PMP Practice: Plan for required resources

Sky Reyes is managing a 14-month enterprise resource planning implementation for Intentional Serendipity Co, a pharmaceutical research company. At month 6, a critical technical architect role becomes available due to an unexpected resignation. The project sponsor, Dr. Ocean Reyes, insists on hiring his former colleague externally, citing her deep ERP expertise. However, the functional manager of IT operations, Sky Petersen, strongly advocates for promoting a current team member who has shown initiative and learned the system quickly, arguing that internal promotion would boost morale across the struggling team. Both stakeholders have valid concerns, and team morale has declined 30% according to recent pulse surveys, with several members expressing frustration about lack of growth opportunities. The project is currently on schedule but at risk due to knowledge silos. What should Sky do to address this team composition decision?