Similar to a project, a program has its own life cycle from start to completion. It is born; it lives; and eventually it dies. And when it dies, the joy of discovery and the excitement of team compositions are about to be history. Nevertheless, the closure process is never easy, as administrative dislocation is often an issue. A program faces termination either because its charter has been fulfilled or conditions arise that bring the program to an early close. In the former, the closure begins after a phase - gate review of the delivery of program benefits, where the product is delivered, accepted by the customer, and/or transited into an operation. In the latter, the program is stopped because it may be unsuccessful or has been superseded. VACATION TIME, ALMOST James Powell is more than ready to take a long vacation in Hawaii with his family. He just needs to finish his work, go back home, and catch the flight! This sounds simple, but the work still keeps James busy at his office even now, at 6:30 PM on Friday. James is a program manager, who has been managing a new product development program for six months, and now it is about time to cease it. Even though the program is almost completed, James still needs to prepare checklist of what needs to be done during his program closure. He wishes it could be just a list of things to see in Hawaii. James knows that projects under the program expect to be closed before the program is terminated. And the program closure should capture important information such as lessons learned and customer ' s sign - off. He also knows that the formal acceptance of the program should be achieved by reviewing the program scope and the closure documents of the program, and by reviewing the results of any verification of deliverables against the program requirements. All of this will help James learn about things that lead to success and/or failure for future programs in the company. 330 CASE STUDIES As he is going through the documents, James starts jotting down some notes: Assure all deliverables have been completed and the program completion criteria have been met. Obtain customer sign - off or an agreement that the program has finished and that no more work will be carried out. Review significant feedback from customers. Release the program resources to other programs. Analyze the program results including lessons learned, which address the following: Did the delivered product/solution meet the business requirements and objectives? What did we miss? What did we learn from this program, strategically and operationally? Was the customer satisfied? What did they like? What did ' t they like? Was the program schedule met? Could schedule pull - in opportunities be identified for future programs? Was the program completed within its budget forecast? Could cost reduction opportunities be identified for future programs? Were the risks identified and mitigated? Could it be used for future programs? What could have been done differently? Assure the lessons learned results have been shared in appropriate venues. Assure all required documents have been archived. Celebrate the program completion! James thinks his list is comprehensive enough. Now it ' s time to go home.

Please answer the Quiz related to this case

This case is about Required to answer. Single choice.

(1 Point)

Project closure and expectations

Project initiation and closure

Project closing and lesson learned

Project closing and checklist

2.

Which one is an issue related to project closing?Required to answer. Single choice.

(1 Point)

Remuneration of staff

Displacement of staff

Motivation of staff

Availability of staff

3.

Phase gate review is generally initiated before closing in the case ofRequired to answer. Single choice.

(1 Point)

Charter has been met

Premature termination

Completion of one phase

All of them

4.

How can you improve the checklist? (Choose as many as apply)Required to answer. Multiple choice.

(1 Point)

Specifying lists for all individual projects under the program

Specifying closing process

Categorizing the list for better understanding

All of them

5.

What should be included in the project closing checklist? (Choose the best answer)Required to answer. Single choice.

(1 Point)

Risk assessment is completed

Program schedule met

Project performance and completion requirement

Project cost and scheduling requirement

6.

Staff demobilization should be included in the:Required to answer. Single choice.

(1 Point)

Closing process initiation

Closing acceptance criteria

Closing checklist

Final acceptance checklist

7.

Who should be involved in the project closing process?Required to answer. Single choice.

(1 Point)

All stakeholders

Project manager, team leaders, client, and sponsor

Suppliers and customers

All of them

8.

Which one is the key aspect of program termination?Required to answer. Single choice.

(1 Point)

All programs are completed and handed over

Project requirement is met and accepted

Project has initiated closing process

All projects are completed and handed over

9.

Project postmortem is necessary.Required to answer. Single choice.

(1 Point)

To ensure profitability

To keep project on track

For system closing of the project

To prevent mistakes in the future

10.

The project closure process should include the following (check as many as apply)Required to answer. Multiple choice.

(1 Point)

Review program scope

Lessons learned

Customer's acceptance

Capture important information