Which factor is listed as a cause of program cost increases and schedule slips?

Which factor is listed as a cause of program cost increases and schedule slips?

• A. Changes to user capability needs
• B. Increases in budget
• C. Schedule slippage due to supplier delays
• D. Reduced scope of work

Answer: (A)

When what users need or are capable of doing changes, the project’s scope often expands or shifts. This requires revising requirements, redesigning components, updating interfaces, adding or repeating testing, and possibly new training or procurement. All of that adds more work, extends the schedule, and drives up costs because the baseline estimates no longer reflect the updated scope. Increasing the budget itself is a response to overruns rather than a root cause, and delays caused by suppliers are a specific risk that can occur for many reasons and don’t inherently explain why changes in user needs would drive both cost and schedule. Reducing the scope typically lowers both cost and schedule, not increases them.

When what users need or are capable of doing changes, the project’s scope often expands or shifts. This requires revising requirements, redesigning components, updating interfaces, adding or repeating testing, and possibly new training or procurement. All of that adds more work, extends the schedule, and drives up costs because the baseline estimates no longer reflect the updated scope. Increasing the budget itself is a response to overruns rather than a root cause, and delays caused by suppliers are a specific risk that can occur for many reasons and don’t inherently explain why changes in user needs would drive both cost and schedule. Reducing the scope typically lowers both cost and schedule, not increases them.