Project
Close
Once all of the project
deliverable outcomes are complete, the project moves from the performing phases
into the closing phase. Projects may also be abruptly terminated by the sponsor
for various reasons. For example, perhaps the end result will cost more than
originally planned, and the return will be less than desired. Or, perhaps the
sponsor is not satisfied.
Essentially, there may be a number of reasons (good or bad) for a project to terminate. Regardless of why the project is terminated, it is critical to go through the closing phase of the project.
Essentially, there may be a number of reasons (good or bad) for a project to terminate. Regardless of why the project is terminated, it is critical to go through the closing phase of the project.
The process of closing a
project includes actions such as:
- collecting and making final payments;
- recognizing staff and providing positive and constructive feedback;
- performing a post project evaluation;
- documenting lessons learned; and
- finalizing, organizing, and archiving project documents.
Having a repository for all
project managers to store project information and learn from other projects is
extremely important when building an effective process. In addition to lessons
learned, the repository should contain project metrics, such as status
reports as well as defect and exception information.
This can be the source of
information for the next project. Whether the project is abruptly terminated or
finished as expected, it should be fully documented and archived. Many of the
topics we discussed can be used for the next project. Templates, estimates, and
status report metrics can be readily identified from a review of the project
archives.
Competent vendors,
high-quality technologies, and lessons learned during the entire life cycle can
be stored and applied when needed. As personnel turnover occurs, the lessons
learned can be reviewed by the new people and applied to future projects,
assuring best practices right from the start.
Project close out should
include documentation encompassing the entire life cycle of the project,
including all project artifacts, configuration control reports, status reports,
exception reports, and lessons learned from the project manager and team.
During the closing phase,
it is important to obtain feedback from customers. Holding a post project
evaluation with your customer provides you with the opportunity to hear
from your customer regarding his/her level of satisfaction. It also opens
the door to help future business relations with this particular customer, or
feedback that can be applied with other customer relationships.
Types of Organizations
Now that we understand the
fundamentals of project management, let's see how projects fit into
organizations.
Project teams are formed in
many ways by different organizations. PMI defines three major organizational
structures: functional, matrix, and projectized. Those three types exist along
a continuum.
Definitions
Functional-Type
Organization
- The project manager may be the functional manager of the team.
- It is typically housed in and staffed by one department in an organization, such as IT, finance, or networking.
- Most projects are in-house.
- Team members continue regular functional jobs.
- The project manager does not have complete authority over the team, except when the project manager is also the functional manager of the team members.
- Example: IT software upgrade
Projectized-Type
Organization
- Team members are hired or transferred to the project as employees of the project.
- Team members do not have duties outside of the project.
- Team members work only on the project and are employed for the life of the project.
- The project manager has complete authority over the team.
- Project teams are isolated and rarely integrated into an organization.
- Example: Consultants aligned to a given project for a set period of time
Matrix-Type
Organization
- This is in the middle, with characteristics of the functional and projectized organizational structures.
- Team members report to both a functional manager and a project manager.
- Typically, the project manager manages the project and the functional manager manages the people.
- The project manager manages the project objectives, and the functional manager is responsible for the technical objectives.
People:
The Project Manager and The Project Team
Functional Project Managers
A functional manager is
typically a specialist who makes technical decisions. A functional manager
usually manages personnel with the authority from a company or a
government agency. Using specialist skills, the functional manager supervises
the personnel's efforts. The functional manager has achieved his or her
position because of his or her skill level in a specialty. The functional
manager makes decisions about the area of specialty.
A project manager is a
generalist who takes a systems approach regarding the project. A project
manager is a facilitator who controls the project to some extent.
Let's look at a
construction example: On a building site for the construction of a wall,
the foreman (functional manager) of the brick crew knows the number of
workers required, the quantity of bricks and mortar necessary, and how long it
will take to build the wall. The brick foreman and his or her crew will move on
to another brick job when they finish their wall.
Meanwhile, the project
manager for the construction project coordinates the delivery of materials,
schedules the rough grading with the landscaping crew so that there will
be a site for the walls, schedules the crew, and schedules the landscaping
after the wall is completed. The PM is responsible for everything on the site,
including plumbing, electricity, permits, framing, and roofing--the entire
building.
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The Project Manager
Project managers have a wide variety of skills and styles. All project
managers must be able to plan, organize, and control. Most effective project
managers have:
(1) the ability to lead people and develop people's skills
(2) great communication skills
(3) effective interpersonal skills
(4) the ability to handle stress
(5) excellent problem-solving skills
(6) good time-management skills.
Project managers need to use many general-management skills to manage
their projects, as well, such as: resolve the conflict, be a leader, and
always communicate.
Successful projects and effective project managers will use a
communication plan. An effective communication plan reduces confusion about
due dates, provides a standard, and makes it easy to bring new team members
up to speed.
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Characteristics of an
Effective Team
A clear sense of mission is
one of the most important characteristics of effective teams. Team members may
resent it if they feel like information is being withheld. Team members can
waste a great deal of time trying to understand the purpose of the project. You
can reduce that wasted time by clearly communicating the mission. Other
characteristics of an effective team include:
(a) the ability to see
the big picture
(b) an understanding of
their inter-dependencies within the rest of the organization
(c) having a sense of
cohesiveness
(d) trusting one another
and the project manager
(e) possessing
enthusiasm.
Stages of Team Development
As teams are formed, there
are natural stages of team development that will occur. What takes place during
each stage? How does the team feel? What can the project manager do to help the
team navigate through the various stages?
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