Running estimates are used in staff planning as ongoing assessments of the operating environment to inform decisions and adjust plans.

• A. Running estimates describe weather forecasts for the next 24 hours.
• B. Running estimates are used to record past decisions only.
• C. Running estimates are ongoing assessments of the operating environment used to inform decisions and adjust plans.
• D. Running estimates are used to maintain a status board with no decision input.

Answer: (C)

Running estimates are continuous, living assessments of the operating environment that inform decisions and adjust plans. They bring in current information about tasks, resources, risks, and external factors, and translate that into recommended actions or changes to the plan. In staff planning, this keeps the plan aligned with reality as circumstances evolve, allowing timely reallocations of personnel, priorities, and timing. They’re not merely weather forecasts, not just a record of past decisions, and not simply a static status board; they require updating as new data arrives and using that insight to adapt courses of action.