Subtitles of the Movie

The schedule analysis exam domain will be our focus for this movie. This domain encompasses 22 percent of the exam, similar to the majority of the other domains. There are four exam objectives related to schedule analysis: conduct data analysis, document alternatives, become knowledgeable of document storage and retrieval standards and analyze the impact of significant changes. Our first objective, conduct data analysis, is important for several reasons including the identification of any problem that exists within the schedule. Performing regular analysis can help you catch potential delays before they happen and help you as the scheduler steer things back on course. As always, communication plays a role here. You need to gather information to analyze such as updates, progress and so forth and you need to understand who you're communicating to so that the level of analysis is presented according to your audience. Another important item here is understanding and having the capabilities of performing mathematical techniques as needed to carry out analysis. It's great to know all of this that I've mentioned but if you don't know the right questions to ask or the right techniques to use in various scenarios, you may not successfully carry out analysis so keep these things in mind. The next objective is document alternatives. The scheduler should not only identify alternatives but also communicate those to the project manager and the project team and be sure to document the recommendation and justification. In all cases where documentation is needed, we utilize the configuration management system and procedures that we reviewed in the first movie of this section. In order to identify alternatives, analysis will be needed and the ability of interpreting the impact of the alternatives to the schedule. Clearly there is reason for the identification of alternatives, such as reducing the budget, end date or accommodating resource availability, et cetera. I touched on this next one a moment ago; becoming knowledgeable of document storage and retrieval standards. What are the protocols for obtaining approvals? Who must provide the approval? When is follow-up appropriate and how do you present the recommendations in order to facilitate the decision-making process? These are questions that pertain to this exam objective. Our final objective within this domain involves analyzing the impact of significant changes. This involves forecasting, more mathematical analysis. We'll need to determine whether changes are feasible and what the expected impact will be. As always, we'll need to communicate the findings to the project manager and other appropriate individuals. In smaller projects or companies, the project manager oftentimes is the scheduler. We've covered all four exam objectives that fall under schedule analysis, which is one of five exam domains of the PMI SP Certification Exam. As you've seen, this is where knowing earned value management and calculations becomes important. That concludes this movie and review on the schedule analysis domain.