PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP) Practice Exam

PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP) Practice Exam

The PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP)® certification, offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI), validates your expertise in developing, maintaining, and managing effective project schedules. Earning this credential demonstrates your ability to navigate the complexities of project scheduling and ensure project success through on-time delivery.

Who Should Take This PMI-SP Exam?

This project scheduling certification is ideal for project management professionals, including:

• Project Schedulers: Specializing in creating, managing, and communicating project schedules.
• Project Managers: Deepening their understanding of best practices for project scheduling to optimize project delivery.
• Project Team Members: Gaining valuable insights into the role of scheduling in project success.
• Anyone Aspiring to Advance in Project Management: Demonstrating their commitment to scheduling proficiency, a crucial aspect of project management.

Prerequisites for the PMI-SP Exam

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PMP Certification Eligibility Requirements

Before applying for the Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification, candidates must ensure they meet one of the following eligibility pathways:

Pathway A

• Education: Secondary degree (high school diploma, associate’s degree, or global equivalent)

• Experience: 40 months of professional project scheduling experience within the past 5 years

• Training: 40 contact hours of formal project scheduling education

Pathway B

• Education: Four-year degree (bachelor’s degree or global equivalent)

• Experience: 24 months of professional project scheduling experience within the past 5 years

• Training: 30 contact hours of formal project scheduling education

Pathway C

• Education: Bachelor’s or post-graduate degree from a GAC-accredited program (bachelor’s, master’s, or global equivalent)

• Experience: At least 12 months of specialized project scheduling experience within the past 5 consecutive years

• Training: 30 contact hours of formal education in the specialized area of project scheduling*

Roles and Responsibilities

With a PMI-SP certification, you might qualify for project roles with a stronger focus on scheduling, such as:

• Senior Project Scheduler: Overseeing the development and maintenance of complex project schedules.
• Scheduling Consultant: Providing expert advice and guidance on scheduling best practices to organizations.
• Project Manager (Scheduling Focus): Leading projects with a strong emphasis on on-time delivery through effective scheduling strategies.

Exam Format

• Exam Questions: 170
• Exam Format: Multiple-choice questions
• Exam Time: 210 minutes

Course Outline

The exam covers the following topics:

1. Schedule Strategy (14%)

• Establish project schedule configuration management policies and procedures incorporating best practices, regulations, governing standards and organization policies, and procedures to ensure accessibility, storage, retrieval, maintenance, change control, and baseline schedule control.
• Develop schedule approach, based on the unique characteristics of the project, including enterprise environmental factors and organizational process assets, in order to define schedule requirements.
• Establish scheduling policies and procedures regarding methodology, selection of a scheduling tool, scheduling parameters, performance thresholds, activity granularity, presentation format, earned value management (EVM) implementation, analysis techniques, and approval requirements by using resources such as organizational process assets and project documents in order to develop the schedule management plan and standardize operational procedures.
• Develop the scheduling-related components for project management plans (for example, integration, scope, cost, quality, resources, communication, risk, and procurement management), through review of contract requirements, in order to integrate scheduling activities into the overall project management process.
• Provide information about project scheduling objectives and goals, the role of the scheduler, and scheduling procedures to project team members to facilitate effective participation in the project.

2. Schedule Planning and Development (31%)

• Develop the work breakdown structure (WBS), organizational breakdown structure (OBS), control accounts (CA), and work packages through communication with subject matter experts and stakeholders and analysis of the contractual commitments in order to ensure completion of the project scope.
• Define activities and milestones through communication with subject matter experts, decomposition, and application of scheduling policies and procedures to identify and document the work to be performed.
• Estimate activity durations, utilizing subject matter experts and scheduling techniques such as three-point estimate, parametric, analogous and/or Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) in order to develop an overall schedule model.
• Sequence activities, incorporating defined dependencies (internal, external, and cross programs) milestones, and constraints (for example, calendars, geography, contracts), in order to develop a logical, dynamic schedule model.
• Identify critical and near-critical path(s) using techniques such as Critical Path Method, Critical Chain, Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), and Monte Carlo simulation in order to meet project delivery date requirements.
• Develop the project resource breakdown structure (RBS), determine resource availability, and assign resources to activities by working with functional managers, project managers, and project team members in order to define the resource constrained schedule.
• Adjust schedule model based upon resource availability, available budget, and other known constraints in order to calculate the resource constrained schedule.
• Align schedule with the overall program plan or integrated master plan (IMP), through review of enterprise objectives and contract documentation, in order to ensure accomplishment of overall program objectives.
• Analyze major milestones against statement of work (SOW), the contract, and/or memorandum of understanding, to assess whether schedule model delivery estimates meet required deadlines
• Perform schedule risk analysis using quantitative tools or techniques (for example, what-if scenarios, Monte Carlo simulation) in order to determine if project milestone dates are achievable within acceptable risk tolerances.
• Obtain a consensus of the project customer, sponsor, project manager, and project team members, in order to establish an approved baseline schedule.
• Establish the Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB), using organizational processes and standard techniques, in order to enable performance measurement and management

3. Schedule Monitoring and Controlling (35%)

• Task 1 Collect activity status at defined intervals from activity owners via reports, meetings, inspections, or other standard procedures in order to update and review the project progress.
• Collect resource information and updates via reports, timesheets, meetings, inspections, or other standard procedures in order to report on resource utilization and availability.
• Perform schedule analysis and audit, on in-house and subcontractor schedules, using industry standards, guidelines and best practices in order to identify and report project schedule, status, changes, impacts or issues.
• Identify alternative project execution options, using tools and techniques such as what-if scenario analyses, in order to optimize the schedule.
• Incorporate approved risk mitigation activities into the schedule, by utilizing defined change control processes, in order to establish a new performance measurement baseline (PMB).
• Update the schedule model and document schedule baseline changes, received through formal change-control processes, in order to maintain an accurate schedule and facilitate forensic schedule analysis, if required.

4. Schedule Closeout (6%)

• Task 1 Obtain final acceptance of the contractual schedule components, by working with sponsor and/or customer, in order to facilitate project closeout.
• Evaluate final schedule performance against baseline schedule, scheduling approach and the implementation, using standard scheduling tools and techniques, including solicitation of feedback from stakeholders, in order to identify lessons learned and develop best practices.
• Update the organizational process assets, through documentation of identified lessons learned and best practices, in order to improve business processes.
• Distribute final schedule reports, including earned value management (EVM) calculations and variance analysis, to stakeholders in order to facilitate project closeout.
• Archive schedule files (for example, final schedule model, schedule management plan, periodic status reports, schedule change log), as per defined procedures in order to satisfy contractual requirements and prepare for potential forensic schedule analysis.

5. Stakeholder Communications Management (14%)

• Develop and foster relationships with project stakeholders, consistent with the communication management plan, in order to enhance support for the project schedule.
• Generate and maintain visibility of project schedule, by working with the project manager and/or stakeholders, in order to maintain stakeholder support.
• Provide senior management and other stakeholders with verbal and written schedule status updates and impact on schedule of corrective actions, as defined by the communication management plan, in order to maintain stakeholder awareness.
• Communicate schedule issues that could impact delivery of project scope or adherence to the schedule management plan, in order to elevate awareness to relevant stakeholders.