End Your Project

Conducting Post-Mortems A project post-mortem yields valuable information about what went right--and what went wrong. How well did you adhere to processes? How accurate were your original estimates? Why did you deviate from your original estimates or plan? What kinds of mistakes did you make? What did you learn? What can you apply to future projects? Should you be in another line of work?

gantthead articles Close Out--Not for Sissies! - by Paula K. Martin (December 3, 2001) Whether you use a four- or five-phase project management model, the last phase is always close out, the phase that most project leaders and teams ignore. Don't have time for close out? Don't think it's worth the investment? Think you're too cool for it? Think again. Post Mortems: Do Them Right or Don't Do Them At All - by Joe Wynne (October 12, 2001) "I'm sorry; I came here for a post mortem." "Oh! This is Abuse. You want room 12A next door." Sometimes its easy to confuse the two. Here's how to avoid that confusion and make your project post mortems constructive instead of just critical. Postmortem Prognosis: Learn Your Lessons - by Geoff Choo (July 23, 2001) Don't let your projects wind up DOA in the office morgue. Projects are more than just a cause of higher stomach acid levels. It can be a wonderful learning experience--if you take the time to learn from your mistakes with postmortem reviews.

downloads Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 next> Project Archive Checklist This checklist helps you with the ins and outs of archiving your project for posterity. Project Resource Release Checklist The project is coming to an end, and you need to release project staff or reallocate them to new projects and assignments. There is a right and a wrong way to do this. Use our checklist and do it the right way--with dignity, compassion and good business sense. Project Financial Closure Checklist Financial closure is the process of completing all project-related financial transactions, finalizing and closing the project financial accounts, disposing of project assets and releasing resources and the work site--all the while maintaining strict accounting practices as mandated by your PMO, company, local, state and federal agencies. Don't worry. We have a checklist to help you through. (Heartburn medications sold separately.) Project Post-Implementation Review Checklist Conducting a post-implementation review will help identify lessons learned to plan, manage and meet the objectives of future projects. This checklist helps you prepare for a thorough, timely PIR. How to Capture Lessons Learned ( User Guide - Template ) Recognize and document lessons so that future project teams do more of the successful things and less of the unsuccessful things. Activity Completion Report ( Report - Template ) For whatever reason, your project is now finished. Now you need to get a few things down on paper for posterity. This report describes the reasons for project closure, the activities needed to bring the project to an orderly close, an oveview of the project, lessons learned and recommendations for future projects.