The OTR GroupThe Association for Project Management (APM) defines a project as "a unique, transient endeavour, undertaken to achieve planned objectives". The word transient matters. A project is meant to end, and how it ends decides whether its results are used, remembered and learned from. APM's guidance on closure sets out seven steps. This article turns them into a checklist you can adapt.
1. Gain agreement to close
Follow your governance process to start winding the project down. APM's advice is to move any remaining actions into business as usual, so that nothing is left hanging. Ask a simple question: who has the authority to say this project is finished, and have they said it?
2. Take stock of what has been achieved
Compare the results with the original aims and objectives. If your organisation has a post-implementation review or closure document, use it. This is also the moment to make sure the project documentation is complete and filed where others can find it.
3. Tie up commitments
Close or hand over contracts, confirm that invoices have been sent and paid, verify final costs and account for everything. Loose financial ends are one of the most common reasons a "finished" project keeps generating emails months later.
4. Capture lessons learned
Record what worked and what did not while it is still fresh. APM's emphasis is on improvement rather than blame. A practical tip: ask the same three questions of everyone involved, namely what went well, what did not, and what would you change next time, and keep the answers in one place.
5. Release your team
Tell the team the project is closing and formally release their time back to the business. People often drift on to the next piece of work without anyone saying the last one is over. A clear message helps managers plan and gives individuals a proper sense of an ending.
6. Ensure an effective handover
Transfer knowledge and document what the teams who will run the result day to day need to know. Record any future tasks, and any benefits that still need tracking after the project has gone. The project may be over, but its outcomes usually are not.
7. Celebrate success
Reflect on the project and acknowledge the team's effort and achievements. It is easy to treat this as optional. Recognition costs very little and tends to be remembered when the next project needs volunteers.
A one-page closure checklist
- Closure agreed by the right person, and remaining actions moved to business as usual.
- Results compared with the original objectives, with the documentation filed.
- Contracts closed or handed over, invoices settled and final costs confirmed.
- Lessons recorded, with improvement as the aim.
- Team formally released.
- Handover documented, with future tasks and benefits tracking assigned to a named owner.
- Success acknowledged.
Small projects too
You do not need a heavy process to use this. For a small project, the checklist can fit on a single page and the lessons conversation can take twenty minutes. What matters is that the project ends on purpose, not by fading away.
This article is general information based on APM guidance and is not a substitute for your organisation's own governance requirements.