Task Descriptor: Prepare for Phase Close-Out
This task describes how to prepare the project for the end of a phase, and prepare materials for the Lifecycle Milestone Review.
Relationships
Performing RolesMain: Additional: Assisting:
InputsMandatory: Optional: External:
Outputs
Steps
Check Status of Required Work Products

The Project Manager will check each of the work products required for the phase end, using information from the latest Iteration Assessment and Status Assessment. Where there are open issues or problems that the Project Manager believes would prevent a successful Lifecycle Milestone Review, work is initiated to resolve them, before the work products are distributed to the stakeholders.

Work Products Required

Schedule Configuration Audits

If required, the Project Manager arranges for functional and physical configuration audits to be conducted according to  Perform Configuration Audit .

Conduct a Phase Post-Mortem Review

Once any tasks triggered by Check Status of Required Work Products have been completed, the Iteration Assessment can be amended to reflect the improved state. A post-mortem review is then held to determine whether the project is ready for the Lifecycle Milestone Review. The Iteration Assessment for the previous iteration, and the Issues List are again examined to make sure any residual issues are understood and it will be acceptable to the stakeholders to carry them forward. If any product was delivered to the customer for operational use in the current phase, then ensure that any required installation, training and transition tasks have progressed acceptably.

If the phase end is also the end of the current contract (with the intent to re-contract for the next phase), the Project Manager will settle the project's finances, making sure all payments have been received and all suppliers and subcontractors paid. Organizational policy or other regulatory requirement may also require a more formal audit process at contract termination, covering the project's finances, budgeting process, and assets.

The Project Manager produces a Status Assessment that captures the results of the phase post-mortem review and the configuration audits, in preparation for the  Lifecycle Milestone Review.

Distribute Work Products to Stakeholders

Some time before the Lifecycle Milestone Review is to scheduled to be held, the Project Manager provides all stakeholders with copies of the work products which are to be considered at the Lifecycle Milestone Review. In a very formal contractual environment, the delivery of work products may well be contractually required to occur some weeks before the review. However, the Rational Unified Process recommends that the stakeholders be involved and engaged in the project to such a degree (in joint technical and management reviews, for example) that these deliveries should not be controversial; the stakeholders would already be familiar with the delivered material. They will have visibility of the evolution of the work products through the project's iterations. Even so, given the formal nature of these deliveries, the Deployment discipline will ensure that proper regard is given to packaging, labeling, installation, transition, and so on.

Work Products Required

Complete Lifecycle Milestone Review Action Items

There may be some remaining actions following the Lifecycle Milestone Review, and sanction to begin the next phase may be conditional upon these. The Project Manager initiates work to resolve these items.



Properties
Multiple Occurrences
Event-Driven
Ongoing
Optional
Planned
Repeatable