5.4. Reflection Checkpoint

Key Takeaways

• Predictive approaches fit best when requirements are well understood and the cost of late change is high; hierarchical structures typically support predictive governance well.
• A WBS decomposes scope by deliverable, not by sequence — it says nothing about order, unlike a schedule or activity list.
• The critical path is the longest sequence of dependent activities, not the single longest activity — it sets the project's minimum possible duration.
• Quality management keeps the deliverable meeting its standard; integration management keeps every other plan component consistent with each other as changes happen.
• Schedule Variance (SV = EV − PV) and Cost Variance (CV = EV − AC) share Earned Value as an input but compare it against different baselines and answer different questions.
• Predictive artifacts (change log, variance reports, status reports) exist to make schedule and cost performance visible and traceable over time.
• Domain 2's 17% weight is a floor on prep time, not a ceiling — its concepts resurface inside scenarios tagged to other domains.

Connecting Forward

All four domains are now covered. Phase 6 shifts from learning new content to exam-day execution: time-management strategy, a consolidated quick-reference section pulling the highest-yield comparisons from all four domains into one place, and a set of mixed-domain practice questions in the exam's own format. Phase 7 and 8 close out with a glossary and a final confidence check before test day.

Self-Check Questions

• A work package was planned to be $5,000 complete by today (PV) but the team has only earned $4,000 worth of credit (EV) while spending $4,500 (AC). Calculate SV and CV, and state in plain language what each result means for the project.
• A project network has two paths from start to finish: Path 1 takes 12 days across 5 activities; Path 2 takes 15 days across 2 activities. Which path is critical, and why does the number of activities on each path not determine the answer?