1. Project
Audit and
Closure
IRL6050-A:
PROJECT
MANAGEMENT IN
INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS

2. To understand the process
of project audit
To recognize the value of
an audit to project
management
To determine when to
terminate a project
To identify various reasons
why a project is terminated
To identify checklist
Objectives

3. Learning
outcomes
 Evaluate if the project delivered the expected
benefits to all stakeholders.
 Was the project managed well?
 Was the customer satisfied?
 Assess what was done wrong and
what contributed to successes.
 Identify changes to improve the delivery of
future projects.
 Align project success criteria to project
objectives.
 Measure the progress of a project.
 Solicit stakeholder feedback and lessons learnt.
 Understand concept of benefits of realisation
and who takes ownership.
By the end
of this topic,
you should
be able to:

4. Are we doing the right thing (at
each milestone)?
Did we do the right thing (for
completed projects)?
Are we doing it right (at each
milestone)?
Did we do it right (for
completed projects)?
The lessons learned? What
adjustments are necessary?
Lessons from successes? From
failures?
 Project audit is
done during and
after projects are
complete.
 The outcome of
project audit is a
report that suggests:
Project Audit

5. Project Audit cont.
Auditing a project is not
about:
Finger pointing
Who did what
wrong? Judging
Punishment
Auditing a project is about:
Project success issues
Prevention
Learning from
mistakes
Continuous
improvement

6. Types of project audits
In-process project audits
Allows for
corrective changes if
conditions have
changed and for
concentration on
project progress
and performance.
Post project audits
Take a broader and
longer-term view of
the project’s role in
the organization and
emphasize improving
the management of
future projects.

7. Are we making adequate
progress? Can performance be
improved?
Have organizational priorities
changed affecting project
priorities? Is closure necessary
now?
Are stakeholders and top
management still supportive of
the project?
Is the project team functioning
as expected?
Are there significant issues of
internal, external, morale, and
the like that impact project
outcome?
For an on-
going
project, audit
helps to
decide:
Project
Audit

8. P
rojectA
udit
Did the project meet
customer satisfaction?
What are the lessons learned
for future projects?
Leadership lessons?
Team interaction lessons?
Organizational lessons?
Top management support?
External entities, vendors?
Group performance
measures
For a
completed
project, audit
helps to
decide:

9. Audit Initiation
Baseline Definition
Audit Database
Preliminary Analysis
Report Preparation
 Termination
Audit
Life
Cycle

10. Audit Life Cycle
Preliminary Analysis = compares
gathered information to standards
and judges project performance
Report preparation = preparing
audit report and recommendations
for improvement
Termination = review of audit
process and recommendations for
improvement
NB: Project audit is not like a financial
audit. A financial audit is limited in
scope and focuses of organization’s
assets while a project audit is broader in
scope and either deals with whole,
partial, or individual component of
project.
 Audit Initiation = id.
Purpose and scope of audit
and determination of
methodology. Team should
have access to all records
and reports.
 Baseline = performance
standards
 Database = accumulation
of information

11. Conducting a
project audit

12. Step1:
Initiation
andStaffing
 Respect (perceived as impartial
and fair) of senior management
and other project stakeholders.
 Willingness to listen.
 Independence and authority to
report audit results without fear
of recriminations from special
interests.
 Perceived as having the best
interests of the organization in
making decisions.
 Broad-based experience in the
organization or industry.
Characteristics
of audit
leaders

13. Step 2: Data
collection and
Analysis
Was the organizational culture
supportive and correct? Was senior
management’s support adequate?
Did the project accomplish its
intended purpose? Were risks
appropriately identified and assessed
Were the right people and talents
assigned?
What does evaluation from
contractors suggest? Were the
project start-up and hand-off
successful ? Is the customer
satisfied?
Organization
View

14. Step2:data
collectionand
analysis
Were the project planning and
control systems appropriate for this
type of project?
Should all similar projects use these
systems?
Did the project conform to plan for
budget and schedule?
Were interfaces with stakeholders
effective? Have staff been fairly
assigned to new projects? Did the
team have adequate resources?
Were there resource conflicts?
Was the team managed well?
What does evaluation from
contractors suggest?
Project
Team
View

15. Project goals
met/unmet
Stakeholder
satisfaction with
project
User reactions to
quality of
deliverables
Executive
Summary
Step 3:
Reporting

16. Project mission
and objective
Procedures and
systems used
Organization
resources used
Analysis
Step 3:
Reporting

17. Technical
improvements
Corrective
actions
Recommendations :
Step 3:
Reporting

18. Reminders
Retrospectives
Lessons
Learned
Step 3:
Reporting

19. Backup data
Critical
information
Appendix
Step 3:
Reporting

20. A project must be
administratively closed once
its product is successfully
delivered to the customer.
A failed project must also be
administratively closed.
A deadlocked project (drastic
change of focus, support,
personnel, executive decision,
etc.) must be administratively
closed.
Project
Closure

21. Reasons for
Termination
By Extinction
By Addition
By Integration
By Starvation

22. P
rojectclosure
Three broad
activities are
carried out at
the closing
stage of the
project:

23. Identifying tasks
necessary to close the
project
Assigning individuals to
carry out closure tasks
Monitoring
implementation
Ending closure process
The following
activities must
be addressed
in the project
closure plan:
Administrative
Closure

24. To evaluate
contribution that
individuals make to the
project success
To provide feedback to
the individual regarding
career development
Most organizations
have established
standards for
performance appraisal
Objectives:
Performance
Appraisal &
Evaluation

25. Performance
Appraisal
Innovation and creativity
Responsiveness
Team work Customer
relations
Learning and adaptability
Triple constraints (time, cost,
focus)
Value added contribution to
the project
One-on-one conference with
individual team members
In appraising
an individual
consider

26. Project
Performance
Appraisal
Evaluations of
individuals are still left to
supervisors of the team
member’s home
department.
Typical measures of
team performance center
on time, cost, and
specifications.
Reasons for
Poor-Quality
Project
Performance
Evaluations:

27. Are standards and goals for
measuring performance Clear,
challenging, and attainable?
Are responsibilities and
performance standards known
by all team members?
Are team rewards adequate?
Management believes teams
are important?
Is there a career path for
successful project managers
Project
performance
evaluation:
Team based

28. Does the team have
discretionary authority to
manage short-term
difficulties?
Is there a high level of
trust within the
organization culture?
Are there criteria beyond
time, cost, and
specifications?
Project
performance
evaluation:
Team based

29. Sample Team Evaluation
and Feedback Survey

30. Responsibility for assessing
performance
Functional organization or functional
matrix: the individual’s area manager.
The area manager may solicit the
project manager’s opinion of the
individual’s performance on a specific
project.
Balanced matrix: the project manager
and the area manager jointly evaluate
an individual’s performance.
Project matrix and project
organizations: the project manager is
responsible for appraising individual
performance
Project
performance
evaluation:
Individual
based

31. Multi rater appraisal or
the “360-degree feedback
Involves soliciting
feedback concerning team
members’ performance
from all the people their
work affects.
This includes project
managers, area managers,
peers, subordinates, and
even customers.
Project
performance
evaluation:
individual
based

32. Project
Closure
Normal
Premature
Perpetual
Failed Project
Changed
Priority
Conditions
for
Closure

33. Project
Closure
Close-out Plan:
Questions to be Asked
What tasks are required
to close the project?
Who will be responsible
for these tasks?
When will closure begin
and end?
How will the project be
delivered?

34. 1. Getting delivery acceptance
from the customer.
2. Shutting down resources and
releasing to new uses.
3. Reassigning project team
members.
4. Closing accounts and seeing all
bills are paid.
5. Evaluating the project team,
project team members, and
the project manager.
Closure

35. Ensure completion of work
Notify essential contacts of project
completion
Ensure documentation is complete
Clear final billings and oversee
preparation of final invoices,
paperwork, etc.
Redistribute resources
Ensure proper storage and
distribution of documents
Ascertain product support
requirements
Oversee closing of project
notebook and other books
Primary
Duties of
Project
Leader

36. Project closure checklist