What Is the Purpose of a Project Closeout Checklist?
The project closeout checklist will document the results and collected findings from the course of the project. It helps to take a project closeout report form to hand. From the report, cost and time estimates, as well as the need for resources for the future, can be derived. The project closeout report is significant because it serves as a progress report for future projects. With the signature of the report by the project manager, the order is considered to be completed.
This article deals in this context with:
1. Components of a project closeout checklist & report
2. A digital solution for creating project closeout reports
Components of a project closeout checklist and report
Traditionally, the project closeout report is compiled and prepared by the project manager. The project manager uses the help of the project team, the client, and the controlling department. The project conclusion of the project management represents the counterpart to the project order. The project closeout report checks whether the plans from the project order have been implemented. The following information should be present in the project closeout checklist & report:
Project description
First of all, the motivation for carrying out the project is presented. This includes the aspects of project justification, project description, and project goals.
Cost management
The allocation of budget costs is an essential part of the project conclusion. It is, therefore, necessary to calculate the current financial performance and compare it with the planned business budget. It should be checked whether all procurement requirements have been met and deviations tracked.
Project implementation
The next step is the project implementation. Changes, problems, and disturbances in the course of the project are described. The points must be addressed in particular if there are discrepancies between the order and the result. Finally, the target and actual description, for a successful project process, with deadlines must be mentioned.
Project results
Which goals should be achieved and when? Were the goals achieved, or were there any deviations? Remarks and explanations should be entered in this part of the project closeout report. The project results also include lessons learned by the leader and the team from the project. This information is especially important for future projects so that mistakes can be avoided.
Evaluation
Finally, the further procedure is described. Are there any points in the project that remained open, or are there any follow-up projects? Not to forget the regular contact with the client. Regular meetings keep all project participants up to date on the project status. The business benefits are examined, whether the project goals are being met. Whether expectations of clients are being fulfilled, and solutions are offered for the problems mentioned in the business case.
A digital solution for creating project closeout reports
The evaluation and implementation of the objectives of the project closure report the basis for the project conclusion. A project closeout checklist is helpful in that it documents all details of activities and interruptions of the project. Lumiform, the powerful inspection app, allows project managers to avoid the hassle of unorganized documents, manual tracking of project deliverables and the cumbersome delivery of project completion reports. Benefit from the advantages of a digital project closeout tool:
- Complete assessments on the spot with the use of the Lumiform app via smartphone or tablet.
- Easy communication with all team members and third parties enables you to improve procedures and resolve issues up to four times faster.
- Monitor your team’s project performance and identify opportunities to improve the process and efficiency of your operations.
- View and share project closeout reports in real-time an generate them automatically.
- The data you collect from your project closeout checklist is collected under the analysis tab. Here you can access all data and view your performance reports broken down by time, location and department. This helps you quickly identify causes and problems so you can fix them as quickly as possible.
- Connect Lumiform’s software to enterprise software systems.
- Save and secure project closure reports in the cloud.
