Making a Project Closure Checklist in 10 Easy Steps!

Because so much time and effort go into preparing a project, it's easy to overlook the importance of the project's conclusion. Even after a project is formally completed, there is still a lot of work to be done.

You still have a lot of duties to perform, for example. They may be procedural, but it does not diminish their significance. There are approvals, signatures, and payments, which may appear to you as paperwork, but tell that to the team member who is waiting to be paid.

Project Closure Checklist

Follow this step-by-step project closing checklist to ensure that every I is dotted and every "t" is crossed.

1. Begin with the project scope document you created and double-check that you've met all of the requirements specified.
2. Ascertain that all deliverables have been handed off and signed by all stakeholders, indicating their acceptance and satisfaction. Unless you use project management software, keeping track of all those deliverables might be difficult. They have a board view that shows you where everything is in the process so you can understand what's going on. Sign-off as a stage to ensure stakeholders have authorized the deliverable can be added using customizable columns.
3. Other project documentation, such as any outstanding contracts and agreements with suppliers and other contractors, must also be signed by the relevant individual.
4. After all documents have been signed, process them, pay all invoices, and close any project-related contracts.
5. Combine all papers, including all project reports that have been finalized, and then categorize and preserve them as historical data for future reference.
6. To avoid making the same mistakes in future projects, use the collected material to identify and document the lessons learned throughout the project, including any input from stakeholders.
7. Assign a transition support person to shepherd the project after it is completed to ensure a full closure.
8. Release or reassign project resources, including your team and any project staff, as well as any equipment or site rents.
9. If you haven't used project management software before, do so because it may help you manage not just the project's life cycle but also the process of shutting it completely.
10. Finally, but probably most significantly, join your project team in celebrating. They completed the work and deserve acknowledgment as well as a chance to de-stress before the next assignment begins.

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