Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) Practice Test 2026 - Free CBAP Practice Questions and Study Guide

When considering the creation of a solution internally, ongoing support costs are often less predictable over time due to a variety of factors. Ongoing support costs encapsulate the expenses associated with maintaining and managing the solution after its initial implementation, which can encompass updates, technical support, infrastructure costs, and other unforeseen operational expenses.

Unlike labor costs, which may have relatively fixed terms based on payroll agreements, or material costs that often depend on market pricing and can be estimated based on current contracts, ongoing support costs can fluctuate significantly due to changing needs, technological advancements, or increases in service requirements.

Development costs, while also subject to change, are primarily associated with the upfront efforts to build the solution and can be more precisely forecasted during the planning stages. In contrast, support costs might involve unexpected expenses, such as emergency fixes or the need for additional personnel or resources, making them harder to estimate accurately over time. This inherent variability highlights why ongoing support costs are recognized as being less predictable in the long run when developing solutions internally.