7.6.2.1 Conduct Project Evaluation

In this step the Project Manager has to assess how well the project fulfilled its objectives, the effectiveness of the project management processes and how well the project has performed against its Project Initiation Document including the originally planned cost, schedule, quality and tolerances.

At the outset, the Project Manager has to evaluate the project performance and the product’s effectiveness, that is to identify:

Then, the Project Manager has to evaluate: a) the Project Conformance that is to identify whether or not the project conformed to the processes defined in the Planning phase and b) the performance of the project team.

In order to evaluate the project performance and conformance, the product effectiveness and the performance of the project team, the Project Manager can use as guide the following list of questions. It should be noted that though special care has been given to create a list that can be used in almost all projects, it may need modifications to apply to the specific characteristics of certain projects.

Questions	Y/N	Comments17 [ In this column the Project Manager can determine what worked well and what could have been done better. In addition he/ she can provide recommendations for similar future projects. ]
PROJECT PERFORMANCE
Did the project achieve the benefits identified in the Business Case?
To what extent did the project achieve the objectives and goals stated in the Business Case?
How well did the scope of the project match what was defined in the Business Case and Project Fiche?
Were there any deviations in the project schedule?
Did the project finish as scheduled?
Were the initial resources assigned to the activities/ tasks sufficient for their implementation?
Did the project finished within budget?
Do the deliverables of the project meet the needs stated in the Business Case, Project Fiche (or Terms of Reference)?
Did the deliverables achieve the quality targets set in the Quality Plan?
Did the deliverables meet the acceptance criteria set in the Acceptance Plan?
How satisfied are you personally of the outcome of this project?
COST, SCOPE, SCHEDULE & QUALITY MANAGEMENT
Was a clear activities schedule outlined in the Project Plan?
Was the activities schedule re-baselined regularly during the implementation of the project?
Were estimates outlined in the Resource Schedule detailed enough?
Were all expense types identified in the Cost Plan?
Were all the expenses adequately quantified in the Cost Plan?
Were invoices and receipts kept for expenses incurred?
Were clear quality targets identified?
Was the quality plan effectively applied during the execution of the project?
How effective were the quality review processes?
Was there any product quality deviations recorded?
Were quality improvement actions actually undertaken?
ISSUE MANAGEMENT
Were the issue management processes properly used to manage issues?
Were all issues effectively managed?
Have all the open issues been closed?
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Were the change management processes properly used to manage changes to cost, schedule, scope or quality?
Were all approved changes implemented according to the appropriate procedures?
Were all changes applied prior to project closure?
Have cost, schedule, scope or quality changes been effectively managed?
RISK MANAGEMENT
Were all important project risks identified early in the project?
Were the team members effectively involved in the risk identification and risk control processes?
How well did the Risk Management Plan work?
How accurate were the risk probabilities defined in the Risk Log?
Was a clear mitigation plan outlined for each risk identified?
How well were the risks managed?
Were all risks recorded within the Risk Log?
How effectively was the Risk Log reviewed and updated?
Was the project affected by unforeseen risks?
ACCEPTANCE MANAGEMENT
How well were defined the acceptance criteria for each deliverable?
Were acceptance management roles formally defined?
How effective was the acceptance management process defined in the Acceptance Plan?
Were all planned acceptance tests undertaken adequately?
Was the time allocated for reviewing the deliverables (in order to be accepted) sufficient?
How well prepared was the Project Management Team to accept the deliverables?
Was an Acceptance Form completed for each deliverable?
Have all the deliverables produced been accepted by the Contracting Authority?
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT
Did the Communications Plan clearly identify the target audience, message and methods to be used?
Were the project team members meetings conducted regularly and effectively?
Was the Project Steering Committee kept regularly informed about the progress and the status of the project?
Were the Project Steering Committee’s meetings conducted regularly and effectively?
How well did the Communications Plan worked?
Was there a clear escalation path for urgent project matters?
Was the communication with stakeholders adequate and effective?
Was the project progress regularly communicated?
How useful was the content and format of the Project Status Report?
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
How well did any support tools work?
Have any training actions taken place in order to familiarize the project team with the management processes to be used? Was this training adequate?
How effectively were issues managed on the project?
Were all project decisions clearly documented and communicated?
Was the project perceived to be a success?
PERFORMANCE OF THE PROJECT TEAM
Was the project organization the appropriate one?
How effective was the Project Manager?
How effective was the Project Steering Committee?
How effective was each of the project team members in executing his responsibilities?
Did all the project team members have good understanding of the project and of their own role?

Depending on the size and type of the project, as well as on the structure of the Implementing Agency/ Contracting Authority the Project Manager could choose to take into consideration the views of the Project Team members, the Project Owner and other stakeholders concerning how successful the project and its end product(s) have been. In order to receive feedback from them, the Project Manager can prepare a questionnaire with the above questions and ask the internal and external stakeholders to complete it, expressing in writing their opinions/ assessment. Alternatively, the Project Manager instead of conducting a written survey, he/she could conduct it in person or over the telephone.

In case of projects that have been contracted out, the Project Evaluation Review is normally being conducted by the Contractor. More specifically, the Contractor uses as input the Tender Documents, the contract, the inception report, all the project management plans (project plan, risk plan, quality plan, communications plan etc), the progress reports and the formal approvals of the deliverables to assess both the project’s performance and the products’ effectiveness. The results of the evaluation are normally presented in a Report called Project Evaluation Report, which is considered as one of the most important deliverables of the project. During the evaluation process the Contractor may involve other key stakeholders, such as the Project Management Team of the Contracting Authority, in order to present a more objective assessment.

In case that result performance indicators have been set, the Project Manager should measure them during the closure phase and present their values in the Project Evaluation Report.

The process of Project Evaluation Review is also a good opportunity for looking back at the planning and execution phases of the project and track management and quality procedures, forms, techniques and tools that were used, which either made a significant contribution to the project’s achievements or caused a problem. As soon as the Project Manager has identified these procedures, tools and techniques, he/ she should include a Lessons Learned section in the Project Evaluation Report, which will give answers to the questions: “What should be done differently next time?”, “Which items can be of use in future projects?”. In this perspective, the Lessons Learned section will not only benefit the current project team but it might be very useful to Project Managers and team members of other projects being currently implemented or even those that may be starting in the future.

It is recommended to create a Lessons Learned Log at the start of the project. A note should be added every time that the project management team:

In this way, at the project closure phase, the Project Manager will only have to correlate all the notes taken and include them in the Project Evaluation Report.