Project Closure/Closing Activities

Project closure is the process of finalizing all activities across all of the project management process groups to formally complete the project or phase.

At the project closure, the following activities may occur:

•     Obtain acceptance by the customer or sponsor,
•     Conduct post-project or phase-end review,
•     Record impacts of tailoring to any process,
•     Document lesson learned,
•     Apply appropriate updates to organizational process assets,
•     Archive all relevant project documents in the Project Management Information System (PMIS) to be used as historical data, and
•     Close out procurements.

Project Procurement Management

Project Procurement Management includes the processes necessary to purchase or acquire products, services, or results needed from outside the project team. The organization can be either the buyer or seller of the products, services, or results of a project.

Project Procurement Management includes the contract management and change control processes required to develop and administer contracts or purchase orders issued by authorized project team members.

Project Procurement Management also includes administering any contract issued by an outside organization (the buyer) that is acquiring the project from the performing organization (the seller), and administering contractual obligations placed on the project team by the contract.

According to PMBOK, there are four processes in the Project Procurement Management, which are:

• Plan Procurements. The process of documenting project purchasing decisions, specifying the approach, identifying potential sellers.
• Conduct Procurements. The process of obtaining seller responses, selecting a seller, and awarding a contract.
• Administer Procurements. The process of managing procurement relationships, monitoring contract performance, and making changes and corrections as needed.
• Close Procurements. The process of completing each project procurement.

Project Quality Management

Project Quality Management includes the processes and activities of the performing organization that determine quality policies, objectives, and responsibilities so that the project will satisfy the needs for which it was undertaken. It implements the quality management system through policy and procedures with continuous process improvement activities conducted throughout, as appropriate.

According to the PMBOK, there are three processes in the Project Quality Management, which are:

• Plan Quality. The process of identifying quality requirements and/or standards for the project and product, and documenting how the project will demonstrate compliance.
• Perform Quality Assurance. The process of auditing the quality requirements and the results from quality control measurements to ensure appropriate quality standards and operational definitions are used.
• Perform Quality Control. The process of monitoring and recording results of executing the quality activities to assess performance and recommend necessary changes.

Project Cost Management

Project Cost Management includes the processes involved in estimating, budgeting, and controlling costs so that the project can be completed within the approved budget.

According to the PMBOK, there are three processes in the Project Cost Management, which are:

• Estimate Costs. The processes of developing and approximation of the monetary resources needed to complete project activities.
• Determine Budget. The processes of aggregating the estimated costs of individual activities or work packages to establish an authorized cost baseline.
• Control Costs. The process of monitoring the status of the project to update the project budget and managing changes to the cost baseline.

Project Risk Management

Project Risk Management includes the processes of conducting risk management planning, identification, analysis, response planning, and monitoring and control on a project. The objectives of Project Risk Management are to increase the probability and impact of positive events, and decrease the probability and impact of negative events in the project.

According to PMBOK, there are six processes in the Project Risk Management, which are:

1. Plan Risk Management. The process of defining how to conduct risk management activities for a project.
2. Identify Risks. The process of determining which risks may affect the project and documenting their characteristics.
3. Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis. The process of prioritizing risks for further analysis or action by assessing and combining their probability of occurrence and impact.
4. Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis. The process of numerically analyzing the effect of identified risks on overall project objectives.
5. Plan Risk Responses. The process of developing options and actions to enhance opportunities and to reduce threats to project objectives.
6. Monitor and Control Risks. The process of implementing risk response plans, tracking identified risks, monitoring residual risks, identifying new risks, and evaluating risk process effectiveness throughout the project.

Project Time Management

Project Time Management includes the processes required to manage timely completion of the project.

According to the PMBOK, there are six processes in the Project Time Management, which are:

• Define Activities. The process of identifying the specific actions to be performed to produce the project deliverables.
• Sequence Activities. The process of identifying and documenting relationships among the project activities.
• Estimate Activity Resources. The process of estimating the type and quantities of material, people, equipment, or supplies required to perform each activity.
• Estimate Activity Durations. The process of approximating the number of work periods needed to complete individual activities with estimated resources.
• Develop Schedule. The process of analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constraints to create the project schedule.
• Control Schedule. The process of monitoring the status of the project to update project progress and managing changes to the schedule baseline.

Project Scope Management

Project Scope Management includes the processes required to ensure that the project includes all the work required, and only the work required,  to complete the project successfully. Managing the project scope is primarily concerned with defining and controlling what is and is not included in the project.

According to the PMBOK, there are five processes in the Project Scope Management, which are:

• Collect Requirements. The process of defining and documenting stakeholders' need to meet the project objectives.
• Define Scope. The process of developing a detailed description of the project and product.
• Create WBS. The process of subdividing project deliverables and project work into smaller, more manageable components.
• Verify Scope. The process of formalizing acceptance of the completed project deliverables.
• Control Scope. The process of monitoring the status of the project and product scope and managing changes to the scope baseline.

Project Communications Management

Project Communications Management includes the processes required to ensure timely and appropriate generation, collection, distribution, storage, retrieval, and ultimate disposition of project information. Project managers spend the majority of their time communicating with team members and other project stakeholders, whether they are internal (at all organizational levels) or external to the organization. Effective communication creates a bridge between diverse stakeholders involved in a project, connecting various cultural and organizational backgrounds, different levels of expertise, and various perspectives and interests in the project execution or outcome.

According to PBMOK, there are five processes in the Project Communications Management, which are:

1. Identify Stakeholders. The process of identifying all people or organizations impacted by the project, and documenting relevant information regarding their interests, involvement, and impact on project success.
2. Plan Communications. The process of determining the project stakeholder information needs and defining a communication approach.
3. Distribute information. The process of making relevant information available to project stakeholders as planned.
4. Manage Stakeholder Expectations. The process of communicating and working with stakeholders to meet their needs and addressing issues as they occur.
5. Report Performance. The process of collecting and distributing performance information, including status  reports, progress measurements, and forecasts.

Project Human Resource Management

Project Human Resource Management includes the processes that organize, manage, and lead the project team. The project team is comprised of the people with assigned roles and responsibilities for completing the project. The type and number of project team members can change frequently as the project progresses. Project team members may also be referred to as the project staff. While the specific roles and responsibilities for the project team members are assigned, the involvement of all team members in project planning and decision making can be beneficial. Early involvement and participation of team members adds their expertise during the planning process and strengthens their commitment to the project.

According to the PMBOK, there are four processes in the Project Human Resource Management, which are:

• Develop Human Resource Plan. The process of identifying and documenting project roles, responsibilities, and required skills, reporting relationships, and creating a staffing management plan.
• Acquire Project Team. The process of confirming human resource availability and obtaining the team necessary to complete project assignments.
• Develop Project Team. The process of improving the competencies, team interaction, and the overall team environment to enhance project performance.
• Manage Project Team. The process of tracking team member performance, providing feedback, resolving issues, and managing changes to optimize project performance.

Six Conflict Resolution Techniques

The success of project managers in managing their project teams often depends a great deal on their ability to resolve conflict. Different project managers may have different conflict resolution styles.

There are six general techniques for resolving conflict, which are described below:

• Withdrawing/Avoiding. Retreating from an actual or potential conflict situation.
• Smoothing/Accommodating. Emphasizing areas of agreement rather than areas of difference.
• Compromising. Searching for solutions that bring some degree of satisfaction to all parties.
• Forcing. Pushing one's viewpoint at the expense of the others; offers only win-lose solutions.
• Collaborating. Incorporating multiple viewpoints and insights from differing perspectives; leads to consensus and commitment.
• Confronting/Problem Solving. Treating conflict as a problem to be solved by examining alternatives; requires a give-and-take attitude and open dialogue.

Successful conflict management results in greater productivity and positive working relationships. When managed properly, differences of opinion can lead to increased creativity and better decision making.

Project Integration Management

Project Integration Management is the first project management knowledge area that includes the processes and activities needed to identify, define, combine, unify, and coordinate the various processes and project management activities within the Project Management Process Groups.

The Project Integration Management knowledge area, according to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), includes the following six processes:

• Develop Project Charter. The process of developing a document that formally authorizes a project or a phase and documenting initial requirements that satisfy the stakeholder's needs and expectations.
• Develop Project Management Plan. The process of documenting the actions necessary to define, prepare, integrate, and coordinate all subsidiary plans.
• Direct and Manage Project Execution. The process of performing the work defined in the project management plan to achieve the project's objectives.
• Monitor and Control Project Work. The process of tracking, reviewing, and regulating the progress to meet the performance objectives defined in the project management plan.
• Perform Integrated Change Control. The process of reviewing all change requests, approving changes, and managing changes to the deliverables, organizational process assets, project documents, and the project management plan.
• Close Project or Phase. The process of finalizing all activities across all of the Project Management Process Groups to formally complete the project or phase.

Five Process Groups in the Project Management

A process is a set of interrelated actions and activities performed to achieve a pre-specified product, result, or service. Project management is an integrative undertaking requiring each project and product process to be appropriately aligned and connected with the other processes to facilitate coordination. Actions taken during one process typically affect that process and other related processes. Project management processes ensure the effective flow of the project throughout its existence.

According to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), project management processes are grouped into five categories known as Project Management Process Groups (or Process Groups):

• Initiating Process Group. Those processes performed to define a new project or a new phase of an existing project by obtaining authorization to start the project or phase.
• Planning Process Group. Those processes required to establish the scope of the project, refine the objectives, and define the course of action required to attain the objectives that the project was undertaken to achieve.
• Executing Process Group. Those processes performed to complete the work defined in the project management plan to satisfy the project specifications.
• Monitoring and Controlling Process Group. Those processes required to track, review, and regulate the progress and performance of the project; identify any areas in which changes to the plan are required; and initiate the corresponding changes.
• Closing Process Group. Those processes performed to finalize  all activities across all Process Groups to formally close the project or phase.

Project  Management Process Groups are linked by the outputs they produce. The Process Groups are seldom either discrete or one-time events; they are overlapping activities that occur throughout the project. The output of one process generally becomes an input to another process or is a deliverable of the project. The Planning Process Group provides the Executing Process Group with the project management plan and project documents, and, as the project progresses, it often entails updates to the project management plan and the project documents.

Organizational Process Assets

Organizational process assets are the organization’s policies, guidelines, procedures, plans, approaches, and standards for conducting work, including project work. This includes a wide range of elements that might affect several aspects of the project, such as project management policies, safety policies, performance measurement criteria, templates, financial controls, communication requirements, issue and defect management procedures, change control procedures, risk control procedures, and the procedures used for authorizing work.

Organizational process assets are divided into two categories: processes and procedures
and corporate knowledge base.

Organizational process assets also include the information the organization has learned on previous projects (including how to store and retrieve that information). For example, previous project risks, performance measurements, earned value data, and schedules for past projects are valuable resources of knowledge for the current project. This information is also known as historical information and it falls into the corporate knowledge base category. If you don’t capture and store this information, however, it won’t be available when you’re starting a new project. You’ll want to capture and store
information such as project financial data (budgets, costs, overruns), historical information, lessons learned, project files, issues and defects, process measurements, and configuration management knowledge.

Organizational process assets and historical information should be reviewed and examined when a new project is starting. Historical information can be very useful to project managers and to stakeholders. When you’re evaluating new projects, historical information about previous projects of a similar nature can be handy in determining whether the new project should be accepted and initiated. Historical information gathered and documented during an active project is used to assist in determining whether the project should proceed to the next phase. Historical information will help you with the project charter, project scope statement, development of the project management plan, the process of defining and estimating activities, and more during the project planning processes.

Understanding previous projects of a similar nature - their problems, successes, issues, and outcomes - will help you avoid repeating mistakes while reusing successful techniques to accomplish the goals of this project to the satisfaction of the stakeholders.

Many of the processes in the project management process groups have organizational process assets as an input, implying that you should review the pertinent organizational assets that apply for the process you’re about to start. For example, when performing the Estimating Costs process, you might find it helpful to review the activity estimates and budgets on past projects of similar size and scope before estimating the costs for the activities on the new project.

Enterprise Environmental Factors

The enterprise environmental factors input shows up as an input to many of the other processes. This input refers to the factors outside the project that have (or might have) significant influence on the success of the project. According to the PMBOK® Guide, the environmental factors include the following:

• Organizational culture, structure, and processes.The organizational cultures can influence the way to manage the project.
• Governmental or industry standards. These include elements such as regulatory standards and regulations (for instance, doctors must be licensed to practice medicine on people or pets), quality standards (International Standards Organization standards, for example), product standards, and workmanship standards.
• Infrastructure. This refers to the organization’s facilities and capital equipment. I’ll also include information technology in this category.
• Human resources. This refers to the existing staff’s skills and knowledge.
• Personnel administration. These are guidelines for hiring and firing, training, and employee performance reviews.
• Organization’s work authorization system. This defines how the work of the project is authorized.
• Marketplace conditions. The old supply-and-demand theory applies here along with economic and financial factors.
• Stakeholder risk tolerances. This is the level of risk stakeholders are willing to take on
• Political climate. This concerns both the internal and external political climate or influences on the project or organization.
• Organization’s established communications channels. These are the mechanisms the organization uses to communicate both internally and externally
• Commercial databases. These refer to industry-specific information, risk databases, and so on.

These factors can influence the way you manage the project and, in some cases, the outcomes of the project. For example, perhaps the folks assigned to your project are junior level and don’t have the skills, experience, or knowledge needed to complete the work of the project. It’s up to the project manager to understand the organization’s environmental factors and account for and consider how they can influence the management and outcomes of the project.