Overemphasis on cost and schedule in the presence of unstable requirements is most likely to cause what outcome?

Overemphasis on cost and schedule in the presence of unstable requirements is most likely to cause what outcome?

• A. Increased stakeholder satisfaction due to early delivery.
• B. Better alignment with user needs.
• C. Reduced flexibility to accommodate changes.
• D. Negative impact on program cost and schedule.

Answer: (D)

When requirements are unstable, the value comes from staying flexible rather than locking in cost and schedule too early. Pushing to minimize costs and lock a tight timetable before what needs to be built is fully understood leads to hard tradeoffs and decisions made under uncertainty. As needs evolve, changes become frequent and costly to implement, causing rework, scope adjustments, and misalignment with what users actually want. That combination typically results in overruns and delays, i.e., a negative impact on the program’s cost and schedule. In this context, early delivery or aiming for satisfaction by delivering a fixed plan is not reliably achieved, because the evolving requirements undermine the usefulness and relevance of what’s delivered. The more you preserve flexibility and use iterative delivery with ongoing feedback, the better you can keep costs and timelines under control while evolving toward the right solution.

When requirements are unstable, the value comes from staying flexible rather than locking in cost and schedule too early. Pushing to minimize costs and lock a tight timetable before what needs to be built is fully understood leads to hard tradeoffs and decisions made under uncertainty. As needs evolve, changes become frequent and costly to implement, causing rework, scope adjustments, and misalignment with what users actually want. That combination typically results in overruns and delays, i.e., a negative impact on the program’s cost and schedule.

In this context, early delivery or aiming for satisfaction by delivering a fixed plan is not reliably achieved, because the evolving requirements undermine the usefulness and relevance of what’s delivered. The more you preserve flexibility and use iterative delivery with ongoing feedback, the better you can keep costs and timelines under control while evolving toward the right solution.