Deck 13: Project Closure

Question 1

Project managers need to learn that it is not okay if a project is cancelled before completion if there are valid reasons to abandon it.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Provide at least three examples of reasons a contract is terminated. Also, how is early termination handled?

Answer 2

As with project termination, contract termination can occur for many reasons: The deliverable may be completed and accepted, the technology required may have changed, the seller may have performed poorly, or the organization's priorities may have changed and the product may no longer be required. The conditions for terminating a contract early, before final deliverables, must be spelled out in the contract terms. Termination can be done by a mutual agreement of both parties or based on the seller or buyer defaulting on their part of the contract. Some reasons for early termination might include the seller missing key deadlines, the seller creating a product that doesn't meet minimal quality standards, the buyer missing payments, or the buyer continuously rejecting the seller's work and asking for changes.

Question 3

With the aid of the data collected from the procurement audit, what questions can the team can review (describe at least five)?

Answer 3

With the aid of the data collected from the procurement audit, the team can review the following:
• Was the right type of contract used?
• Were milestones achieved by both the buyer and seller? (Referred to as the milestone hit-rate)
• Was the change control process timely and effective, and was it followed?
• Were the deliverables of acceptable quality?
• Was the communications plan effective?
• How well did the project meet financial goals?
• Were the right human resources assigned by the buyer and seller?
• How effective were risk mitigation strategies?

Question 4

Describe the five areas of information included in the final project report.

Question 5

Describe the checklist elements that should be reviewed in the lessons learned session.

Question 6

The Integration Management knowledge area consists of which processes?

Question 7

Describe the end of a project and the two general reasons projects terminate.

Question 8

A good practice in the process of closing a project is to use a final checklist to make sure everything is completed.

Question 9

Describe the four elements of the checklist used in the process of closing a project. Also, describe the activity categories.

Question 10

The closing process is extremely important to the continued success of an organization and a project team, and it must not be skipped, regardless of the size of the project.

Question 11

Provide at least six examples of the reasons projects are terminated.

Question 12

It is a good practice to get a final deliverable signoff that all has been delivered for the project.

Question 13

What are the eight steps in the process for project closure and contract closure?

Question 14

The decision to terminate a project should be made by key stakeholders who have the authority to cancel the project.

Question 15

The closing process is needed at the end of each phase or iteration of a project as well as at the end of an entire project.

Question 16

The end of a project is either a termination due to some failure or a success in the eyes of the stakeholders.

Question 17

Describe at least three reasons projects aren't cancelled when they should be.

Question 18

The closing process must be a part of the project charter, with time and resources assigned.

Question 19

The main goal of the closing process is to finalize all project activities across all process groups to formally close the phase or project and, if needed, assume responsibility for the product from a support or operations department within the organization or perhaps to an external agency.

Question 20

The Project Management knowledge area consists of the following processes: develop project charter, develop project management plan, direct and manage project execution, monitor and control project work, perform integrated change control, and close project.

Question 21

The project management database needs to be available to more than just the project manager who ran the project so others can learn from the same information.

Question 22

The audit is used to review project spending to find errors and possibly fraud.

Question 23

The closing procurements process supports the overall project closing process in that it verifies that all deliverables from the contract are acceptable (meet quality standards) and officially approved.

Question 24

The closeout meeting, not to be confused with the lessons learned session or postmortem, is very important and should never be skipped.

Question 25

One of the steps in the process for project and contract closure is: Reassign any remaining personnel.

Question 26

Administrative performance information in the final project report answers questions such as: How well did the decision makers perform on the project in terms of speed and accuracy, based on the quality of the information available for decisions? How well did the organizational structure aid the project or hinder the project? Did the decision makers have the correct levels of authority?

Question 27

The Procurement Management knowledge area consists of the following processes: plan procurements, conduct procurements, administer procurements, and close procurements.

Question 28

During the lessons learned process, the project-related information is finalized and moved to an archive status to protect it from being changed or deleted.

Question 29

The first step in the process for project and contract closure is: Publish results across the organization.

Question 30

In the final project report, team member performance information answers questions such as: How well did the team work together? Did the team motivation incentives work, or did the team-building exercises work? How well did this team's performance compare to the performance of other teams within the organization? Did the team have the right members assigned? If training was required, how well did it work, and was it done at the right time in the life of the project?

Question 31

Project performance information mainly concerns the quality of the product created.

Question 32

The single best method project managers can use to improve how they run projects is to learn from past mistakes and past successes.

Question 33

A procurement audit should be performed to document an honest appraisal of the contract from both sides-the buyer's side and the seller's side.

Question 34

Project performance information includes all actual results compared to plan as well as an examination of project methodology issues.

Question 35

The first step in the process for project and contract closure is: Conduct final audits, if needed, of the project, product, contract, and personnel.

Question 36

The closeout meeting can be used in a variety of ways. For example, it can be a brainstorming session to list/review the things that went right and those that went wrong during the project. It is also used to review the entire project and provide a help session so that future projects avoid the same pitfalls.

Question 37

A task on the checklist is to get official acceptance of the system by the group that will support it during the development life cycle of the product; this is often a group called operational support or operations.

Question 38

If any special accommodations were required for the project team, such as rental of office space, the site will need to be closed and assets either returned to the organization or, if rented, returned to the owner.

Question 39

The requirements for the formal written contract closing are generally defined in the terms of the SOW.

Question 40

Some reasons for early contract termination might include the seller missing key deadlines, the seller creating a product that doesn't meet minimal quality standards, the buyer missing payments, or the buyer continuously rejecting the seller's work and asking for changes.

Question 41

In the final project report, this information includes all actual results compared to plan as well as an examination of project methodology issues.

A) Project performance
B) Product performance
C) Administrative performance
D) Benefits realized

Question 42

There is just as much to learn from a bad project as from a good project.

Question 43

The main goal of the closing process is to finalize all project activities across all ________ groups to formally close the phase or project and, if needed, transfer responsibility for the product to a support or operations department within the organization or perhaps to an external agency.

A) project
B) stakeholder
C) WBS
D) process

Question 44

Postmortem review of a project is a way of looking at lessons learned.

A) Postmortem
B) Final
C) Stakeholder
D) Lessons

Question 45

The procurement review process may or may not be needed, depending on whether outside vendors were used.

Question 46

The project-related data archived during the closing process consist of all planned and actual ________ data, including schedule, cost, scope, quality, team performance, risks, and communication issues. Information generated from the lessons learned sessions should also be added before the database is archived.

A) schedule
B) status
C) performance
D) monitored

Question 47

The closing process is needed at the end of each ________ of a project as well as at the end of an entire project.

A) phase
B) month
C) life cycle
D) review

Question 48

The closing process must be a part of the project ________, with time and resources assigned.

A) charter
B) scope
C) schedule
D) plan

Question 49

Regardless of how a project is ________, the processes of project closure and contract closure should still be completed.

A) started
B) terminated
C) continued
D) operated

Question 50

The end of a project is either a termination due to some failure or a success in the eyes of the ________.

A) project manager
B) stakeholders
C) sponsor
D) project team

Question 51

In the final project report, this information answers questions such as: How well did the decision makers perform on the project in terms of speed and accuracy, based on the quality of the information available for decisions? How well did the organizational structure aid the project or hinder the project? Did the decision makers have the correct levels of authority?

A) Project performance
B) Product performance
C) Administrative performance
D) Team member performance

Question 52

The ________ can be used in a variety of ways. For example, it can be a brainstorming session to list/review the things that went right and those that went wrong during the project. It is also used to review the entire project and provide a help session so that future projects avoid the same pitfalls.

A) lessons learned
B) closeout meeting
C) site closure
D) audit

Question 53

Terminating a project, regardless of reason, is an easy choice, especially for large, complex projects.

Question 54

A task on the checklist is to get official acceptance of the system by the group that will support it during the normal life of the product; this is often a group called ________.

A) engineering
B) operations
C) operational support
D) B or C

Question 55

If a project manager and an organization want to continue making the same mistakes over and over again, they must learn from the past.

Question 56

During the closeout process, the project-related information is finalized and moved to an ________ status to protect it from being changed or deleted.

A) archive
B) active
C) available
D) unavailable

Question 57

Closing the accounts ensures that erroneous charges don't appear and possibly signal the start of ________.

A) another project
B) an audit
C) collections
D) payroll

Question 58

In the final project report, this information mainly concerns the quality of the product created.

A) Project performance
B) Product performance
C) Administrative performance
D) Benefits realized

Question 59

The tendency is often to leave a completed project as soon as possible and move on to the next, without conducting much of a project closing process.

Question 60

Which of the following is NOT one of the processes of the Integration Management knowledge area?

A) Develop project charter.
B) Perform integrated change control.
C) Close project.
D) Conduct lessons learned.

Question 61

The project or phase closeout process must be completed, regardless of the size of the project or the reason for a project or phase ________.

A) termination
B) audit
C) review
D) reorganization

Question 62

As a part of the process "document and update all project data" in the checklist, an organization needs to make sure that all project-related information is ________ documented for future use.

A) partially
B) manually
C) electronically
D) confidentially

Question 63

Project managers need to learn that it is okay if a project is ________ before completion if there are valid reasons to abandon it,

A) extended
B) cancelled
C) revised
D) prolonged

Question 64

In some organizations the financial or accounting department requires official signatures in order to close out ________.

A) projects
B) accounts
C) payroll
D) contracts

Question 65

Many projects become what Ed Yourdon (1997) calls ________ projects that never end.

A) "ongoing"
B) "infinite"
C) "death march"
D) "operational"

Question 66

The Procurement Management knowledge area consists of the following processes: plan procurements, conduct procurements, administer procurements, and ________ procurements.

A) close
B) review
C) analyze
D) evaluate

Question 67

The closeout meeting, also referred to as the ________ session, is very important and should never be skipped.

A) lessons learned
B) postmortem
C) Neither A nor B.
D) Either A or B.

Question 68

Which of the following is NOT a general reason for a project termination?

A) The project is successful in meeting scope, time, cost, and/or quality objectives.
B) The project is not successful in meeting cost, and/or quality objectives.
C) The project is successful in meeting changes in objectives.
D) The project is not successful in meeting scope and/or time objectives

Question 69

The closing procurements process supports the overall project closing process in that it verifies that all ________ from the contract are acceptable (meet quality standards) and officially approved.

A) projects
B) resources
C) deliverables
D) tests

Question 70

In the final project report, this information answers questions such as: How well did the team work together? Did the team motivation incentives work, or did the team-building exercises work? How well did this team's performance compare to the performance of other teams within the organization? Did the team have the right members assigned? If training was required, how well did it work, and was it done at the right time in the life of the project?

A) Project performance
B) Product performance
C) Administrative performance
D) Team member performance

Question 71

A project manager may be responsible for writing final ________ appraisals for each team member.

A) performance
B) personal
C) professional
D) group

Question 72

The ________ closing process should finalize the archiving of all data related to how the contract was administered and how the seller performed for future contract work with this seller.

A) contract
B) procurement
C) SOW
D) buyer

Question 73

The formality, number of people involved, and time devoted to the closure process are based on the ________.

A) schedule flexibility
B) project manager
C) sponsor decision
D) size of a project

Question 74

The decision to terminate a project should be made by key stakeholders who have the ________ to cancel the project.

A) objectivity
B) time
C) nerve
D) authority

Question 75

A ________ audit should be performed to document an honest appraisal of the contract from both sides-the buyer's side and the seller's side.

A) procurement
B) financial
C) vendor
D) seller

Question 76

In the final project report, this information relates to the fact that the project was selected based on some perceived benefits to the organization. Are these still achievable, based on the final product?

A) Project performance
B) Product performance
C) Administrative performance
D) Benefits realized

Question 77

This is the first step in the process for project and contract closure.

A) Update the project schedule for any remaining work.
B) Obtain final approvals/signatures from stakeholders, management, and sellers.
C) Conduct final audits, if needed, of the project, product, contract, and personnel.
D) Communicate final decisions and review the closure checklist.

Question 78

Some reasons for early contract termination might include:

A) The seller missing key deadlines.
B) The seller creating a product that doesn't meet minimal quality standards.
C) The buyer continuously rejecting the seller's work and asking for changes.
D) All of the above

Question 79

The tendency is often to leave a completed project as soon as possible and move on to the next, without conducting much of a project ________.

A) plan
B) closing process
C) review
D) evaluation

Question 80

This process may or may not be needed, depending on whether outside vendors were used.

A) Closing contract process
B) Procurement review
C) Closing procurements process
D) Procurement evaluation