Which of the following techniques uses historical information to estimate the activity duration?

Question

Options

• AThree-point estimating
• BOrganizational process asset
• CAnalogous estimating
• DReserve analysis

• A
  3% (1)
• B
  9% (3)
• C
  76% (25)
• D
  12% (4)

Explanation

Analogous estimating (C) is correct because it relies on actual durations from similar past projects or activities as the basis for estimating current work - making historical information its defining characteristic.

Why the others are wrong:

• A (Three-point estimating) uses optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely estimates (often expert judgment), not historical data as its primary input.
• B (Organizational process assets) is an input category - a repository of historical records, templates, and lessons learned - not an estimating technique itself.
• D (Reserve analysis) determines contingency buffers for schedule risk; it doesn't estimate activity duration.

Memory tip: Think of "analogous" as "by analogy" - you're saying "this task is similar to one we did before, so we'll use that as our reference." Whenever you see "historical," "past projects," or "similar activities," that's your cue to pick analogous estimating.

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