What must occur for a project manager to begin closing a project after deliverables have been approved?

For a project manager to begin closing a project, it is essential that stakeholders validate that the project has met all deliverables. This validation serves as confirmation that the project has fulfilled its objectives and that the delivered outcomes align with the agreed-upon expectations and requirements.

When stakeholders affirm that all deliverables have been met, it allows the project manager to proceed with the formal closure process, which includes activities such as finalizing project documentation, releasing resources, and conducting a lessons-learned retrospective. This step ensures that all aspects of the project are properly concluded and that stakeholders are satisfied before moving on.

The other options involve scenarios that do not directly lead to project closure. Product validation could happen at different points and is not solely a trigger for closure. New work initiated by change requests would imply that the project is still active rather than nearing completion. Team member sign-offs, while important for accountability, are not a formal requirement for concluding a project when stakeholder validation is established.