The two most exciting days in a project manager’s life is when a project is first started and when it’s ending. Okay, so that may be a slight exaggeration, but there really is something exciting about closing a project. You, the project manager, know that the work has been done with quality, the project customer is excited about the project deliverable, the project team is happy the project’s done, and management is ready for you to move onto other assignments.
Sometimes closing the project isn’t nearly as cheery a picture as I paint above. Sometimes the project is riddled with trouble, the project team is frustrated with the work, the project’s over budget, late or worse yet, the project has been cancelled altogether. Cancelled projects shouldn’t just be thrown out. The close project processes can offer some insight into what worked, what didn’t, and what the project manager, the project team, and even management, should do better next time around.
You might want to watch this free video from our PMP Online Training about the project life cycle.
