When the project is finished, the closeout phase must be implemented

When the project is finished, the closeout phase must be implemented as planned. "A general rule is that project closing should take no more than 2% of the total

effort required for the project" (Crawford, 2002, p163). The project management literature has many different sets of actions for the last phase of the project life

cycle. Maylor (2005, p345) groups the necessary activities into a six step procedure, which can differ depending on the size and the scope of the project:

First of all, the project manager must ensure the project is 100% complete. Young (2003, p256) noticed that in the closeout phase "it is quite common to find a number

of outstanding minor tasks from early key stages still unfinished. They are not critical and have not impeded progress, yet they must be completed". Furthermore, some

projects need continuing service and support even after they are finished, such as IT projects. While it is helpful when this demand is part of the original statement

of requirements, it is often part of the contract closeout. Rosenau and Githens (2005, p300) suggest that "the contractor should view continuing service and support as

an opportunity and not merely as an obligation" since they can both learn from each other by exchanging ideas.

2. Documentation
Mooz et. al (2003, p160) defines documentation as "any text or pictorial information that describe project deliverables". The Interim Management Provider importance of documentation is emphasized

by Pinkerton (2003, p329) who notes that "it is imperative that everything learned during the project, from conception through initial operations, should be captured

and become an asset". A detailed documentation will allow future changes to be made without extraordinary effort since all the aspects of the project are written down.

Documentation is the key for well-organized change of the project owner, i.e. for a new investor that takes over the project after it is finished. Lecky-Thompson

(2005, p26) makes a distinction between the documentation requirements of the internal and the external clients since the external party usually needs the documents

for audit purposes only. Despite the uninteresting nature of documenting historical data, the person responsible for this task must engage actively with his

assignment.