Which is NOT a reason why it becomes more difficult to implement changes identified by a MoV Study as a project progresses?

As a project or programme progresses, the ability to influence its outcome and implement changes decreases, while the cost of doing so increases. This is because sunk costs accumulate, making stakeholders reluctant to change course. Additionally, project teams develop a sense of ownership over their work, and organizational inertia builds, both of which increase resistance to change. In contrast, project objectives should become clearer and more refined as the project moves from its initial concept phase into detailed planning and execution. Therefore, objectives becoming less clear is not a reason why implementing changes becomes more difficult over time; in a well-managed project, the opposite is true.

A. Sunk costs increase as a project progresses, creating a significant financial and psychological barrier to implementing changes that might alter or discard previous work.

B. As team members invest time and effort, their sense of ownership grows, which can lead to resistance against changes that affect their established work.

C. Over time, project plans, processes, and stakeholder expectations become more entrenched, leading to greater organizational and individual resistance to change.

1. AXELOS. (2010). Management of Value (MoV). The Stationery Office.

Section 4.2, Figure 4.2 'Influence on value and cost of change': This diagram explicitly illustrates that the cost of change increases dramatically as a project progresses through its lifecycle, while the ability to influence value decreases. The accompanying text explains that "the freedom to make changes is constrained by previous decisions." This supports the concepts of sunk costs (A) and increasing resistance (C).

Section 3.2, 'Principle 1: Align with organizational objectives' & Section 3.3, 'Principle 2: Focus on functions and required outcomes': These principles state that MoV starts by ensuring there is clarity on objectives. This implies that as a project progresses, this clarity should be maintained and refined, not become "less clear." The difficulty in implementing change later is not due to a lack of clarity, but due to the increasing cost and resistance to altering a more defined path.