projectreviews

Projectreviews are systematic evaluations of a project conducted at predefined points during its life cycle to assess alignment with objectives, performance against plans, and readiness to proceed. The term is used broadly across industries, including software development, construction, and research projects. Reviews focus on scope, schedule, budget, quality, risk, and stakeholder satisfaction, and they inform decision-making by sponsors and governance bodies.

A typical project review is planned at key milestones or gates, such as initiation, major design milestones, prior to production deployment, and after implementation. The process involves preparation by the project team, data collection (status reports, metrics, risk logs), a review meeting with participants (project sponsor, project manager, team leads, and often an independent reviewer), and a written report with findings, recommendations, and action items. Outcomes may include continuing as planned, adjusting scope or schedule, reallocating resources, adding controls, or stopping the project.

Standards and methods vary by organization but common frameworks include formal stage-gate reviews, health checks, and post-implementation reviews. Many organizations use established project management standards (PMBOK, PRINCE2, ISO 21500) to structure reviews, though practices range from lightweight check-ins to rigorous independent audits.

Benefits of projectreviews include improved governance, early risk detection, alignment with objectives, and improved stakeholder communication. Critics argue they can be bureaucratic, time-consuming, or biased, and their usefulness depends on independence, quality of data, and timely follow-up on recommendations.

See also: stage-gate, post-implementation review, project governance.