For organizations relying on digital project management tools, change is inevitable—whether it’s adopting new software, merging workflows, or responding to vendor decisions. One challenge often overlooked is the “sunsetting” of a project management tool: the vendor discontinues support, removes features, or announces a complete shutdown. This puts vital project data and business continuity at risk. Archiving your project management data before it’s too late is not just a best practice—it’s a necessity.

In this guide, we’ll cover why tool sunsetting occurs, common risks if you do not archive, and actionable steps to efficiently export and preserve your data from popular tools like Jira, Asana, Trello, ClickUp, and more.

Why Vendors Sunset Project Management Tools

Software vendors may sunset project management tools for several reasons:

  • Product consolidation: Companies streamline offerings after mergers or strategic pivots.
  • Maintenance costs: Legacy systems may be too costly to support.
  • Feature overlap: Older tools may duplicate newer platforms within the same company.
  • Market shifts: Lower market demand leads vendors to discontinue underperforming tools.

Recent examples include Atlassian sunsetting some server products and smaller players merging with competitors. When sunsetting happens, support and access may be phased out on strict timelines, with export options sometimes limited or time-restricted.

The Risks of Ignoring Tool Sunsetting

Not acting soon enough can lead to:

  • Data Loss: Once the platform is unavailable, retrieving tasks, documents, comments, and attachments may be impossible.
  • Compliance Breaches: Many industries require retention of project records for years. Inaccessible data could violate policies or regulations.
  • Business Continuity Gaps: Losing historical data can impact audits, ongoing projects, team onboarding, or customer communications.
  • Disorganized Migration: Rushed migrations often result in incomplete exports, broken references, and poor record-keeping.

Preparation is the only mitigation—waiting until service termination notices appear in your inbox is too late.

Key Steps to Archive Project Management Data Properly

Let’s break down a repeatable, strategic approach for safeguarding project data from sunsetting tools:

1. Audit Your Existing Project Data

First, inventory your workspace:

  • Identify all projects, boards, workspaces, and repositories.
  • Note external dependencies: linked files, automation, integrated applications, and user access.
  • Determine what data absolutely must be retained for compliance, operational needs, and historical value.

2. Review Vendor Export Options—Don’t Wait

Major project trackers like Jira, Asana, Monday.com, Trello, Linear, ClickUp, and Notion offer built-in export tools. However:

  • Not all exports are equal: Some only allow CSV exports (losing comments and relationships), while others provide full workspace backups.
  • Export restrictions: Free plans may have limited export options. API use might require elevated permissions or subscriptions.
  • Time limits: Vendors often restrict exports as shutdown dates approach.

Review your platform’s documentation and start test exports early. If built-in exports are insufficient, a third-party migration tool like ptmigration can help extract and preserve more comprehensive records.

3. Select an Archival Format

Consider long-term needs:

  • Static exports: PDF, CSV, or HTML snapshots are reliable for archiving and regulatory audits.
  • JSON/XML: Structured data formats are easier for later imports, technical analysis, or custom visualization.
  • Multimedia: Download and store any attached images, documents, or linked assets.

Remember, static exports are often preferable for compliance and non-editable permanent records.

4. Organize and Store Secured Backups

After exporting:

  • Segregate archives by project, date, and tool.
  • Store backups on secure cloud storage, institutional file shares, or enterprise-grade document management solutions.
  • Maintain logs of when data was backed up and the formats used.
  • Limit editing rights—archived data must remain unaltered for audit trails.

5. Document Your Archiving Process

Create a reproducible playbook for:

  • Exporting future project management data.
  • Categorizing sensitive vs. public records per data governance policies.
  • Ensuring periodic reviews of archived data (for institutional memory and compliance).

This process documentation helps train new staff, assures stakeholders of data stewardship, and streamlines any future audits.

6. Consider Migrating Active Data

If you’re replacing your project management tool:

  • Use a migration platform that handles mapping tasks, stories, users, and attachments between tools.
  • Test the migration with a sample data set before a full cutover.
  • Archive a final static copy of the legacy data—even if migrating.

ptmigration, for example, allows project teams to transfer live data between Jira, Asana, ClickUp, and others, while separately exporting a full, static archive for compliance.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

  • Overlooking Inline Comments or Attachments: Not all export methods include granular task history or asset files.
  • Ignoring Permissions: Some platforms restrict data export to admins. Arrange access rights early.
  • Single Format Exports: Relying only on one export format reduces future flexibility.
  • Missing Timelines: Vendors may enforce strict data export deadlines. Subscribe to service update notifications.

Industries like finance, healthcare, or government must follow specific retention and audit regulations (e.g., FINRA, HIPAA, GDPR). Static data exports and well-documented archiving are essential for compliance—and for defending your organization in the face of audits or legal requests.

Get Ahead of Tool Sunset with Proactive Archiving

Sunsetting of your project management tool is more a matter of “when” than “if,” whether due to external vendor decisions or your organization’s digital evolution. Prepare now by auditing current data, understanding your export options, archiving in secure and accessible formats, and planning for both compliance and operational continuity.

For organizations managing multiple project tracking tools or complex migrations, solutions like ptmigration.com provide the unmatched capability to export, migrate, and archive data across platforms in a repeatable, compliant manner—ensuring you never lose critical business history.

Don’t wait until it’s too late: begin your archiving process now, and shield your organization from disruption when project management tools sunset or are replaced.