Administrative Closure
| In the 3rd edition of the PMBOK, Administrative Closure is not discussed in depth. However, it is an extremely important part of project management, so it is covered here. Administrative Closure is, according to PMBOK, 2nd ed., pg 117, "the generating, gathering, and disseminating information to formalize a phase or project." Note that if you are doing a project in multiple phases, you will do Administrative Closure at the end of each phase, not only at the end of the overall project. Administrative Closure includes "collecting project records; ensuring that they reflect final specifications; analyzing project success, effectiveness, and lessons learned; and archiving such information for future use" (PMBOK 2nd ed., pg 125). The way to begin Administrative Closure of a project or project phase is to review all of the various performance measurement tools for the project. This includes your planning documents such as the Scope Statement, the WBS, and the schedule. By comparing what has happened against what was planned, you can see how the project has been executed. Remember that although you should always keep your baseline available, you will measure the efficiency of the project based on how well you met with the final approved plan, which includes any approved changes that have occurred during the project. This is why change control is so importantnot only because changes alter the original plan but also because good change control records why the changes were made and how the project is expected to be impacted by the changes.
The answer is C. We need to review and close each phase, not only the project. This is particularly true if the project is run in multiple phases. One of the most important tasks of the project manager during the Execution and Control phases of the project is the management of information. The first determination you need to make as a project manager is how much information you need to keep the project on track and how much information other stakeholders need to be current and aware of their roles in executing the project.
The answer is D. This is another example where there are several answers to the question included in the list. However, the communication plan is where you list people that are going to get information and the type they get. Although A, B, and C are all correct, D is actually more inclusive. Here are basic documents you need to have to control the project and to report on the project. The first document you need to have and manage is your project Charter. This document sets down what the purpose of the project is and who is responsible for release of resources to get it done, and it assigns a project manager. Although you can't change any of these as the project manager, you should make sure that nothing is changed in the Charter as you go through the project. As you go into the Administrative Closure of the phase or project, you should also look at your original Scope Statement. First, this tells you what was intended at the beginning of the project's life. If changes have been made, and usually they will be, you should be able to document who accepted the changes and what effect the changes had on the overall cost, schedule, and quality of the project. Remember that anything that isn't in the Scope Statement isn't in the project. Often, when doing analysis of a project to determine how effectively and efficiently the project was run, it is revealing to look at the original Scope Statement and then to look at scope changes as they occurred during the execution of the project. If these were managed and controlled, then you will have a complete understanding of how the project was managed. If scope itself changes during the project but there is no mechanism that tracks the scope change, then the strictness of the project's management is in question. So make sure that you revisit the Scope Statement at Administrative Closure.
The answer is A. You should save any versions that you have and make sure that each version is put under version control as it comes out. You do not have to do a completely new WBS unless the approved change actually changes the entire project. The next document that needs to be examined in the Administrative Closure part of the project is the Work Breakdown Structure. What you are looking for is the variance between what was planned and what actually happened. In fact you can do this in MS Project. The variance is one of the most important pieces of information that you have for the project. It shows how well you either planned or managed. Because one of the final outputs of Administrative Closure is a project archive, it is extremely important that you are able to analyze what went on during the project, and using a WBS to look at variance is a valuable action to take. There is some question among professional project managers about what constitutes "good" variance from the plan. In other words, what is an acceptable percentage from the original plan? In general, 10% is usually "acceptable." It is not something that you consciously shoot for when you begin. Saying that you are going to hit the project numbers within 10% may be realistic, but sponsors do not like to hear it. What they want and what you are supposed to do with a project plan is to conform to the schedule, the cost plan, and the quality plan as closely as possible. Getting the project done well under budget and well ahead of schedule are not good things. You want to make the project come in at the cost that was planned and with the schedule as planned. Saying that you have brought the project in four weeks ahead of schedule may look good to certain parts of management, but as a project manager, it means that your planning was not very good. So the project manager that comes closest to the approved plan is the project manager that is doing the best job.
The answer is D. What you are trying to do as a project manager is to make a plan and then stick to it. Even if you are able to do the project for less money and take less time than you planned, this does not help the organization. It is very hard to plan anything if time and money are not controlled. It is likely, or at least should be likely, that you will know how you are doing during the project. The final Administrative Closure for the project is when you look at the complete project and determine what variances occurred from the original plan. It is at this time that your final lessons learned need to be archived. This is the overall view of everything that happened in the project, and by putting all of this information into an archive, future project managers will have the opportunity to look at how the project did and what actions they can take to make their projects successful. Project ArchivesThe definition in PMBOK 2nd ed. of "project archives" is "A complete set of indexed project records for archiving by the appropriate parties." Note that this set is indexed, which is not true of lessons learned. Be careful not to confuse the two on the exam. The question will look something like this:
The answer is B. The key word to get this question correct is "indexed." If you see that word, you are talking about project archives. When you finish a project, particularly a large and complex project, you should make sure that all financial records are archived. It is always possible that years later, people will want to see the financial part of the project; this is increasingly true as financial responsibility becomes important for good management. The archives must be put in a secure place and kept available for years. It is surprising how often people conduct accounting analysis only after periods of years. There should not be a time limit for storing the records, although there may be some statute of limitations that applies. The project archives are generally stored in some type of database. If any changes occur after the project has been closed, such as someone making a claim for a service performed, you should be able to find the information quickly. It is acceptable to have the records in paper if killing trees is your idea of fun, but an electronic database is much more useful. Project ClosureProject closure means that the organization or people who set up the requirements for the product of the project agree that the project team has delivered the product. When you started the project, there should have been formal approval of the project plan. When the project ends, you need to get confirmation that the project team met the requirements of the project. If the customers formally checked the requirements at the beginning of the project, then you need the customers to formally OK the final project output. It is extremely important to make this a formal document because you do not want to be arguing with a customer years after the project has been closed. As the project manager, you also need to make sure that the requirements of your own organization have been met for project closure to occur. Any reports, such as performance evaluation, budgets, and lessons learned, that are required by the delivering organization should be filed and formal acceptance sought. Formal acceptance may simply consist of the appropriate manager initialing the final reports, but you should still establish some formal way of closing the project and making sure that you have done all the appropriate tasks for your organization.
The answer is A. The acceptance should be formal.
The answer is B. If you do not have written acceptance, you do not have formal acceptance. You need to have something that is permanent. Verbal is not enough. Written acceptance is the only type that will give you the permanent record you need for any future discussions.
The answer is D. As with most things in business, the customer must be satisfied before work is complete. You may need to get project acceptance from various people in your organization, but the final acceptance always comes from the customer.
The answer is A. If there are tasks to be done for Administrative Closure that pertain to the delivering organization, these must be finished before complete Administrative Closure is possible. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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