A county government is creating a budget for the next fiscal year. They wish to use analytics to guide their decisions about costs. Which analytic method can the county apply to this issue?

This choice focuses on the quantity of projects rather than their financial implications. While understanding project completion rates can be useful, it does not directly inform budgeting decisions regarding costs, making it less relevant for financial planning.

The median number of projects completed provides insights into project output but lacks any connection to cost management. Understanding project volume alone does not assist in analyzing or predicting budgetary needs, which is the primary concern in this scenario.

While this option does provide a measure of cost, it does not compare costs with similar counties, which is essential for benchmarking. The median cost of all county projects may not reflect realistic expectations for future projects and could lead to inaccurate budget forecasts if the county's project types or scales differ significantly from those of other counties.