How do you ensure all deliverables are released and delivered for each process/activity; ensuring accountability for each deliverable when other individuals have responsibility to prepare/author the documentation?

Project Close Out – Project Deliverables and the Close Out Letter

A restatement from Project Management Lessons Learned.

Conducting project close out:

Ensure that (not limited to or in a particular order):

• A project close out meeting is conducted with the customer/client to define that all close out criteria have been satisfied (financial included)
• Any issues are addressed
• Lessons Learned are shared
• All deliverables (product includedJ) were signed off and delivered *
• A repository is set up (or was) and all documentation/data archived
• All team members are formally released from the project
• The project success criteria is reviewed
• The project performance and evaluation reports are completed (performance reports for team members are provided to the their managers if project supported a matrix environment)
• A team close out meeting was conducted to the thank the team)
• A final survey/evaluation sheet or form for customer/client input is left with the client (to be provided to the company)
• A letter for close out is signed by customer and project manager (The close out letter may have, or usually has, information that indicates how long a warranty period is in affect or if a client provided a retainer (unusual, but I have had a couple of projects that a retainer was provided to have available several days of support for several months)

* Establish a policy (and process) up front for the project. The Project Manager is responsible for delivery of all deliverables identified (documentation and the product) for the project. All deliverables must be signed off by the PM. Within that policy, to ensure that all deliverables for management, development, test, etc. are accounted for, the lead or responsible individual for the process/activity signs off on the deliverable and then the PM and customer signs off. (After a QA process/activity, a QA representative signs off, if there is no QA representative, PM has QA review and oversight responsibility (signified by its signature). In successful projects, Best Practice Processes are implemented.)

By also having a checkpoint or review of a deliverable before/at a process’s completion (a milestone), you ensure the deliverable is/will be accepted, approved and signed off by all key stakeholders before a project is closed out. If a change is approved and implemented, the policy and process is the same. All documentation (baselines), the product(s), and changes are released and subject to the Configuration Control process/activity.

All project deliverables released and accepted by the customer are listed in the close out letter, and any issues addressed. When the PM and customer signs off on the letter, it signifies all close out activities have been completed and assures that all deliverables are accounted for, accepted/approved and signed off.

Good Luck.