Datasheet

What Is a Project?
9
Closing The Closing process group brings a formal, orderly end to the project. In this group,
final acceptance of the project occurs, project documents are gathered and archived, contracts
are closed out, lessons learned are documented, and more. Closing is the most often skipped
process. Once the work of the project is complete, project teams have a tendency to jump right
into the next project. Taking the time to collect and archive documents will really pay off when
you undertake a new project that’s similar in size and scope to the project you’ve completed.
You can review the documents, reuse templates, and save time by reviewing risks, plans, and
so on to speed up the Planning processes in particular. Here are some of the accomplishments
for this process group:

Obtaining acceptance of the deliverables
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Documenting lessons learned

Archiving project records
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Formalizing project closure

Releasing project resources
If you’re working on a large project or a project that contains multiple sub-
projects, the Closing process group will become an input to the Initiating pro-
cess group. For example, imagine you’re working on a construction project
that is extending a university campus and adding several new buildings. New
buildings, roads, and other infrastructure components make up the overall
project. At the completion of each phase of the project (building A, building,
B, building C, and so on), the closing process becomes an input into the next
phase. Therefore, Initiating can signal not only the beginning of a project but
also the beginning of the next phase of a project.
As we stated earlier, these processes are iterative. Planning, Executing, and Monitoring and
Controlling are the most often repeated processes. Also, the outputs of one process group (Ini-
tiating, for example) become the inputs to another process group (Planning, for example). It’s
important to be as detailed and accurate as you can as you progress through the processes
because you’ll be building on the documentation and work you’ve done previously. Figure 1.1
shows the inputs and outputs and the iterative nature of these processes.
We’ll cover each of the process groups as we progress through the remaining chapters of
this book, with the most emphasis on the Planning processes. Planning is probably the most
important process group of all and is likely the place where Excel 2007 and the other Office
products will get the heaviest use. You’ll continue to use Excel throughout the remainder of
the project, but the largest effort will be spent up front establishing templates, forms, and pro-
cesses that you’ll fill in and update as the work of the project progresses. Next we’ll take a look
at the key skills every good project manager should possess.
47178book.book Page 9 Wednesday, December 6, 2006 10:10 AM