Essential Activities During Project Closure
A project manager is closing a project that was delivered on time and within budget. The customer has accepted the final deliverable. Which THREE activities should the project manager complete during project closure?
Quick Answer
The answer is to archive project documents, finalize lessons learned, and release resources. These three activities are essential during project closure because they directly fulfill the formal close-out process defined in the PMBOK Guide, ensuring that organizational process assets are updated, knowledge is captured for future projects, and team members are transitioned off the project. On the Project Management Professional PMP exam, this question tests your understanding of the Closing Process Group, specifically that the project manager’s responsibilities include administrative closure and resource release, while contract closure and final payment are typically handled by procurement or finance. A common trap is confusing the project manager’s role with procurement tasks—remember that the PM ensures acceptance and documentation, not necessarily the payment itself. A useful memory tip is “LAR”: Lessons learned, Archive, Release resources—the three pillars of project closure.
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse the Close Procurements process (which includes options B and C) with the Close Project or Phase process, leading them to select procurement-related activities instead of the three core closure activities (lessons learned, releasing resources, and archiving documents).
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Conduct a lessons learned session with the team and stakeholders
A is correct because conducting a lessons learned session is a key activity in the Close Project or Phase process, as defined in the PMBOK Guide. This session captures knowledge from the project's technical execution, such as how the team met the on-time and within-budget constraints, and ensures that insights are documented for future projects. It is a formal requirement to improve organizational process assets and prevent repeating mistakes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Conduct a lessons learned session with the team and stakeholders
Why this is correct
Correct because conducting a lessons learned session is a key activity in the Close Project or Phase process, capturing knowledge for future projects.
- ✗
Process final payment to vendors and suppliers
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect because processing final payment is part of the Close Procurements process, not the Close Project or Phase process.
- ✗
Close all procurement contracts formally
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect because formally closing procurement contracts belongs to the Close Procurements process, while the Close Project or Phase process focuses on lessons learned, resource release, and archiving.
- ✓
Release project resources (team members, equipment)
Why this is correct
Correct because releasing project resources (both team members and equipment) is a required activity during project closure.
- ✓
Archive project documents and update the organizational process assets
Why this is correct
Correct because archiving project documents and updating organizational process assets are standard closure activities to preserve knowledge.
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Same concept, more angles
6 more ways this is tested on PMP
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. You are closing a project that has delivered all scope successfully. Which THREE activities are essential to complete during the project closure phase?
easy- A.Conduct a performance review for each team member.
- ✓ B.Obtain formal acceptance of the final deliverables from the customer.
- ✓ C.Release project resources and communicate their reassignment.
- ✓ D.Archive project documents and update the organizational process assets.
- E.Update the project schedule with actual finish dates.
Why B: Project closure involves formal acceptance, archiving, and releasing resources. Lessons learned are documented throughout the project but are also reviewed at closure. These are key closure activities per PMI.
Variation 2. A project manager is closing a project. Which of the following should be done during project closure?
easy- A.Obtain formal sign-off from the customer
- B.Hold a lessons learned session
- ✓ C.All of the above
- D.Release project resources
Why C: Project closure requires all three activities: obtaining formal sign-off from the customer to confirm acceptance of deliverables, holding a lessons learned session to capture knowledge for future projects, and releasing project resources to reassign the team. The PMBOK Guide defines these as key outputs of the Close Project or Phase process, ensuring both administrative and contractual closure are completed.
Variation 3. A project manager is closing a phase of a large project. What is the most important activity to perform during phase closure?
easy- A.Release all project resources to new assignments.
- ✓ B.Conduct a lessons learned session with the team and document findings.
- C.Update the project management plan for the next phase.
- D.Obtain formal acceptance of deliverables from the customer.
Why B: Conducting a lessons learned session and documenting findings is the most important activity during phase closure. This ensures that knowledge gained from the current phase is captured and can be applied to improve processes in subsequent phases or future projects. In the context of managing technical aspects, this includes documenting technical decisions, architectural changes, and integration issues that arose during the phase, which directly informs the technical planning for the next phase.
Variation 4. A project manager is closing a project. Several lessons learned were documented throughout the project. What should the PM do with the lessons learned?
medium- A.Include them in the final project report and then discard them
- B.Archive them in the project file for reference only
- ✓ C.Submit them to the PMO for inclusion in the organizational process assets
- D.Distribute them to the project team for their personal development
Why C: Lessons learned are a key input to organizational process assets (OPA). Submitting them to the PMO ensures they are formally captured, stored, and made available for future projects, enabling continuous process improvement. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's guidance on updating OPAs during project closure.
Variation 5. Order the steps for closing a project or phase.
medium- ✓ A.Verify deliverables → Report on project performance → Obtain sign-off → Release resources → Review lessons learned
- B.Obtain sign-off → Release resources → Verify deliverables → Report on project performance → Review lessons learned
- C.Review lessons learned → Verify deliverables → Report → Obtain sign-off → Release resources
- D.Verify deliverables → Obtain sign-off → Report → Release resources → Review lessons learned
Why A: Project closure: verify deliverables, report, obtain sign-off, release resources, and review lessons.
Variation 6. A project is nearing completion. The project manager is preparing for project closure. Which of the following is the most important activity to complete during project closure?
easy- ✓ A.Obtain formal acceptance of the project deliverables from the customer.
- B.Archive all project documents and lessons learned.
- C.Conduct a final team meeting to celebrate the project's success.
- D.Update the project management plan to reflect final status.
Why A: Obtaining formal acceptance from the customer is a key closure activity. Option A is correct because it ensures the deliverables meet requirements and the project is officially closed.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PMP practice question is part of Courseiva's free PMI certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PMP exam.