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the business risks associated with neglecting the processes and activities that should be performed as part of the closing phase of a BPO project start-up, prior to its implementation. The inherent dynamics of the fast-paced and competitive business environment where business process outsourcing (BPO) services companies operate does not allow project teams much time to properly close their projects. Specifically for BPO project start-ups, a closing phase is usually limited to obtaining the clients formal acceptance of the solution requested, testing of the solution in a live environment and then handing over its implementation to the operations team. In view of the above, it is important to note the learning opportunity BPO services companies are missing by not performing formal closing processes when completing a project and also the business risks associated with this. The closing phase of a BPO project should not be limited to getting the clients acceptance of the solutions developed and their correspondent implementation strategies; it should rather be the starting point for activities that would provide valuable information for the organization, such as compiling all project documentation, conducting a post-implementation audit and a final project report (Wysocki, 2009). In my experience managing BPO project start-ups, compiling all project documentation is always a painful endeavor. When the moment comes to hand over the project to the operational team that will run it, all the documentation available is scattered in e-mails, lengthy reports sent to the client and specific reports from each department involved (HR, IT, Finance, Quality, Training, etc.); hence, what the operations manager receives is a handful of these files that, supported by a short debriefing meeting, should help him run the project. All documentation should be collected and organized during a project because it serves as a reference for any future updates or changes to the solution developed, as a source of historical data for future projects, as a training resource for new project managers, as a training and development resource for the project team, and as reference for performance evaluation of team members. It is advisable to designate a team member in charge of keeping and periodically updating a project notebook, ensuring it is easily accessible to the team members (Wysocki, 2009). Perhaps the most difficult processes for a project team to commit to doing are a post-implementation audit and writing a final report or memory of the project. As a BPO project start-up approaches to its closing phase, members of the project team might have already started focusing on their next assignment, and have no time to go over activities about something they consider successfully delivered. However difficult, these two processes are designed to extract valuable information to be used in other projects, especially in a project-based business such as the BPO services. Answering key questions that address lessons learnt about the project management methodology, what worked and what didnt would provide the company with insight on their project managers and teams. Also, obtaining the unbiased participation of the client in the attesting of the memory of the project adds to its accuracy and validity (Wysocki, 2009). Reference List Wysocki, R.K. (2009) How to Close a Project. In: Wysocki, R.K. Effective Project Management: Traditional, Agile, Extreme. Indianapolis: Wiley Publishing, pp.283-293.