Development Cooperation Handbook/Designing and Executing Projects/Project Execution and Control/Manage Acceptance of Deliverables

The goal of this task is to manage the acceptance by beneficiaries of the outputs (producs and services) delivered by the project. This implies the verification that in fact project outputs comply with the output quality specifications defined during the project planning fase. If these specifications were wrong, i.e. if during the planning the beneficiaries requirements were not properly analysed, managing the acceptance of deliverables become impossible and the project will fail to achieve its objectives.

The expected project outcomes are beyond the direct reach of the project activities performed by the project team and will be reached by the usage of project final outputs by project beneficiaries and other project stakeholders.

Activities-Outcomes-Impact

However an important part of project implementation is managing the acceptance of project final outputs so as to facilitate beneficiaries and other stakeholders to avail of project results and be empowered for easier solution of the identified problems (thereby for achieving the project results)

In the methodology section of the Project Plan Document there can be a sub-section dealing with the management of the acceptance process. If not it would be a good idea to agree on this procedure at a early phase of project execution. When then the issues happen there is already an establish and agreed pattern of how to cope with the issues. The acceptance management process plan documents:

• The definition of “acceptance”
• The criteria that must be met for each deliverable to be considered “acceptable”
• The number and identity of experts designated to be reviewers of each deliverable.
• The number and identity of other stakeholders designated to be approvers – approvers have the authority to sign the approval form, indicating acceptance.
• The number of work days in which deliverables must be either approved or rejected by the reviewers and approvers
• The number of times a deliverable can be resubmitted
• The escalation process that will be followed if a timely decision on approval or rejection of a deliverable is not met.

The acceptance management process must be followed throughout the project. As with the Change Control Process, the earlier in the life of the project the process begins, the sooner everyone will understand how it works and what to expect. The key to facilitating acceptance is first to understand Customer expectations, and then to meet them.

REMEMBER: Make a copy of the new baseline schedule and archive it in the project repository BEFORE you book new work to it! If you lose the baseline, you have nothing against which to compare later updates to see if your project is on track!

Acceptance begins when the Project Manager presents a completed deliverable and Project Deliverable Approval Form to the approver.

Templates

• Deliverable Management Process Plan
• Project deliverable approval form.