Q&A Closing project or phase

Mock PMP Exam Questions:1. You are the project manager of the Quick WeightLoss Mix Project. The project is to create the right mix of ingredients for the herbal pills that help to reduce the weight within 6 weeks. You have found the right formula for the weight loss pills. You are now preparing to close the project. Which of the following is not an input to the Close Project or Phase process?

A. Project management Plan
B. Project deliverables validated through the quality control processes
C. Final project audits
D. Acceptance Criteria

Correct Answer: B. Validated deliverables are first sent to Verify Scope to become Accepted Deliverables.

2. You have reached the end of the project. To end a project, which process must be performed last:

A. Verify Scope
B. Close Project or Phase
C. Close Procurements
D. Complete Project

Correct Answer: B.

3. What is the correct order of performing the processes?

A. Perform Quality Control, Close Project or Phase, Close Procurements
B. Verify Scope, Perform Quality Control, Close Project or Phase, Close Procurements
C. Perform Quality Control, Verify Scope, Close Project or Phase
D. Verify Scope, Perform Quality Control, Close Procurements

Correct Answer: C.

4. Who can authorize the closure of a project?

A. Sponsor
B. Project Manager
C. Functional Manager
D. Customer

Correct Answer: A. The Sponsor was the one who sanctioned the project, so he/she must be the one to formally accept and close the project.

Closing Project or phase

• Develop Closing Procedures to help you get a closure easily.
• Complete Contract closures – this area may need to be done multiple times for each contract. No project can be closed without the contracts being closed first. Also read Contract Closure / Administrative Closure.
• Confirm Work is done to requirements – Verify product scope requirements – without which you can’t get the project signed-off by the customers.
• Gain Formal Acceptance from the key stakeholders.
• Final Performance reporting to be submitted.  Do not miss this step. Most people never do the documentation, and just move on to other projects. This careless attitude can get you penalized in the PMP exam.
• Index and Archive records so that any thing can be found easily, and quickly.
• Document Lessons Learned on this project, so you and other project managers can benefit from them, and do not have to start from scratch.
• Hand off completed product to the customer or stakeholder.
• Release resources back to Functional Managers. On the exam, always assume that you are working in a Matrix organization, unless the PMP exam question states other type of organization structure explicitly.

Which comes first? What are the differences in these 2 processes?The confusion stems from them working in different organization – some come from a buyer organization, whereas others have experience from the sellers organization – specially where they work on projects awarded as contracts to their organizations.

Atleast 16 questions come from the Closing Process Group, and they are not so difficult to answer. Getting the basics right on these 2 processes will help you get 16 questions correct on the PMP exam.

Administrative Closure:This is the final completion and closure of the project. Part of the Integration Management knowledge area, the Close Project or Phase process is done when all the work has been verified, delivered, and accepted by the customer. All open issues have been raised, and finalized (come to a conclusion and closure).

The contracting parties – buyer and the seller both agree that the seller has completed the work stipulated in the contract, and the buyer has accepted it.

Contract Closure:A contract is closed upon reaching the end of the contract, or when a contract is terminated before he work is completed (usually by the buyer – if the work is no longer required, or if the work performed is not acceptable due to quality or other reasons). The seller may still need to be compensated for the work completed, as goverend by the clauses in the contract.

In multi-phase projects, Close Procurements closes the appropriate contract(s) for that phase of the project. Thus, the Close Procurements process may be repeated many times in a project.

Unresolved claims may be subject to litigation after Close Procurements is completed. A complete set of indexed contract documentation, including the closed contract, is prepared for inclusion in the final project files – Output of Close Procurements.

Key Difference:Procurement Closure or Contract Closure is done before the project can be closed completely.
Procurement Closure may be done multiple times ( once for each contract) during the lifecycle of a project.
Administrative Closure is only done once per phase, or for the entire project. Project closure is not complete without procurement closure.
Product acceptance is carried out using the Close Project or Phase process.
The contracts are closed using the Close Procurement process.

Procurement Closure

A project cannot be closed without closing all the contracts within. If there is a long running litigation due to Contract Claim, then the project will remain open till that claim is settled.


    Trivia:
Some people might be tempted to think that procurement closure is not part of the project manager’s responsibility. But, let me repeat, it is our job to close-off all procurements that were started as part of our projects lifecycle. No matter what.


All the procurement contracts are closed at the end of a project or a phase by using the contract closure procedure. Procurement closure accomplishes the following two major goals:
    • Close all the contracts applicable to the project.
    • Receive verification (if you are a seller) or issue verification (if you are a buyer) that all the procured deliverables were received and accepted. In this respect, the contract closure process supports the administrative closure of the project.

Early Termination:
If the project terminates without completion, you still need to go through the contract closure procedure, if there is a contract. Usually, a contract contains the contract termination clause, which contains the terms of the project termination, including the rights and responsibilities of the parties in case of the project’s early termination.