Closing phase of a project involves the finalization of all activities of a project. It marks the completion of the planned work and the official release of organizational team resources to take up other work responsibilities. More often than not, the closing phase is a very intensive and involving process that covers the analysis of project inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs.
I agree that “Project team members tend to be drawn toward the project during the Planning and Executing phases, but they tend to be drawn away from the project in the Closing phase.” In the closing phase, things can go wrong if the project manager does not take the responsibility to ensure all project work is finished and that the objectives of the project have successfully been met. To achieve effective administrative closure, the project manager must ensure all issues are resolved, all documents and deliverables are appropriately updated, delivery and formal acceptance of deliverables, all costs are properly charged to the project, closure of project accounts, reallocation of project facilities and other resources, project personnel are reassigned, excess project material is dealt with, and final project reports are elaborately compiled.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
In order to carry out the above actions and activities, the input of every team member is paramount, but some members usually find this process so involving and due to the exhaustion following project planning and execution, members at this stage of closure become worn out and lose interest in remaining project closure tasks (Gustafsson, & Yadav, 2013). Quality project report compilation, quality control measurements, requirements documentation, a compilation of the risk register and report, data analysis, and project audit are examples of the labor-intensive activities that make the closure phase a complicated experience that puts off members. There is also the question of accountability whereby project team members may not want to take individual blame for certain failures or mistakes. This is the point where blame games arise and people do not like to take such blames. Moreover, the fact that some members complete their tasks earlier than others leads to a loss of team identity and functionality. Furthermore, some members of the team may be lacking project closure skills and competencies hence tend to be drawn away from the closure phase (Martinelli & Milosevic, 2016). Finally, some members develop the fear for the loss of job while others get their attention diverted into other works and new projects.
References
Gustafsson, B., & Yadav, B. (2013). Closing IT projects: A Swedish public sector perspective. Master’s Thesis . Jonkoping International Business School . Retrieved from https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:653326/FULLTEXT01.pdf
Martinelli, R. J., & Milosevic, D. Z. (2016). Project management toolbox: Tools and techniques for the practicing project manager . Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
