Process · 30 min read
Process: Planning, Delivering, Controlling
50% of the exam. Scope, schedule, cost, quality, risk, procurement and change — plus how each behaves differently in agile and hybrid.
Scope: from charter to acceptance
Predictive scope flows charter to requirements to scope statement to WBS to work packages, baselined and changed only by approved change requests. Adaptive scope lives in a prioritized backlog that changes every iteration by design.
- Work package — lowest WBS level; can be estimated, assigned and controlled.
- Control account — management control point above work packages where scope, budget and schedule integrate for EVM.
- Scope creep — uncontrolled additions. Gold plating — the team adding unrequested extras. Both are wrong answers.
- Validate Scope = customer acceptance. Control Quality = internal correctness. Quality first, then validation.
Schedule: the network is the truth
The critical path is the longest path through the network and has zero total float. Anything that delays it delays the project.
- Total float = LS − ES (or LF − EF). Free float is delay allowed without affecting the next activity.
- Crashing adds resources to shorten duration — costs money.
- Fast tracking overlaps sequential work — adds risk and rework.
- Leveling fixes over-allocation and may extend the finish date; smoothing works only within float and protects it.
- Dependencies: mandatory (hard), discretionary (preferred), external, internal.
Cost and earned value
Earned value questions are free points once the six formulas are automatic. Always compute EV first.
- SV = EV − PV, SPI = EV / PV (schedule).
- CV = EV − AC, CPI = EV / AC (cost).
- EAC = BAC / CPI when current performance continues.
- EAC = AC + (BAC − EV) when the variance was a one-off.
- ETC = EAC − AC. VAC = BAC − EAC. TCPI = (BAC − EV) / (BAC − AC).
- Under 1.0 is bad for both indices; positive variances are good.
Quality: prevent, don't inspect
Cost of conformance (prevention, appraisal) is always cheaper than cost of non-conformance (internal and external failure).
- Pareto chart — the vital few causes of most defects.
- Control chart — process stability; the rule of seven signals a non-random trend.
- Fishbone / Ishikawa — root cause categories.
- Histogram, scatter, flowchart, checksheet round out the classic set.
- Quality is fitness for purpose; grade is a category of features. Low quality is always a problem; low grade may be acceptable.
Risk: uncertainty with a plan
Identify continuously, analyze qualitatively (probability x impact matrix) then quantitatively (EMV, Monte Carlo, decision trees) where warranted, then respond and monitor.
- Threat responses: escalate, avoid, transfer, mitigate, accept.
- Opportunity responses: escalate, exploit, share, enhance, accept.
- EMV = probability x impact. Sum across risks for contingency sizing.
- Contingency reserve covers known risks and is inside the cost baseline. Management reserve covers unknown-unknowns and sits outside it.
- A risk that has occurred is an issue and moves to the issue log.
Procurement and change
Match contract type to scope certainty and risk distribution, and route every baseline change through integrated change control.
- Fixed price — well-defined scope, seller carries risk.
- Cost reimbursable — uncertain scope, buyer carries risk.
- Time and materials — small or exploratory work, hybrid risk.
- Change flow: request > impact analysis > CCB decision > update baselines and plan > communicate.
Agile and hybrid mechanics
Half the exam leans adaptive. Know the events, roles, artifacts and flow metrics as well as the predictive ones.
- Scrum events: sprint planning, daily scrum, sprint review, retrospective. Timeboxed, purposeful.
- Kanban: visualize, limit WIP, manage flow. Little's Law — cycle time rises with WIP.
- Metrics: velocity, cycle time, lead time, throughput, burndown/burnup, cumulative flow.
- Definition of done makes the increment potentially releasable; acceptance criteria are per story.
- Hybrid: predictive gates where compliance or physical dependency demands them, iterations where learning is needed.
Key terms
- Total float
- Time an activity can slip without delaying project finish. Zero on the critical path.
- EAC
- Estimate at completion — forecast total cost of the project.
- Gold plating
- Delivering more than requested. Always a wrong answer on the exam.
- Rolling wave planning
- Detailed planning for near-term work, higher-level planning for later work.
- Definition of done
- Shared quality criteria every increment must meet before it counts as complete.