After months of work, a project is cancelled. The sponsor pressures the project manager to finish closeout quickly and instructs the team not to spend time archiving project artifacts. How should the project manager respond?

The correct answer is to consult with the Project Management Office (PMO) for guidance. Project closure, including archiving project artifacts, is a critical process that ensures organizational learning, legal compliance, and future reference. The PMO typically defines and enforces organizational project management standards and procedures, including those for project closure. By consulting the PMO, the project manager can highlight the sponsor's request, understand the potential risks of not archiving, and determine the appropriate course of action in line with organizational policies. Archiving on a local computer is insufficient and insecure. Recording the sponsor's instructions as the sole archive does not fulfill the purpose of archiving project artifacts. Following the sponsor's request without consulting the PMO would be a dereliction of professional responsibility and could expose the organization to risks.