Planning and Managing the Schedule — PMP Study Guide

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Included in this chapter:

Build the schedule as a pipeline
Estimate the work before you sequence it
Sequence into a network and read the critical path
Compress a critical path that overruns
Schedule adaptively: fixed timeboxes, flexing scope
Baseline, then manage variance and coordinate dependencies
Exam-pattern recognition

Building the schedule: the same stages, predictive vs adaptive tools

Schedule stage	Predictive	Adaptive
Estimate the work	A duration per activity: analogous, parametric, or three-point	A relative size in story points per backlog item
Sequence into a network	Order activities by their dependencies into a schedule network diagram	Order the backlog and pull items into fixed-length timeboxes
Find the critical path	The longest path sets the finish and carries zero float	No critical path; forecast the finish from remaining points and velocity
Compress if it overruns	Crash or fast-track activities on the critical path	Hold the timebox and reduce or defer scope
Baseline, then manage	Approved schedule baseline; measure variance against it	Refresh the release forecast from actual velocity each iteration

Decision tree

Cheat sheet

Cheat sheet

The critical path is the longest path and carries zero float
Total float measures how far an activity can slip
The work breakdown structure has no durations or critical path
Crashing adds cost; fast-tracking adds rework risk
Compress the critical path to shorten the project
Only discretionary (soft-logic) dependencies can be fast-tracked
Three-point estimating accounts for activity uncertainty
Parametric and analogous estimates rely on historical data
Story points estimate relative size, not hours
Velocity turns remaining points into a delivery forecast
Timeboxes are fixed in length; scope adjusts to fit
Sprint planning pulls what fits the timebox and commits to a sprint goal
The schedule baseline is the reference for variance analysis
Coordinate external and cross-project dependencies in the schedule

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References