Projektabschluss

A project is not finished when we are satisfied. It is finished when it works without us, when the client understands it, can use it and formally signs it off. By finalisation we mean quality control, a clean hand-over and a clean close, including the operational after-run that many underestimate.

Fresh eyes see more.

Before something goes out, we proactively get the final design critique in the team. After days or weeks in a project you miss details. Set aside two to four hours. Show the work. Collect feedback. Document what you adapt and what stays on purpose. If something is unclear, ask. If something is wrong, fix it now. Not after the hand-over.

Everything against the briefing.

Check every deliverable against the briefing in Basecamp. Is everything there that was agreed? Do links, files, exports work? Are typefaces, colours and assets in Figma named and organised correctly? If you are unsure, talk to the PM. What you hand over has to work without explanation. Not “ask me if you cannot find it”.

Hand-over is more than a folder.

Prepare the hand-over so that it is understood. That can be a short readme, a video walkthrough or a structured folder in Drive with clear naming. Show the final version. Clarify last questions. Get the formal sign-off. In writing. A mail with “Approved” or “Freigegeben” is enough. Without written sign-off the project is not final.

Tidy, secure, close.

After the hand-over we tidy up. Figma files, the Basecamp project, the Drive folder: all in one place, organised so that someone else can work with it in six months. Delete nothing. Mark clearly what is final and what was a work in progress.

If possible, you briefly document your learnings: What went well? What would we do differently next time? Three to five bullet points in Basecamp are enough. No obligatory retrospective. Fast knowledge capture.

Make sure all hours worked are recorded in Everhour and open cards on the Basecamp board are set to “Done”. Then accounting can do the rest.

The loop closes.

A good project does not end with the file. It ends with clarity: for the client, for the team, for the next project. Whoever closes cleanly here makes the next start easier, for everyone.