Do You Have A Battle Plan For Closeout?
Are you thinking about finishing at the start of your project? If not, why not?
“Projects are like war: quite easy to start and almost impossible to finish.” —Ricardo Vargas
This quote made me think this morning when I heard it on Ricardo’s Project Management YouTube channel. Specifically, two things jumped to mind:
First, we have to really think hard before committing to a project. Will we and, just as importantly, our upper management, sponsor, team, and stakeholders have enough force of will to continue if we start? Even when things get hard? Is the project worth doing—I mean, *really* worth doing? Will we get all the support we need? If so, then it’s worth committing to doing right, all the way through closeout, despite other pressures as they arise.
Second, closing requires a plan. A real, concrete, explicit plan that can be executed. We have to think about project closeout from the start of a project, and then literally build the project plan around completing on time, on budget, and delivering all the promised scope within quality requirements. In fact, everything we do on a project should be focused on a successful conclusion. Everything.
Your thoughts?
