Direct answer
Connect network logic, estimates, baselines, earned value, reserves, and change control to make defensible schedule and cost decisions in PMP scenarios.
What to know
- Critical-path changes affect completion risk differently from noncritical delays.
- Cost and schedule baselines support performance measurement.
- Earned value measures scope accomplishment against planned value and actual cost.
- Forecasts depend on assumptions that should be stated.
How to apply it
Diagnose the driver before selecting compression, re-sequencing, funding, or scope action. Update forecasts and communicate approved baseline changes separately from performance variance.
Worked example
A delayed noncritical activity with sufficient total float may not change the forecast finish, but it can consume schedule flexibility and increase risk.
Common mistakes
- Treating schedule variance in earned value as units of time.
- Changing the baseline to erase unfavorable performance.
- Crashing work without assessing cost and risk.
Exam and practice connection
Know the formulas, but also interpret what each result does and does not prove.