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PMP Question: Project Closing vs Adding New Features with Remaining Budget

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MOHAMED MOHAMED Program Management| arabian services company Ltd HAFR AL BATIN, 4, Saudi Arabia

Hi everyone,

I would like to get your perspective on the following PMP-style question.

The project has met all agreed product requirements and is currently in the closing phase. There is still time remaining in the schedule and some budget left. Additionally, several product supporters are interested in continuing to add more features.

The question is:

What should the project manager do?

One answer suggests formally closing the project and releasing remaining resources, while another suggests obtaining sponsor approval to add more features using the remaining budget.

From a PMI perspective, should the project manager strictly proceed with project closing since all requirements are met, or is it acceptable to extend the scope with sponsor approval in this situation?

I am particularly interested in understanding this based on PMI processes and exam mindset rather than real-world practice.

Thank you in advance for your insights.
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Rami Kaibni
Community Champion
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten Associates New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Mohamed, from my perspective, the project manager should proceed with formal project closure once all approved requirements have been met. Completing the defined scope means the project objectives are achieved, regardless of any remaining time or budget.

If stakeholders want to add more features, that represents new scope, not a continuation of the current project. The correct approach is to close the project and handle those additional requests through a new project, phase, or formal change process after closure, rather than extending the existing scope.

That said, in real life, especially in construction projects, sometimes owners may choose to implement upgrades if budget remains, but this must still go through a formal change control process.
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Michael King
Community Champion
Senior IS Project Manager| Baycare Health Systems Clearwater, Fl, United States
My recommendation is to complete your project close out and if the sponsor has some additional requirements you can suggest that they create a new project request.

A second option is to have the Requester submit a Project Change Request for the added scope (and also include any additional costs / time, if applicable).

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