Project Termination

"Project Termination"

Project termination activities recognize key learning's from the project, acknowledge the client's development, and identify next steps for you and your client. They also help to avoid "project creep" where the project never ends because the requirements for success keep expanding.

Possible Organizational Development Activities ("Interventions") to Use in Change Management Processes. The field of Organization Development uses a variety of processes, approaches, methods, techniques, applications, etc., (these are often termed "interventions") to address organizational issues and goals in order to increase performance.

How People Choose Organizational Development Activities. There are no standard activities that always successfully address certain types of issues in organizations. Many times, the success of a project lies not with having selected the perfect choice of activities, but rather with how honest and participative people were during the project, how much they learned and how open they were to changing their plans for change.

However, there are some basic considerations that most people make when selecting from among the many choices for organizational development, or capacity building, activities. Considerations include:

First, does the change-management method (if one was used) suggest what organizational development activities to use now, for example, the method of strategic management might suggest that a SWAT analysis be done, strategic goals be established along with action plans for each goal, and then implementation of the action plans be closely monitored. Is the activity most likely to address the findings from the discovery, that is, to solve the problems or achieve the goals? To find out, review any research about use of the activity, discuss the potential outcomes with experts and also with members of the organization. Consider posing your questions in online groups of experts about change. Does the nature of the activity match the culture of the organization? The best way to find out is to discuss the activity with members of the organization. Does the change agent and key members of the organization have the ability to conduct the activity?

For example, techno structural and strategic interventions sometimes require technical skills that are not common to many people. Does the activity require more time to conduct than the time available in which to address the problem or goal?

For example, a cash crisis requires immediate attention, so while a comprehensive strategic planning process might ultimately be useful, the four to five months to do that planning is impractical. Does the client's organization have the resources that are necessary to conduct the activity, considering resources such as funding, attention and time from people and facilities.