Create a structured plan for the closing phase of the project life cycle

Unit 1 [GM594] Page 1 of 3
Unit 1 Assignment: Planning the End of a Project
In this Assignment, you will be assessed based on the following outcome:
GM594-1: Create a structured plan for the closing phase of the project life cycle.
In this Assignment you will prepare a plan for the closing phase of the project life cycle and then analyze a
specific project to determine the extent to which all elements of the plan were executed. Please note that
many project managers often fail to close projects. When this happens, procurements may stay open, and
lessons learned are ignored. The point here is that properly closing projects is a best practice that must be
followed.
Prepare a 5–7 page APA 6th edition style paper with the following titled sections:
? Introduction
? Overview of Project
Select a project from your experience or from your research in the Library or the internet. Describe the
project.
? Project Closing Phase Plan
Prepare and populate a table that follows the model below and contains all column headings, row
identifiers, and the words listed in the second column. Expand the third column as required to contain
the necessary text. Populate the table you create so that there are no blank cells. Embed the table you
create and fully populate in accordance with these instructions in your document in the titled “Project
Closing Phase Plan” section so that it is visible and readable without the reader referring to other files
or manipulating or opening any embedded objects or links.
Note: You must create the table using the Insert Table function in Microsoft® Word or by creating a table in
Excel and moving it to your Word document. The below table is for instructional purposes only. It is not a
template for you to modify or use in creating your paper. You may need to use the section break and
landscape layout functions in MS Word to ensure your reader can clearly read all elements of your table.
Activity
Area
Numerical
Identifier
Closing Phase Activity Area
Brief summary of actions
that should have been
taken in this area for this
specific project
Estimated
duration
of time
needed
Predecessors
(Use Numerical
Identifier)
1 Procurements
2 Quality
3 Contracts
4 Team member performance
reviews
5 Stakeholder communications
6 Cost
7 Lessons Learned
Unit 1 [GM594] Page 2 of 3
? Procurements
? Quality
? Contracts
? Team member performance reviews
? Stakeholder communications
? Cost
? Lessons Learned
? Conclusion
In each of the above titled sections, explain in detail what should have been done in this area for this
specific project in the closing phase of the project life cycle: Procurements, Quality, Contracts, Team
Member Performance Reviews, Stakeholder Communications, Cost, and Lessons Learned. Analyze
and discuss the extent to which these actions were taken. Discuss the impact on stakeholders if the
actions were not taken.
Components
? Title page formatted in APA 6th edition style with the following information: Title of the paper,
your name, course number and section number, and date.
? A table of contents using the following headers: Introduction, Procurements, Quality,
Contracts, Team Member Performance Reviews, Stakeholder Communications, Cost,
Lessons Learned, Conclusion, and References.
? A minimum of three scholarly journal and textbook source references cited and credited
according to APA 6th edition formatting style using a minimum of six in-text citations. With
help with APA, go to the Writing Center under Academic Tools.
? The paper should be focused and to the point, containing between 600–800 words (minimum
5-pages) specific to the table of contents items, excluding references.
Directions for Submitting Your Assignment
Provide responses in a MS Word document. To submit your Unit 1 Assignment, go to the Unit 1
Assignment Dropbox link and follow the instructions. Make sure that you save a copy of each of the
tools you submit.
Unit 1 [GM594] Page 3 of 3
GM594 Unit 1 Assignment: Planning the End of a Project
Content (50 pts.) Points
Possible
Points
Earned
Selected and clearly described a specific real-world project. 13
Accurately created the specified table. 13
Populated all cells of the table with substantive, logical content. 12
Included all titled sections specified in the Assignment instructions. 12
Analysis (30 pts.)
Explained in detail what actions should have been taken for the
specified project relative to each of the closing phase activity areas
specified in the instructions.
Analyzed the extent to which these actions were taken.
Discussed the impact on stakeholders if the actions were not taken.
20
The key points of the paper were summarized and synthesized in a
concise and clear conclusion paragraph.
10
Writing (20 pts.)
Grammatical skills are strong with typically less than one error per
page. Correct use of APA 6th edition.
6
Appropriate to the Assignment, fresh (interesting to read), accurate,
(no far-fetched, unsupported comments), precise (say what you
mean), clear introduction and conclusion, and concise (not wordy).
8
Paper is in 12-point font and double-spaced. Paper is free of serious
errors; grammar, punctuation, and spelling help to clarify the meaning
by following accepted conventions. At least three scholarly journal and
textbook sources are cited and referenced in APA 6th edition format.
Content is between 600–800 words (at least 5-pages) specific to the
table of content items (excluding references).
6
Total 100