Need to Know: Project Closeout In a Nutshell

PSMJ Resources, Inc.
Posted on: 12/11/18
Written by: PSMJ Resources, Inc.

downloadsp

If we had to sum up the most critical aspects of an architecture/engineering project closeout, it would look something like this:

1. The key to success is to use checklists — lots of checklists. When planning the other phases of the project, there is usually some logical sequence to completing the tasks. Most of this disappears during the final 10 percent. Your focus should now shift to crossing off items on various checklists until none remain.

2. Don’t allow anyone to work on any item that is not on the checklist. This is extremely important. People will always find something more interesting to do than close out punchlist items. These distractions waste the budget and do nothing to complete the project. Insist on frequent meetings, sometimes several times a day, to keep the focus on closeout.

3. Build your firm’s intellectual capital through “lessons learned.” At the end of each project,collect the lessons learned by the project team and work them into improving the firm’s processes. Perform the project completion analysis and document what went well and what did not. Be a learning organization — don’t repeat past mistakes.

4. Make every effort to safeguard the project records. If trying to find the back-up calculation fora certain structure is difficult when the project is in the design phase, it’s impossible five years later!Leaving all your project records in file cabinets until someone else needs the cabinets is not records management.

5. Don’t forget to ask for a referral from your client. Make sure this is a routine event at the closeout of every project. Get the referral on the client’s official letterhead, signed by the most senior manager possible. Remember, you can always say you did something, but having it in writing from your client is proof you did.

6. Plan your project completion party at the start of the project. Successful project teams start by planning for success, then they execute the plan. If the project schedule indicates the completion party as a separate milestone, the team is looking forward to success. Make sure you allocate budget to make it happen.

PM-Bootcamp-2018-1Looking for more PM tips: PSMJ’s A/E/C Project Management Bootcampprovides PMs with knowledge and tools that they need to perform better, more efficiently, and with greater attention to client service. 

Register Now!

 

 

For more project management tips, checkout these PSMJ blog posts:

What Are The Traits Of The Best Project Managers?

10 Things Every Project Manager Must Know


Are You a Project Manager or Project Admin?

Refuting Three Common Manager Complaints

SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG:
July 3, 2025

AEC Transaction News

June 30, 2025 – Irvine, CA – Westwood Professional Services, a national multidiscipline engineering firm, announces the acquisition of CSRS, a Louisiana-based provider of public..

Read More
July 3, 2025

PSMJ's Buyers

Looking to Meet a Buyer? PSMJ works with buyers from across the industry and is happy to make an introduction. Below is a list of PSMJ Buyers that are actively looking to meet the..

Read More
July 3, 2025

Are You Ready? Will You Go In, Out, or Somewhere in Between? —A Recap of Our Latest Webinar

Dear Insider,With the holiday weekend ahead, we leave you with the most distilled answers to the questions every owner is facing about their exit strategy. Too many firm owners in..

Read More