CAPM Practice: Explain when it is appropriate to use a predictive, plan-based approach

Predictive methodology rests on the assumption that requirements can be known upfront with sufficient completeness and stability to plan work in advance. When this assumption holds, predictive planning yields efficient execution. When requirements are inherently unknowable upfront, this assumption breaks down and adaptive approaches become more appropriate.

**Why not A:** Delivering value through frequent releases of partial functionality is a core principle of adaptive (agile) approaches. Predictive projects typically deliver the complete product at the end, not through incremental releases during execution.

**Why not B:** Planning through empirical inspection and adaptation is the foundation of agile empiricism (Scrum's three pillars: transparency, inspection, adaptation). Predictive approaches plan analytically upfront rather than empirically through iteration.

**Why not D:** Requirements naturally evolving and being discovered incrementally is an adaptive assumption. Predictive methodology assumes the opposite — that requirements are stable enough to be defined upfront, enabling comprehensive planning before work begins.