What Are the Final 3 Phases of Project Management?

Every project reaches a point where the planning has to turn into something real. The first two phases, project initiation and project planning, set the direction, but they do not deliver anything on their own. The final three phases of project management complete the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) cycle, or process approach to business process management, through Project Execution, Project Monitoring and Control, and Project Review and Close.

Ask yourself a simple question: if a project is never formally closed, did it ever really finish? Plenty of teams build the deliverable and then drift on to the next thing, skipping the monitoring, the review, and the close-out that turn a one-off effort into repeatable knowledge. This article walks through those final three phases, what happens in each, and why the close is where the lasting value lives.

What Are the Final Phases of Project Management?

The final phases of project management are the execution, monitoring, and closing stages that follow initiation and planning. Where the first phases decide what to build and how, the final phases actually create the deliverables, keep them on track, and formally wind the project down. Together the five phases mirror the way most delivery frameworks describe the work; the Harvard Business Review lays out a similar view in its overview of the phases of project management.

The first phase in any project management process is Project Initiation. The second phase is Project Planning. Together the first two phases represent the seven “Ps” of planning: Proper Prior Planning Prevents a Pretty Poor Program. But you are not planning for planning’s sake. You need the deliverables, and those live in the project execution phase, followed by Project Monitoring and Control, and then Project Review and Close.

The Final 3 Phases of Project Management

The three phases below take the project from a set of plans to a finished, documented, and reviewed result. Each phase has a clear purpose, and each one hands off cleanly to the next.

Two team members reviewing design documents and a prototype during the project execution phase

Phase III: Project Execution

Project Execution is the first of the final three phases of project management. It consists of developing, executing, and creating or building the project deliverables. The hard core planning elements prepared you for what you have to create; now you have to create it. Your output at this phase could be design documents, prototypes, examples, samples, or actual product, which should be accompanied by verification test results that substantiate that the deliverables meet the requirements.

Typically project execution is a construction phase. In the case of a process improvement project, Project Execution consists of constructing the solution, or understanding the root cause and implementing the appropriate corrective action. Once the deliverables exist and have been verified, you move to Project Monitoring and Control.

Project monitoring and control dashboard on a desk monitor showing progress, risks, and status

Phase IV: Project Monitoring and Control

Project Monitoring and Control is the second of the final three phases of project management, and it consists of exactly that: monitoring and control. It is the last step of the six sigma DMAIC process and is critical for process improvement, because it confirms that the problem is really solved.

Key variables are monitored to determine whether they remain within tolerable ranges, so that your process improvements are maintained. In a custom home building project, monitoring might occur during the warranty period. The homeowner would monitor their new home and report issues that come up. Once the monitoring period is complete, you are ready for the Project Review and Close phase.

Phase V: Project Review and Close

Project Review and Close is the last of the final three phases of project management, and it consists of closing out the project. “I’m done with the project,” you’re thinking. “What else is there to do?” There are three important elements of closing out a well-managed project: final project housekeeping, project review, and the project close-out report.

Project housekeeping consists of the project tasks that wind down your project:

Complete final acceptance sign-offs;
Complete the project review;
Archive all project documents and records;
Recognize exceptional project achievements and discuss a project celebration event;
Return project resources, including people, facilities, and equipment;
Write the final status report and create the project close-out report; and
Communicate project successes and project management recommendations.

Project review is really what this phase is all about. You need to collect feedback from the project team (individually and as a group), management, the customer, and your suppliers. Project feedback is about knowledge management, capturing “lessons learned” for the sake of future projects. Make sure you identify project successes and problems for future project managers. One of them could be you.

People performing different functions on the project bring their own knowledge and experiences, and they each have a unique view of the project’s successes, failures, and possible solutions. They see and hear things others do not, and vice versa. Ensure that each project stakeholder group is represented, and participates, in your project review. Remember, it is the users’ view of the project and its deliverables, along with the view of the major stakeholders, that will live on long after your project is complete.

Project review and lessons-learned meeting with a team at a whiteboard capturing feedback

Important Project Review Questions To Ask

A structured project review works best when it is anchored to a consistent set of questions. Use these to draw out what worked, what did not, and what future project managers should know:

Do we have a list of what went wrong and why?
What do the customer satisfaction data say about our project?
Have all handoffs and project transitions to the customers been completed?
Are there any outstanding issues, activities, or risks?
Is technical support in place?
Was the project organization, including staffing and skills, appropriate?
Were the schedules effective?
Did the processes for change control, quality, and configuration management work well?
How effective was the project communication plan?
Were our success factors met?
How was our time and budget variance and performance?
What are the recommendations for future project managers?

Your Project Close-Out Report

The project manager is responsible for preparing your final deliverable for the project, the Project Close-Out Report. In the project review, the project manager obtained input from the project team and other major stakeholders. Now it is time for the project manager to organize the project review data into concise, cogent project information, harvest the project wisdom, and communicate the project results. The communication has to be delivered in a punctilious manner, because the team cannot afford gaffes at the expense of the many stakeholders and clientele involved.

The project close-out report represents your stakeholders’ final thoughts on the project. It starts with summary descriptions from your project charter, an explanation of project performance, operations management issues, and documentation archives, and it concludes with your project recommendations for future projects. You may include a list of project close-out items that demonstrates the project housekeeping activities are complete.

Your project sponsor approves your report and you are done, right? Almost. You must distribute the report, too. A close-out report typically captures:

Project title, date, and author;
Project description, goals, and benefits (from the project charter);
Performance baseline (target versus actual);
Operations management handoffs and issues;
Project documentation archives;
Lessons learned and recommendations;
Project close-out checklist; and
Approvals.

Manager preparing and reviewing a printed project close-out report at a desk

Documenting project review data is not enough. You must share the project successes and lessons learned with others in your organization. Consider adding this information to your project management procedure. Use your project close-out report to establish or continue your knowledge management process, so the lessons learned are there for the benefit of future projects.

The 5 Stages of Project Management

The first two stages are project initiation and project planning. At this point, you know the final three phases of project management, execution, monitoring and control, and project close, and your project management event is complete. If you diligently follow the PDCA cycle, then your project management process regularly improves and is ready for the next project.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the final three phases of project management?

The final three phases are Project Execution, Project Monitoring and Control, and Project Review and Close. They follow project initiation and project planning, and together they complete the Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle.

What happens during the project execution phase?

Project execution is where the team develops and builds the project deliverables. The output can be design documents, prototypes, samples, or actual product, accompanied by verification test results that substantiate that the deliverables meet the requirements.

Why is project monitoring and control important?

Monitoring and control keeps key variables within tolerable ranges so that process improvements are maintained. It is the last step of the six sigma DMAIC process and confirms that the problem is really solved rather than temporarily patched.

What is included in a project close-out report?

A close-out report includes the project title, date, and author, the description, goals, and benefits from the project charter, the performance baseline of target versus actual, operations handoffs, documentation archives, lessons learned and recommendations, a close-out checklist, and approvals.

Why does the project review phase matter so much?

The project review captures lessons learned for future projects. Gathering feedback from the team, management, the customer, and suppliers turns a single project into knowledge that the organization can reuse, which is the lasting value of a well-managed close.