Project Closeout & Lessons Learned

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STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE

Project Closeout & Lessons Learned

Division: Information Technology Services

Document Number: PM-004

Department: Project Management Office

Prepared by: Project Management Office

Date created: 10/02/2025

Reviewed/Approved by: IT Project Manager

Date of last review: 10/01/2026

Purpose

To define the standard process for formally closing projects at North Carolina Central University (NCCU), ensuring deliverables are accepted, documentation is archived, and lessons learned are captured for continuous improvement.

Scope

Applies to all projects overseen by the PMO and documented in TeamDynamix, regardless of size or methodology (Waterfall, Agile, or Hybrid).

Project Closeout Process

  1. Final Deliverable Review: Confirm all deliverables are complete and meet the acceptance criteria defined in the project charter and scope documents.
  2. Sponsor Acceptance: Obtain formal sign-off from the project sponsor acknowledging project completion.
  3. Outstanding Items: Document any deferred tasks or follow-up items and assign ownership outside the project (e.g., transition to operations/support team).
  4. Close Financials: Verify all project-related expenses are reconciled and charged to the correct accounts.
  5. Update TeamDynamix: Mark the project as “Closed” in TeamDynamix, ensuring status, tasks, and documents are final.

Lessons Learned

  1. Post-Project Review: The PMO schedules a lessons learned session with the project team, sponsor, and key stakeholders.
  2. Discussion Topics:
    • What went well and should be repeated in future projects
    • What challenges or issues were encountered
    • How risks were managed and mitigated
    • Opportunities for improving PMO processes
  3. Documentation: The project manager documents lessons learned in the TeamDynamix project record and archives them in the PMO SharePoint repository.
  4. Knowledge Sharing: Key insights are shared with the Steering Committee and other PMs to strengthen institutional project management practices.

Archiving Requirements

  • Final project charter and scope documents
  • Status reports and final project report
  • Financial summaries
  • Risk and issue logs
  • Lessons learned documentation

Archived records must be stored in TeamDynamix and PMO SharePoint, following NCCU’s document retention policies.

Relevant Policies & References

• NCCU Project Closeout Checklist (PMO)
• TeamDynamix Project Management Module
• NCCU Records Retention and Archiving Policy

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