When Should You Use Predictive Project Management for Stable Requirements?

Is Plan-Based (Predictive) Project Management Best When Requirements Are Well-Defined?

Choose the right methodology: learn when plan-based (predictive) project management is the best fit—especially for projects with stable, well-defined requirements and clear scope.

Question

Plan-based (predictive) methodology is most suitable when:

A. Requirements are stable and well-defined
B. Requirements are likely to change frequently
C. The project scope is unclear

Answer

A. Requirements are stable and well-defined

Explanation

Plan-based (predictive) methodology works best when the end product can be specified upfront with minimal ambiguity, so the team can create a detailed scope baseline, schedule, and cost plan and then execute with disciplined change control. When requirements change frequently or the scope is unclear, predictive planning becomes costly to maintain (constant rework of plans and baselines) and increases the risk of delivering the wrong outcome; adaptive approaches are usually better suited in those cases. External references aren’t available right now to attach citations.