unit 6.7 – Project Learning
• Unit 6.8 – The Adaptive Organization
• Unit 6.9 – Lesson Learned

ADAPTIVE
PROJECT
MANAGEMENT

• Unit 6.5 – Closing Contracts

• Unit 6.6 – Administrative Close
• Unit 6.7 – Project Learning
• Unit 6.8 – The Adaptive Organization
• Unit 6.9 – Lesson Learned

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eCourse - Organizational Project Management

LESSON 6

CLOSING PHASE

END OF UNIT
ADAPTIVE
PROJECT
MANAGEMENT

© PM4DEV - 2020 5
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

A course on the principles,

methods, practices and skills required for
successful project management

ADAPTIVE
PROJECT
MANAGEMENT

Lesson 6 – Unit 1
Published by: PM4DEV
Project Management
for Development
Email: [email protected]
WEB: www.pm4dev.com

© PM4DEV 2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.

Lesson 6 – Unit 1

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eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

The Project
Closing
Phase

Adaptive
Project Management

The Project Closing Phase

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eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Closing Phase 3

The closing phase signals the end of the project.

All project deliverables are complete and
accepted.

The closing phase of project management is the final phase of the project lifecycle.
This is the stage where all project deliverables are finalized and formally accepted
to the satisfaction of key stakeholders; all project documentation is signed off,
approved, and archived. All work has been completed according to the project plan
and contract. This is a phase that should not be overlooked, properly closing the
project is as impactful and significant as the other phases.

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eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Why this phase is important? 4

• Mark the official end

of the project
• Evaluate the project
• Final report
• Close all contracts
• Help the team
transition
• Celebrate the
successful end of
the project

Why this phase is important? It marks the official end of the project. It is also the
moment to initiate the evaluation of the project, develop the final report, close all
contracts - especially contracts with vendors. It is the time to help the team
transition to their new jobs or new projects, and it is an opportunity to celebrate the
successful end of the project. This phase serves an important purpose for the
organization and helps avoid unfavorable and adverse scenarios.

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eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Project Cycle 5

Implement

Initiate Plan Monitor Close

Adapt

The Closing Phase receives inputs from the monitoring phase and indicates the end
of the project. The monitoring phase provides the information that confirms all the
activities have been completed, the target indicators have been achieved as
planned, and there is nothing else to change or adapt. If all work was completed to
the satisfaction of the donor, beneficiaries, and key stakeholders, the project
manager can start the process to close the project.

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eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Effort vs. Time 6

Implementation
Effort

Planning

Initiation Closure

Monitoring /Adapting

Time

Here again, is the chart that plots Effort with Time, and you can see the curve for
the closing phase. It is a smaller phase compared to all the phases in the project,
but it doesn’t mean that it is not important. It requires a little bit of effort and
planning to make sure that you can complete the closing of the project successfully.
Note the there is an overlap with the previous phases, that means that some work
may start on the closing phase before the previous phases are fully completed.

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Steps in the Closing Phase 7

1. Project Evaluation
2. Lessons Learned
3. Final Report
4. Closing Contracts
5. Team Transitions
6. Administrative Close

Here are the main activities of the Closing Phase that as a project manager you will
be responsible for. Supervise the project final evaluation, this is the work done by
external evaluators who will look at the results of the project. Develop the final
report and share it with key stakeholders. Close all contracts with partners, vendors,
and other organizations. Complete the lessons learned session and share the
report; this session has the participation of the project team and key stakeholders.
Manage the transitions of the team to new projects. Perform all administrative
activities to formally close the project.

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eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Closing Phase Flowchart 8

1. Evaluation 2. Lessons
Reports Learned

3. Final 5. Team
Report Transitions

6.
4. Close
Administrative
Contracts
Closing

Here is a diagram of the closing phase flowchart, showing the sequence of the
closing activities. The evaluation reports, the lessons learned, the final report, close
the contracts, the team transition, and finally the administrative closing step.

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Problems when project is not closed

9

• Creating confusion with key stakeholders,

• Creating liability issues.
• Issues caused by a lack of transition of the
responsibilities
• Not documenting project lesson

When a project is not closed properly, the organization and the project team's
efforts, time, and credibility may be negatively affected. Here are some of the
consequences of not closing the project properly. Creates confusion with key
stakeholders, especially the donor and beneficiaries. Creates liability issues
resulting from incomplete payments, contracts, or deliverables. Issues caused by a
lack of transition of the responsibilities to sustain the project deliverables. Not
documenting project lessons that future projects can benefit from and avoid making
the same mistakes.

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eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Adaptive Project Management

10

END OF UNIT

© PM4DEV - 2020 10
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

A course on the principles,

methods, practices and skills required for
successful project management

ADAPTIVE
PROJECT
MANAGEMENT

Lesson 6 – Unit 2
Published by: PM4DEV
Project Management
for Development
Email: [email protected]
WEB: www.pm4dev.com

© PM4DEV 2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.

Lesson 6 – Unit 2

© PM4DEV - 2020 1
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Project
Evaluation

Adaptive
Project Management

Project Evaluation

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eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Project Evaluation 3

“Evaluation is the systematic and objective

assessment of an on-going or completed project,
its design, implementation and results.”

UNOCD Evaluation Handbook

“Evaluation is the systematic and objective assessment of an on-going or completed

project, its design, implementation, and results”. This is a definition from the United
Nations Evaluation Handbook. Evaluations is an important activity that occurs
during not only at the closing phase, but can also happen during the life of the
project.

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Project Evaluation 4

The goal of an evaluation is to determine the

relevance and fulfillment of objectives, efficiency,
effectiveness, impact and sustainability

UNOCD Evaluation Handbook

The goal of an evaluation is to determine the relevance and fulfillment of objectives,

efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability. An evaluation may focus in
some or in all these areas.

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eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Project Evaluation
5

Formative
Evaluations

Summative
Evaluations

There are basically two types of evaluations: Formative evaluations that are carried
during the life of the project, for example a mid-term evaluation. Summative
evaluations are carried at the end of the project, some even long after the project
ended. In between these two types are many variations such as process
evaluations, outcome evaluations, and impact evaluations.

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eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Project Evaluation 6

• Doing the right things

• Rationale
• Beneficiary
satisfaction
• Doing it right
• Effectiveness
• Efficiency
• Better ways of doing it
• Alternatives
• Good practices
• Lessons learned

A Project Evaluation will usually have three goals: To know if the project did the right
things; will evaluate the rationale and the logic of the project; will measure the
beneficiaries’ satisfaction with the project deliverables and services, and how the
project was able to meet their needs. The evaluation will look at how the project
delivered the goals in an effective and efficient manner. The evaluation will identify
areas where the project can improve providing alternatives, good practices and
lessons learned from other projects.

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Why your project needs and Evaluation? 7

• Highlight unexpected
results
• Information needed for
decision making
• Implementation
problems or unmet
needs are identified

Why your project needs and evaluation? At the end of the project, its important to
know what where the results of the project intervention, there can be positive or
negative effects that need to be analyzed. Sometimes a project may cause
unintended effects that were not part of the plan. The evaluation provides
information for the decision-making of stakeholders, donors, partners, and
management, who will use the evaluation findings to make changes or
recommendations to the project or future projects. The evaluation can help identify
any problems or unmet needs in the beneficiaries that may need to be addressed in
the current or future project.

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Why your project needs and Evaluation? 8

• Issues of sustainability,
efficiency,
effectiveness or
relevance
• Recommendations to
improve performance
• Lessons learning for
future activities

The evaluation will identify issues with sustainability, or how the project impact will
continue after the project ends. The evaluation will also show if the project was able
to deliver the outcomes with efficiency, effectiveness, and how relevant the
intervention actions were to solve the problem. The evaluation will provide
recommendations to improve the performance of the project, and lessons that
current or future projects can apply. Some of these recommendations are going to
be quite valuable the moment the organization begins to design a new project.

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Evaluation Process 9

• Develop Terms of
Reference
• Identify evaluators
• Select evaluator
• Conduct evaluation
• Review draft report
• Distribute final report
• Follow up actions

Here are some of the basic steps in the Evaluation Process. The first one is to
develop terms of reference (ToR), this document contains all the information to
guide the evaluation. The work to identify the evaluators based on their knowledge
and areas of expertise. The work to evaluate the proposals and select an evaluator.
Conducting the evaluation, which includes data collection and analysis. The review
of the draft report, which gives the project manager an opportunity to ask for
clarifications before the final report is submitted. Once the final report is submitted,
it is distributed to key stakeholders. Finally, the follow-up actions, such as the
implementation of the recommendations in the project or in the organization. As a
project manager you will need to be fully involved in the development of the ToR,
the selection and the supervision of the evaluator, including the review of the draft
report.

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Terms of Reference 10

• Scope of evaluation
• Data available
• Methodology
• Resources
• Timeline
• Budget
• Audience

The Terms of Reference is a critical document for a successful evaluation. The

quality and completeness of this document will help the management of the process
to find and select the best evaluator or evaluator team that can take on the job. A
ToR will contain the following: The scope of the evaluation, the data that is available
and will be made available to the evaluator. A description of the type of
methodology required for the evaluation, and the resources needed for the
evaluation. A timeline that describes the sequence of the work and the expected
due date. A description on how the budget proposal should be presented and the
identification of the main audience of the evaluation report.

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Content of Project Evaluation Report 11

I. Introduction
Background and context
Evaluation methodology
II. Evaluation findings
Design
Relevance
Efficiency
Partnerships
Effectiveness
Impact
Sustainability
III. Conclusions
IV. Recommendations

Once the evaluation is completed, these are some of the elements that you will find
in an evaluation report. An introduction section with information on the background
and the context of the project, including the evaluation methodology that was used.
Most of the content of the report will be on the evaluation findings. It will
concentrate on the validity of the design, the relevance of the solution to address
the problem, the efficiency of how the project was able to use the resources to
achieve the goals. An evaluation on the partnerships and how they were useful to
the project. The effectiveness of the activities of the project, the impact of the
intervention and how it enables sustainability. Finally, the two last sections will be
on conclusions and recommendations for the project and the organization.

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Users of Project Evaluation Report 12

• Users of Evaluation
Report
• Dissemination of
Evaluation Report
• Evaluation Follow-up
Plan

Once the report is submitted it is important to share it with all the people that were
identified as users of the evaluation report, as a project manager you will need to
plan for the dissemination of the evaluation report, and the evaluation follow-up. The
report needs to be distributed to key stakeholders, both internal and external, but
especially the internal stakeholders such a project managers and senior
management to get their support to act on the recommendations of evaluation.

© PM4DEV - 2020 12
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Adaptive Project Management

13

END OF UNIT

© PM4DEV - 2020 13
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

A course on the principles,

methods, practices and skills required for
successful project management

ADAPTIVE
PROJECT
MANAGEMENT

Lesson 6 – Unit 3
Published by: PM4DEV
Project Management
for Development
Email: [email protected]
WEB: www.pm4dev.com

© PM4DEV 2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.

Lesson 6 – Unit 3

© PM4DEV - 2020 1
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Lesson Learned

Adaptive
Project Management

The lessons learned session.

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eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Lessons Learned 3

“The learning gained from the process of

performing the project.”

PMI, Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)

Lessons Learned is defined as “The learning gained from the process of performing
the project.” During the closing phase is important to conduct a lessons learned
session that will include participation of key stakeholders. This is an opportunity to
capture the experiences earned in the project and then share them with the rest of
the organization.

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eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Lessons Learned Steps 4

• Organize Session
• Facilitate Session
• Compile and Organize
lessons
• Share in a central, easy
to access, repository
• Disseminate lesson
learned to other projects

Here are some steps you can take to conduct an effective lessons learned session :
You need to organize the session well in advance, with an agenda and the
objectives of the session. You need to decide on who will facilitate the session; if
you have some funds, you should definitively look for an external facilitator. At the
end of the session, collect and organize all the lessons identified in the session.
Share the final document in a central, easy to access, repository, and then
communicate and disseminate the lesson learned to other projects in the
organization.

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eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Lessons Learned Session 5

• Determine participation
• Define purpose and
outcomes
• Collect information:
• Project charter
• Schedule and budget
reports
• Issue log
• Risk matrix
• Change control log
• Midterm evaluations

Here are some steps to help you organize the session. The first decision is to
determine who will participate. It is important to include key stakeholders that can
contribute to the session with their own perspective. You also need to have a clear
and simple understanding of the purpose and the outcomes of this session. You
also need to identify the information that participants will need to read before the
session, this is project information that will help them remember some of the key
events that happened in the project. The information can include the project charter,
the schedule and the budget reports, the issue log, the risk matrix, the change
control log, and the project midterm evaluation report.

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Lessons Learned Session 6

Session Agenda:

• Meeting purpose
• Meeting outcomes
• Set meeting rules
• Highlight project
performance
• Discussion of issues
• Discussion of ideas and
recommendations

With that information, you then need to create the Agenda. You will need to make
sure that the purpose is clear and that the outcomes are well defined. You also need
to set some basic meeting rules. In the agenda, include that there will be an
opportunity to highlight project performance, this helps ensure that the session will
not focus on identifying only what went wrong but also identify what went right.
Include the approach for discussing the issues in the project, and a time for the
discussion of ideas and recommendations.

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Lessons Learned Session Rules

7

• Open and honest

• No finger-pointing or
assigning blame
• Courtesy and respect to
others speaking
• All feedback is valid
• Everybody has a voice

The rules for the session need to be clear and make them visible during the session
so that everybody understands them.
The rules should include the need to be open and honest, this is not only a time for
everyone to be open about what happened, but also to be honest about the realities
of what happened during the project.
No finger pointing or assigning blame, the focus should be on finding what can be
done to avoid it in the future.
Make sure that everyone understands that there must be courtesy and respect
while others are speaking so that everybody has a chance to speak.
All feedback is valid, it doesn’t matter if it is small or doesn’t seem significant at the
moment, everything needs to be captured.
Everybody has a voice, and the facilitator needs to make sure that everyone has an
opportunity to speak, to raise their opinions, and share their experiences on the
project. When all the participants have an opportunity to speak, they will all feel
involved and motivated to contribute to the session.

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Lessons Learned Questions 8

• What went well and should be repeated?

• What went amiss and should be avoided?
• What would you do differently the next time?
• What are your insights / personal observations
that could help others?
• What topics did we miss that should be
discussed?

Here are some questions that can help manage the session. The first one is to
know what went well in the project that can be repeated in the future. Then, what
went amiss, what was wrong that needs to be avoided in the future. What would
you do different the next time? What are your insights or personal observations that
could help others in a similar situation or in a future project? Then, what topics
were not covered that should be discussed? You can include the list of question in
the documents you send before the session, so that participants know what to
expect.

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Lessons Learned Questions 9

One technique that is especially useful, is that when people are answering those
questions, they write it down on colored papers. Each color can represent a
specific category that you define at the beginning of the session and when people
start answering those questions, they write them down, take turns to speak and
then place it on the board. By the end of the session, you will have a complete view
of all the lessons of the project, that is also a way to visualize the answers so that
people can look at what other people are writing, and that could help avoid having
duplicate items, but also by reading some of those answers, people can remember
something that happened in the past and they can bring in other ideas or
suggestions that will be part of the document of lessons learned.

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eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Lessons Learned Areas 10

• Core Process
• Support Process
• Project Phases
• Conflict and Issue
management
• Communication
• Leadership
• Project Support
• Tools and methods used
• Other

Here are some of the project management areas that you can use to review in your
session. The core and support processes management plans that deal with scope,
budget, stakeholders, and team management. You can also discuss the phases of
the project especially the planning, implementation and monitoring phases. You can
discuss on conflict and issue management, and project communications. Another
area to consider is project leadership, not only from the project manager, but also
from the steering committee or senior management. Project support is another
interesting area to include in the session, this is the support received from the
administrative units such as finance, procurement, and human resources. The use
of tools and methods in the project is also an area you can use to discover lessons,
and you can leave a space for any other areas that may be specific to the type of
project.

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Lessons Learned Tips 11

• Include all Experiences,

positive and negative
• Obtain feedback as quickly
as possible before people
forget
• Document lessons learned
throughout the project.
• Make lessons learned
accessible to other
projects.

Here are some tips that will help you during your lessons learned.
Include all the experiences whether they are positive or negative. This is not a
moment to just say that everything was right on the project, every project has
problems, so it is important that you also include the negative aspects because that
is where you learn the most.
Obtain feedback as quickly as possible before people forget, don’t wait too long to
conduct the session, try to get it in the early stages of the closing phase while your
team is still available, and they have the time to participate.
Document the lessons learned throughout the project, don’t just wait until the end of
the project to have this session. It is good practice to conduct brief lessons learned
session at specific milestones. Lessons learned at the end of the project will only
help future projects, but smaller lessons learned sessions during the life of the
project will help the project while is still running.
Make the lesson accessible to other projects, all that experience that was gained by
the project is an asset like a currency that other teams will be able to use to improve
their projects.

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Knowledge Sharing Session 12

• Sessions to present
lessons learned
• Invite stakeholders and
teams from other projects,
• Present both success and
failures and what the team
learned from both
• Disseminate lessons
learned

Once the session is complete and you have a lessons learned document, it is now
time to share it. One way to do that is to have a Knowledge Sharing Session. This
is an opportunity to share the lessons learned with people in your organization. In
this session the team will present the lessons learned with the aid of slides, videos,
pictures, and other visuals.
Invite stakeholders and team members from other projects within your organization.
It is up to you to define who is going to be coming to the session, but the idea is that
you invite people you know will benefit from the lessons learned in the project.
Present both successes and failures and what the team learned from them. Present
the instances when the project had a challenge, but the team was able to find a
solution to the problem.
After the session, find other opportunities where you can distribute copies of the
document, put it on websites, on the organization knowledge sharing site, share it
with online communities, project management associations, or groups that you are
apart that will benefit from lessons learned.

© PM4DEV - 2020 12
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Adaptive Project Management

13

END OF UNIT

© PM4DEV - 2020 13
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

A course on the principles,

methods, practices and skills required for
successful project management

ADAPTIVE
PROJECT
MANAGEMENT

Lesson 6 – Unit 4
Published by: PM4DEV
Project Management
for Development
Email: [email protected]
WEB: www.pm4dev.com

© PM4DEV 2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.

Lesson 6 unit 4

© PM4DEV - 2020 1
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Project
Final Report

Adaptive
Project Management
www.pm4dev.com

The Project Final Report

© PM4DEV - 2020 2
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Project Final Report 3

The Project Final Report is a formal document for closing the project and is a
responsibility of the project manager. This report formally announces that the
project has completed all the work as planned and met the requirements of the
contract.

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eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Project Final Report - Part 1 4

• Executive Summary
• Background
• Project Strategy and
Approach
• Design
• Project Logic
• Management Plan
• Project Team
• Constraints

Here is the list of the typical content on a project final report, make sure you follow
the donor’s guidelines as it may have other requirements. The Executive summary,
a Background providing a brief information of the problems aimed by the project. A
description of the strategy and the approach; this section may include a brief
information on the design, the project logic, the management plan, and information
about any specific constraints on the project.

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Project Final Report - Part 2 5

• Stakeholders
• Beneficiaries
• Partners
• Summary of Project Results
• Logframe Indicators
• Outputs
• Outcomes
• Impact

Then you need to describe the key stakeholders, including the beneficiaries and the
partners that were part of the project. A summary of the project results, that
includes the logframe indicators and information about the outputs, outcomes, and
how the project was able to contribute to the final impact. In some cases, the
information on impact may not be available yet, depending on the impact evaluation
report that is usually conducted long after the end of the project.

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Project Final Report - Part 3 6

• Project Completion Status

• Scope
• Schedule
• Budget
• Quality
• Project Changes
• Contract Modifications

The other element of the report is the project completion status. This section
informs on the status on the scope, schedule, budget, and quality. It reports how the
project met all the goals for delivering the project on time and within budget while
meeting all quality requirements. You can provide information on charts or graphs
that can show you when the project started and when it ended. It could also include
information on the most critical changes that were made on the project and
approved by the donor, and its effect on the project goals.

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Project Final Report - Part 4 7

• Project Risks and Issues

• Team
• Stakeholders
• Procurement
• Legal
• Lessons Learned
• Recommendations

Then you need to describe how the project managed the critical risks and issues.
You can include a brief summary of the how you managed risks that could have
affected the team, key stakeholders, the achievement of results, and risks on
compliance with legal requirements. The last section includes lessons learned on
managing the project and key recommendations for future projects.

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Project Final Report - Part 5 8

Annex:
• Financial Statement
• Financial Audit
• Inventory/Asset Report
• Transition Plan

The report may also include an Annex where you can attach additional information
like a financial statement, this is the formal accounting information on the use of the
donor’s funds.
If you had a financial audit, you could include the main findings and
recommendations of the audit report.
An inventory and asset report, especially on all the inventory or assets that were
purchased with donor funds and a transition plan for inventory items not used by the
project.
Some donors may require a transition plan, this is information on the actions the
project made to transfer knowledge to the beneficiaries or the communities so they
can sustain the benefits after the project ends.

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Project Final Report Audience 9

• Donor of Funding Agency

• Senior Management
• Project Managers
• Project Team
• Partners
• Key Stakeholders

Finally, you need to distribute this report to key stakeholders. Depending on the
type of project and the organization, the key stakeholders will be the donor or the
funding agency, senior management and project managers in the organization who
might be interested in reading the report. Share the report with the project team,
the partners that were part of the project, and some key external stakeholders that
you think they will be interested in reading the report and may benefit from its
content.

© PM4DEV - 2020 9
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Adaptive Project Management 10

END OF UNIT

© PM4DEV - 2020 10
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

A course on the principles,

methods, practices and skills required for
successful project management

ADAPTIVE
PROJECT
MANAGEMENT

Lesson 6 – Unit 5
Published by: PM4DEV
Project Management
for Development
Email: [email protected]
WEB: www.pm4dev.com

© PM4DEV 2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.

Lesson 6 - Unit 5

© PM4DEV - 2020 1
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Closing
Contracts

Adaptive
Project Management

Closing the contracts

© PM4DEV - 2020 2
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Closing Contracts 3

Process to ensure that all

contracts, from donors,
vendors, consultants and
other providers, are
closed and there are no
open issues.

This is the process to ensure that all contractual obligations, from donors, vendors,
consultants, and other providers, are closed to the satisfaction of all parties
involved. This process ensures that there will be no claims or liabilities to the
organization once the project ends.

© PM4DEV - 2020 3
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Closing Donor Contract/Grant 4

• Review Contract Clauses

• Check that all
requirements are
complete:
• Project evaluations
• Project audit
• Project assets
• Project completion
report
• Financial reports

Closing the Donor Contract or Grant is the most important step, here you need to
review the contract clauses to make sure that you are not missing anything
important. You check that all the contract requirements are complete; these may
include the evaluations, audits, list of assets purchased with donor funds, the
project completion report, and final financial reports with information on balances.

© PM4DEV - 2020 4
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Closing Donor Contract/Grant 5

• Project has met all donor

contractual requirements
• Donor has accepted the
final report
• Project has completed
all deliverables
• Beneficiaries approve
the project deliverables

The objective of closing the donor contract is to make sure that the project has met
all the donor contractual obligations and requirements, and that the donor has
accepted the final report, This will indicate that the project has completed all work
and that beneficiaries approved the deliverables. Make sure to review all the
contract obligations and ensure that they have been completed to the satisfaction of
the donor.

© PM4DEV - 2020 5
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Closing Inventory and Assets 6

• Review inventory and

asset report
• Contact donor for process
to manage remaining
inventory and project
assets
• Obtain donor approval for
use of inventory and
assets

Another important step is the closing of inventory assets. Review the inventory and
asset reports, that will give you a list of all the items that were purchased with the
donor funds that were not used by the project or distributed to the beneficiaries or
the communities. Contact the donor for guidance on the process to manage all the
remaining inventory and assets. Donors have specific clauses and specific
procedures about what you should do with that excess inventory. Just because
there seems to be no use for the excess inventory, doesn’t mean it belongs to the
project or to the organization.

© PM4DEV - 2020 6
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Closing Vendor Contracts 7

• Review contract
clauses
• Review ToR
• Ensure all deliverables
are complete
• Check signoff for all
deliverables

Closing vendor contracts is the review of the contract clauses that you have with the
different vendors and ensure their services have been completed as required. You
need to review the terms of reference to make sure that you are not missing
anything important. Sometimes there will be a final report or a final deliverable that
the vendor or consultant needs to provide. Ensure that all deliverables are
complete, and that there has been a formal sign off on all vendor deliverables. That
means that there is nothing else standing or pending with the vendors before you
authorize the final payment.

© PM4DEV - 2020 7
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Closing Vendor Contracts 8

• Complete and close any

outstanding items
• Approval for all
remaining payments
• Prepare and send
completion letter to
vendor

You also need to complete and close any outstanding items that were open during
the life of the vendor contract, you should only approve the final payment when the
deliverables have been accepted by the project. It is also important for the vendor or
consultants to have a letter stating that the services provided to the project were
completed as expected.

© PM4DEV - 2020 8
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Vendor Evaluation 9

• Complete evaluation report

on vendor performance
• Identify Strengths
• Identify Weaknesses
• Notify Procurement,
request update vendor
database
• Archive vendor information

The final step is the vendor evaluation. Most organizations will require the
completion of an evaluation report on the vendor performance for the goods and
services provided. In the report, you need to identify the strengths, weaknesses,
and any other information that will help future projects. The information is part of the
procurement unit vendor database they use to evaluate the services of vendors.
Make sure you archive all documentation, correspondence, and changes to the
contracts; all of that will become part of the project records.

© PM4DEV - 2020 9
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Adaptive Project Management 10

END OF UNIT

© PM4DEV - 2020 10
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

A course on the principles,

methods, practices and skills required for
successful project management

ADAPTIVE
PROJECT
MANAGEMENT

Lesson 6 – Unit 6
Published by: PM4DEV
Project Management
for Development
Email: [email protected]
WEB: www.pm4dev.com

© PM4DEV 2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.

Lesson 6 – Unit 6

© PM4DEV - 2020 1
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Team
Transitions

Adaptive
Project Management

Team Transitions

© PM4DEV - 2020 2
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Team Transitions 3

Process to help the team transition to their original

units or move to a new project or organization.

1. Final performance
review
2. Transfer team
members
3. Letters of
recommendations
4. Team recognitions

This is a process to help the team transition to their original units or move to a new
project or organization. At the end of your project, your team is ready to move,
some of them will move within the organization and some of them will look for other
jobs in other projects or organizations. Here are some of the steps that will help you
in that process.
A final performance review. The process of formally transferring a team member to
other units or projects in the organization. Writing letters of recommendations for
those who are looking for projects or jobs outside the organization. Finally, a time to
recognize the accomplishments of your team.

© PM4DEV - 2020 3
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Performance Review 4

• Final review of individual

performance
• Conduct individual
assessments
• Explain results
• Provide feedback

The Performance Review is a requirement from the Human Resources unit in the
organization, as a project manager you will need to complete the performance
reviews for all your staff. You will need to schedule session with each team member
to review their performance during the year, you explain the results of your review,
and you provide feedback that will help them improve in the future. Whether they
are staying within the organization or moving to another organization, the feedback
will be helpful for them to move into their new jobs.

© PM4DEV - 2020 4
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Transfer Team members 5

• Define dates to transfer

staff
• Notify Supervisors of
transfer process
• Notify Human Resources
• Meet with supervisors
• Release team members

The process of transferring team members. These are the staff that were on loan to
your project, that usually happens in some organizations where they will come and
work for you during your project and then at the end of your project they will go back
to their units, departments, program areas, or work in other projects. If that is the
case, then you need to define the dates to transfer the staff so that their new
supervisors are aware and can prepare to receive them. You also need to notify
Human Resources to make the required changes in their personnel files. You can
also meet with their future supervisors to give them some feedback and information
about the performance of the team member so that they are aware about their
accomplishments. And finally, the date when you officially release the team
members from their duties in the project.

© PM4DEV - 2020 5
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Letters of Recommendation 6

• Summary of
recommendation
• Describe general duties
• Describe competencies
• List skills
• List team contributions
• List individual
accomplishments
• Keep a copy

The Letters of Recommendation are for the people who are going to leave the
organization. The letter will include a summary of your recommendation, you will
describe the general duties that they performed while in the project, you also
describe the key competencies that the person brought to the project and the skills
that were useful in the project. You can list all the contributions and individual
accomplishments. It’s important that you highlight how the team member
contributed to the success of the project; for example, if they did something above
their requirements or examples when they achieved more than they were asked for,
this information will be useful when they are looking for another job. Keep a copy of
the letter, you may need it when prospective employers contact you to discuss the
experience and strengths of the team member who is applying for a job.

© PM4DEV - 2020 6
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Team Recognitions 7

• Acknowledge individual
contributions
• Certificates of
accomplishment
• Team photos
• Communication to
organization

A good practice is to recognize the contributions of the team to the success of the
project, this could be a small session where you invite the sponsor and the steering
committee, It is a semi-private informal meeting where you acknowledge all the
individual contributions. You can give to each team member certificates of
accomplishment, which is a nice token that they can have something to remember
and can feel proud for participating as team members. It is a great opportunity for
team photos, these can be printed later and shared as mementos of their
experience in the project. This is a session to say goodbye, and celebrate, not only
the great contributions that your team made for the success of the project, but the
relationships that were built during the life of the project.

© PM4DEV - 2020 7
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Adaptive Project Management 8

END OF UNIT

© PM4DEV - 2020 8
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

A course on the principles,

methods, practices and skills required for
successful project management

ADAPTIVE
PROJECT
MANAGEMENT

Lesson 6 – Unit 7
Published by: PM4DEV
Project Management
for Development
Email: [email protected]
WEB: www.pm4dev.com

© PM4DEV 2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.

Lesson 6 – Unit 7

© PM4DEV - 2020 1
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Administrative
Closure

Adaptive
Project Management

Administrative Closure

© PM4DEV - 2020 2
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Administrative Closure 3

This is the process to close all the administrative areas of the project and to formally
recognize the end of the project.

© PM4DEV - 2020 3
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Administrative Closure 4

• Close administrative
support
• Archive all project files
• Information systems
• Close the project office
• Celebrate

These are the steps that occur during this process: Closing of administrative
support, archive all project files, close the information systems, close the project
office, and finally celebrate the end of the project.

© PM4DEV - 2020 4
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Close Administrative Support 5

• Finance/Accounting
Support
• Human Resources
Support
• Procurement Support
• General Administration
Support
• Information Systems
Support

Closing Administrative Support, in this step you will monitor the closing of the
finance and accounting support making sure that all the accounts, all the records, all
the reports are complete. With Human Resources, make sure that they have all the
information from the team performance reviews and the evaluations are available to
their supervisors. With procurement support, make sure they have the vendor
evaluation reports, the vendor contracts are all closed. The general administrative
support is closed including, transportation, logistics, or security services you receive
from them, and services from Information Systems supporting hardware and
systems is completed.

© PM4DEV - 2020 5
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Project Systems 6

• Hardware
• Computers
• Laptops
• Printers

Project Information Computer Systems. Here you must look at the hardware,
computers, laptops, printers that were purchased by the project. The Information
Technology department will have a process to reallocate those assets or to find out
a way to use them in other projects. If the hardware is still useful, it may be
transferred to other projects, if the hardware is too old then the best option will be to
discard it. Some companies buy old hardware to refurbish or recycle them.

© PM4DEV - 2020 6
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Project Systems 7

• Software
• Databases
• M&E Systems
• Project files
• Applications
• Email backup
• Website

It is also important to transfer the management of all software, if there were any
databases that were created for the project, for example a monitoring and
evaluation systems, the data collected by theses systems, need to have a final full
backup and stored on a secure location. This also applies to all the electronic
project files that were used by the project team, and any specific applications that
were developed for the project, you also need to ask for a full backup of all project
email. Some projects might have a website that that also needs to be closed.
Contact the IT department and make sure that all these systems are properly taken
care of.

© PM4DEV - 2020 7
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Archive all Project Files 8

• Management plans
• Change orders
• Monitoring reports
• Midterm evaluations
• Final evaluations
• Project audit reports
• Beneficiary information
• Team records

Archiving all the Project Files and Management plans. This is the activity to archive
all the plans the project developed, all the change orders and approvals, the
monitoring reports, the midterm evaluations, the final evaluations, and the project
audit report. These is information that needs to be archived in a location that can be
accessed by current and future projects. The last two items, the beneficiary and
team records, you need to make sure that the beneficiary information, is archived in
a secure location that is not easily accessible by anyone who doesn’t have the level
of authorization, some of this information is confidential. The same with team
records, such as evaluations, performance reviews, most of this information will go
to human resources.

© PM4DEV - 2020 8
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Administrative Closure 9

• Project office space

• Project furniture
• Project assets
• Office utilities, services
• Electricity
• Internet
• Return rental equipment
• Security cards

The next step is closing the office and all the office space that the project used,
especially if the office space was rented. If the space was in an organization
property, the space can be reassigned to a new project. The same with the project
furniture, and any office assets that were purchased by the project, they need to be
transferred to the administrative unit that will decide it use. Ensure that the office
utilities or services that were provided to the project like electricity or internet are
also closed and return any rental equipment and security cards to administration.

© PM4DEV - 2020 9
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Celebrate Project Success 10

• Organize session with

team and key
stakeholders
• Recognize significant
contributions to the
project
• Recognize outstanding
performance
• Celebrate success!

The last step is to celebrate the successful end of the project. This is an opportunity
for the team, the steering committee, the support units to get together in association
with all the key stakeholders to recognize the significant contributions of the project.
That is an opportunity to say thank you to all the people who provided support to the
project, including key internal and external stakeholders that provided support and
resources to the project, and give them the recognition they deserve. Recognition
to team members or support staff for the outstanding performance in the team. You
can give them a nice award such as a certificate to recognize their contributions to
the project.

© PM4DEV - 2020 10
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Celebrate Project Success 11

This celebration is an informal meeting, that should include key stakeholders, it is a

moment for the team to reflect on their contributions, they worked very hard, they
were able to work in sometimes very hard situations, they faced many challenges,
but they were successful. This is the moment to celebrate and recognize all the
work they did and that will bring a nice closure to the project.

© PM4DEV - 2020 11
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Adaptive Project Management 12

END OF UNIT

© PM4DEV - 2020 12
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

A course on the principles,

methods, practices and skills required for
successful project management

ADAPTIVE
PROJECT
MANAGEMENT

Lesson 6 - Unit 8
Published by: PM4DEV
Project Management
for Development
Email: [email protected]
WEB: www.pm4dev.com

© PM4DEV 2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.

Lesson 6 - Unit 8

© PM4DEV - 2020 1
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

The Adaptive
Organization

Adaptive
Project Management

The Adaptive Organization

© PM4DEV - 2020 2
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Adaptive Organization
3

For Adaptive Project Management to work successfully, the organization as a whole

will need to use this approach across all projects and programs. The traditional
approach means that organizations focus more on constraining change, planning
happens only at the start, and monitoring focus on the completion of activities. The
adaptive approach means the organizations focus on incremental benefits; change
is incorporated at regular intervals during implementation, and monitoring focus on
the achievement of results.

© PM4DEV - 2020 3
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Adaptive Organization
4

• Organization encourages
experimentation and learning
• Leaders and team members work in a
safe, honest, and transparent
environment
• Communicating frequently and quickly
• Stakeholder reviews are held regularly

Here are some of the best practices of an adaptive organization.

• The organization encourages empirical measurement, small experiments, and
learning.
• Leaders and team members work in a safe, honest, and transparent
environment.
• Communicating is done frequently and quickly.
• Stakeholder reviews are held regularly to promote transparency.

© PM4DEV - 2020 4
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Adaptive leaders
5

• Promotes safety,
respect, and
trust
• Listens well
• Promotes
collaboration

In and adaptive organization leaders behave differently, they promote safety,

respect, and trust. They listen well and they encourage collaboration and
conversation within teams and between teams.

© PM4DEV - 2020 5
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Adaptive Teams
6

• Highly
collaborative
• Taking
responsibility and
accountability
• Embracing a
growth mindset

In adaptive organizations, the teams show these capabilities: They are highly
collaborative, they take responsibility and accountability, and they embrace a growth
mindset, they believe they can learn new skills.

© PM4DEV - 2020 6
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Best practices
7

• All projects have a project charter with a

project vision and clear set of working
agreements.
• Team members determine how plans and
components should integrate.
• Control of the detailed project planning
and delivery is delegated to the team.
• Stakeholders are invited to project
meetings and reviews.

Here are some of the best practices in adaptive organizations.

All projects have a project charter with a project vision and clear set of working
agreements.
Team members determine how plans and components should integrate.
Control of the detailed project planning and delivery is delegated to the team.
Stakeholders are invited to project meetings and reviews.

© PM4DEV - 2020 7
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Challenges
8

• Lack of skills/experience with adaptive

approaches
• Organizational culture at odds with
adaptive approaches
• Inconsistent processes and practices
across teams
• Organizational resistance to change
• Insufficient training and education

But implementing an adaptive approach has some challenges.

• Lack of skills/experience with adaptive approaches.

• Organizational culture at odds with adaptive approaches.
• Inconsistent processes and practices across teams.
• Organizational resistance to change.
• Insufficient training and education.

© PM4DEV - 2020 8
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Adaptive Organization
9

Organizations that embrace an adaptive approach are more capable to deliver

maximum value to beneficiaries and key stakeholders within the limits of schedule
and cost constraints where scope is adjusted at each iteration. The beneficiary has
an opportunity to participate in the decisions regarding the direction of the project
based on what was learned from all previous iterations; therefore, embracing and
managing change, not avoiding it. Adaptive project management is beneficiary-
focused, beneficiary-driven, shows incremental results early and often, utilizes
continuous questioning and introspection, implement changes better and
progressively, and removes all non-value-added work.

© PM4DEV - 2020 9
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Adaptive Project Management

10

END OF UNIT

© PM4DEV - 2020 10
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

A course on the principles,

methods, practices and skills required for
successful project management

ADAPTIVE
PROJECT
MANAGEMENT

Lesson 6 - Unit 9
Published by: PM4DEV
Project Management
for Development
Email: [email protected]
WEB: www.pm4dev.com

© PM4DEV 2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.

Lesson 6 - Unit 9

© PM4DEV - 2020 1
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Lessons Learned
Closing Phase

Adaptive
Project Management

Lessons learned in the closing phase.

© PM4DEV - 2020 2
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Closing Phase – Lesson Learned

3

• Close all contracts with vendors,

consultants and other organizations.
• Share the lesson learned as much as
possible, make a workshop and invite
other teams.
• Make sure all the project information is
securely stored and the digital data has
backups.

Here are some lessons that you can use in your project during the closing phase.
• Close all contracts with vendors, consultants and other organizations.
• Share the lesson learned as much as possible, make a workshop and invite other
teams.
• Make sure all the project information is securely stored and the digital data has
backups.

© PM4DEV - 2020 3
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Closing Phase – Lesson Learned

4

• Take the time to write good letters of

reference to team members leaving the
organization.
• Make a final review of all donor clauses
regarding the closing of the project.
• Recognize the contributions of all people
that made the project successful.

• Take the time to write good letters of reference to team members leaving the
organization.
• Make a final review of all donor clauses regarding the closing of the project.
• Recognize the contributions of all people that made the project successful.

© PM4DEV - 2020 4
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Closing Phase Checklist

5

No Activity Status
Complete the ToR process for project
1
evaluations
Capture and distribute lesson learned to key
2
stakeholders
Develop and submit the final project report to
3
the donor and steering committee
Complete team transitions, to new project or
4
other units.
Close all contracts. vendor evaluations, and
5
administrative areas
Celebrate the end of the project!
6

Here is the checklist that as a project manager you can use to monitor that all the
critical activities of this phase are completed.
• Complete the ToR process for project evaluations.
• Capture and distribute lesson learned to key stakeholders.
• Develop and submit the final project report to the donor and steering
committee.
• Complete team transitions, to new project or other units.
• Close all contracts. vendor evaluations, and administrative areas.
• Celebrate the end of the project!

© PM4DEV - 2020 5
eCourse: Adaptive Project Management

Adaptive Project Management

6

END OF UNIT

© PM4DEV - 2020 6