4 - 5. Handover and close phases
Was the project a success and is it ready to transition to business as usual (BAU)? Provide a handover to business leads. Give guidance on how to sustain the changes. Review achievements against the objectives and success criteria in the business case.
Contact us
Use our Slack channel #making-change-happen to collaborate, share best practice and get support.
Central Project Management Office (PMO)
Using our templates and tools
Pick and choose depending on the scale of your project. We've got document templates for small and large projects.
At the end of these phases...
You've completed a handover including recommended principles for continuous improvement. You've shared lessons learned and archived documents. The sponsor knows the project is closed. Great work!
Handover phase
1. Handover outstanding deliverables
Complete a handover to business leads. This should include any outstanding deliverables or BAU work.
- Handover template (large projects)
- Smaller-scale projects can use the same template but may not need as much detail
2. Lessons learned (part 1)
Identify and share lessons learned. Learn from opportunities and challenges, so they can be taken into newer projects.
This is also a perfect moment to reflect and celebrate on success. Here are some ideas for celebrating project success (liquidplanner.com).
Ready for the final phase? Again this is where your project sponsor comes in. They should review everything from this phase and provide approval that the project is ready to close.
Close phase
3. Close the project
Review achievements against the business case objectives and success criteria.
- Project closure report (large projects)
- Smaller-scale projects may not need this
4. Lessons learned (part 2)
Expand on any lessons learned. Use the same document template from step 2 of the handover phase above.
5. Archive materials and documentation
Archive all documents. Update any project web pages, close down any digital resources or information platforms that are no longer needed. Make sure to follow Data Protection and GDPR guidance or rules.
Guidance on change management
While the project may have finished embedding the change into day-to day work can take time.
Use our guides and resources to help embed the change and support staff through the transition.
Explore the project phases
Contact us
Use our Slack channel #making-change-happen to collaborate, share best practice and get support.
Central Project Management Office (PMO)