APM Project Fundamentals PFQ Practice Exam 2025 – Complete Study Resource

Analogous estimating is primarily used during the concept phase of the project life cycle. This phase is characterized by the initial exploration of ideas and potential projects, where high-level estimates are often needed to assess feasibility and inform decision-making. Using analogous estimating allows project managers to draw on historical data from similar past projects to make quick and reasonably accurate estimates of time, costs, and resources for the new project being considered.

During the concept phase, projects are typically not well-defined yet; thus, techniques like analogous estimating are valuable as they help to form budgetary constraints and timelines without the extensive detail required later in the project life cycle.

In contrast, during the other phases listed, such as transition, deployment, or definition, projects typically undergo more detailed planning and thus rely more heavily on other estimating techniques, like parametric or bottom-up estimation, which require more data and specificity.