Which of the following statements best describes the influence of stakeholders and the cost of changes as project time advances?

Question

Options

• AThe influence of the stakeholders increases, the cost of changes increases.
• BThe influence of the stakeholders decreases, the cost of changes increases.
• CThe influence of the stakeholders increases, the cost of changes decreases.
• DThe influence of the stakeholders decreases, the cost of changes decreases.

• A
  16% (5)
• B
  72% (23)
• C
  3% (1)
• D
  9% (3)

Explanation

Option B is correct because as a project progresses through its lifecycle, stakeholders (clients, sponsors, users) have less ability to influence the project's direction - decisions have already been made, teams are committed, and scope is locked down. Simultaneously, the cost of making changes rises sharply because more work has been completed that may need to be reworked or discarded.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• A is wrong because stakeholder influence doesn't increase over time - early phases (initiation, planning) are precisely when stakeholders shape requirements most effectively.
• C is doubly wrong: influence doesn't increase, and costs certainly don't decrease as the project matures.
• D gets the cost direction right but is wrong about influence - while both could theoretically decrease, influence does decline, but costs increase, not decrease.

Memory tip: Think of a building under construction - early on, an owner can say "move that wall" cheaply on a blueprint. Once the wall is built, moving it costs far more and the contractor's options are fixed. The owner (stakeholder) had maximum influence at the blueprint stage, minimal influence once concrete is poured.

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