What is it?
A project exit plan helps you think through the closure activities that need to take place once your change project is complete and the change has become part of business-as-usual activities.
This checklist helps you think through how you will:
- complete, hand over, or transition any outstanding activities
- communicate project closure with stakeholders
- capture learning and mobilise knowledge from the project
- finalise project management documentation
- close any relevant finances
- close any project specific governance arrangements
- capture ongoing impact and evaluate the project
- disband the project team
A rigorous approach to project closure will help to ensure that the outcomes and impact of the project are embedded and sustained.
When should it be used?
You may find it helpful to create a project exit plan early in the change cycle. It is about planning for completion at the start, not as an afterthought, to ensure the change will be sustained and the project does not continue indefinitely.
The actual implementation of the plan will take place as the project moves through the embed and sustain step of the change cycle.
Even if a change project is abandoned part way through the change cycle because the expected outcomes are not being achieved or for any other reason (eg project funding has ceased) it is good practice to ensure a project is formally closed so there is nothing left unfinished or outstanding.
A project exit plan is a “live” document, and you should review and update it throughout the project.
What are the benefits of using it and why use this tool?
A project exit plan helps to support process rigour by:
- ensuring continuity – helping to prevent an abrupt ending to a project and ensuring clear next steps
- maximising impact – ensuring that the impact of the change is sustained once the project has ended
- managing expectations – clearly communicating with stakeholders that change project is complete and that ownership for ongoing activities sits with local delivery teams