Unit 5 IP: Handing Over A Project To A New Project Manager

Potter (2010, slide 3) offers these recommendations when handing over a project to another project manager:

• Even when the project appears to be completed there might be as much as 25% of the original costs involved in putting things right, rework and so forth
• The three aspects of project afterlife show how successful the project leader and manager has been in terms of:
  • Ensuring that the client organisation is linked into the project so that they can use it effectively
  • Auditing the project life cycle and processes and building on strengths to minimize the impact of weaknesses
  • Dismantling the project team and celebrating the success of the project
• Letting go of a project at its winding up is not always easy

He also recommends you (Porter, 2010):

Document the learning

Record  best practices and project information

Summarize the effectiveness of the project process

Francis (2015) provides this checklist to follow when handing over a project:

• Project documentation (risk and issue logs, project plan and charter, project schedule, etc.)
• All documents involved in initial project plans
• Change requests throughout the project
• Financial reports and processes
• Deliverables of the project have been accepted by both the client or sponsor
• Project status reports have been reviewed with your team and are up to date
• Financial reports and processes complete
• A list of contacts and their job roles
• Staff evaluation and performance reports completed
• Introduce the new Project Manager to team members and stakeholders
• Suggest next steps for the new Project Manager