PMI distinguishes development approaches by how scope, time, and cost evolve. Predictive fixes all three early. Iterative sets scope early while time/cost are updated as learning grows. Incremental delivers usable functionality in successive additions. Adaptive (agile) works in short, fixed-time iterations where detailed scope is approved just before each iteration begins. These descriptions directly match the definitions shown in the prompt. 

PMI Lexicon of Project Management Terms, v4.0 (2024).

• Predictive approach: “scope, time, and cost are determined in the early phases” (p. 17).

• Incremental approach: “deliverable is produced successively, adding functionality until… complete” (p. 13).

• Iterative approach: “focuses on an initial implementation then progressively elaborates…” (p. 13). (Supports the iterative concept and progressive refinement.)

PMI — Being agile within an existing delivery environment. Explains that agile/adaptive defines detailed scope at the iteration level, supporting “scope approved before the start of an iteration.”

Project Management Institute

PMI — Choosing the Right Project Approach for Your Project. Clarifies distinctions between iterative and incremental outcomes and scope handling, consistent with the mappings above.