PMI-SP Exam Format | PMI-SP Course Contents | PMI-SP Course Outline | PMI-SP Exam Syllabus | PMI-SP Exam Objectives

The Project Management Institute (PMI) ® offers a professional credential for project schedulers, known as the PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP)®. PMIs professional credentialing examination development processes stand apart from other project management certification examination development practices. PMI aligns its process with certification industry best practices, such as those found in the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing.



Although many of the domains, tasks, knowledge, and skills outlined by the PMI-SP Examination Content Outline are also covered by the Practice Standard for Scheduling and PMBOK® Guide, there are some that are unique to the PMI-SP Examination Content Outline. Candidates studying for the examination will certainly want to include the current edition of the Practice Standard for Scheduling and PMBOK® Guide as two of their references, and would be well advised to read other current titles on project scheduling.



Schedule Strategy 14%

Schedule Planning and Development 31%

Schedule Monitoring and Controlling 35%

Schedule Closeout 6%

Stakeholder Communications Management 14%

Total 100%



Domain 1: Schedule Strategy (14% of examination)


Task 1 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.


Task 2 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.


Task 3 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.


Task 4 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.


Task 5 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.

Knowledge and Skills:

 Applicable contract requirements, regulations, and governing standards

 Schedule control processes (for example, baseline control, status update procedure, variance thresholds)

 Scheduling development concepts (for examples, coding, work breakdown structures, organizational breakdown structure, resource breakdown structures)

 Project charter



Domain 2: Schedule Planning and Development (31% of examination)


Task 1 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.


Task 2 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.


Task 3 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.


Task 4 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.


Task 5 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.


Task 6 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.


Task 7 Adjust schedule model based upon resource availability, available budget,
and other known constraints in order to calculate the resource constrained
schedule.


Task 8 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.


Task 9 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.


Task 10 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.


Task 11 Obtain a consensus of the project customer, sponsor, project manager, and
project team members, in order to establish an approved baseline schedule.


Task 12 Establish the Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB), using organizational
processes and standard techniques, in order to enable performance measurement and management.


Knowledge and Skills:

 Scope statements, including deliverables and deadlines

 Work breakdown structure (WBS)

 Organizational breakdown structure (OBS)

 Resource breakdown structure (RBS)

 Cost structure as related to schedule development

 Activity definition

 Activity execution techniques (duration/time, effort/work)

 Dependency relationship types (Finish to Start, Start to Finish, Finish to Finish, Start to Start)

 Leads and lags

 Prioritization within the schedule model

 Resource groups

 Resource calendars

 Resource allocation techniques

 Activity Network Diagram (AND)

 Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)

 Capacity requirements/resource requirements

 Contingency reserve or buffer (funds, budget, or time)

 Cost and schedule integration

 Schedule baselining

 Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB)

 Inter-project Dependencies

 Milestone definition

 Schedule model components

 Schedule risk-assessment techniques (for example, Monte Carlo simulation, PERT)



Domain 3: Schedule Monitoring and Controlling (35% of examination)


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.


Task 2 Collect resource information and updates via reports, timesheets, meetings,
inspections, or other standard procedures in order to report on resource
utilization and availability.


Task 3 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.


Task 4 Identify alternative project execution options, using tools and techniques
such as what-if scenario analyses, in order to optimize the schedule.


Task 5 Incorporate approved risk mitigation activities into the schedule, by utilizing
defined change control processes, in order to establish a new performance
measurement baseline (PMB).


Task 6 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.


Knowledge and Skills:

 Progress measurement techniques (for example, percent complete, actual/remaining duration, estimate to complete)

 Industry standards, guidelines, and best practices with respect to activity status update frequency, format, and content

 Metrics to monitor, analyze, and control the schedule

 Cost and schedule reserve analysis

 Activity prioritization

 Available data, logical data organization/relationships within data elements

 Electronic file storage and retrieval standards

 Resource breakdown structure (RBS)

 Resource calendars

 Resource groups

Resource allocation techniques

 Schedule risk analysis

 Project schedule change control

 Reserve analysis

 Knowledge of ongoing audit analysis

 Activity Network Diagram (AND)

 Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)

 Schedule risk assessment techniques (for example, Monte Carlo simulation, Program and Evaluation Review Technique [PERT])
Schedule and cost variance management



Domain 4: Schedule Closeout (6% of examination)


Task 1 Obtain final acceptance of the contractual schedule components, by working
with sponsor and/or customer, in order to facilitate project closeout.


Task 2 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.


Task 3 Update the organizational process assets, through documentation of
identified lessons learned and best practices, in order to improve business
processes.


Task 4 Distribute final schedule reports, including earned value management (EVM)
calculations and variance analysis, to stakeholders in order to facilitate
project closeout.


Task 5 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.


Knowledge and Skills:

 Contractual schedule components

 Schedule close-out procedures

 Feedback techniques

 Schedule review techniques

 Schedule issue management

 Transition planning



Domain 5: Stakeholder Communications Management (14% of examination)


Task 1 Develop and foster relationships with project stakeholders, consistent with
the communication management plan, in order to enhance support for the
project schedule.


Task 2 Generate and maintain visibility of project schedule, by working with the
project manager and/or stakeholders, in order to maintain stakeholder
support.


Task 3 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.


Task 4 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.


Knowledge and Skills:

 Targeting communications to senior management

 Methods and techniques used to maintain visibility of project schedule Elements of the communication management plan Oral and written communication tools and techniques

 Targeting communications to intended audience

 Presentation tools and techniques

 Negotiation

 Facilitation

 Cultural sensitivity and diversity

 Conflict resolution

 Project life cycle

 Stakeholder-impact analysis

 Change management/control

 Scheduling terminology

 Organizational process assets

 Project management software

 Project management information systems

 Schedule documentation and reporting techniques

 Scheduling data management procedures (for example, archiving, storage, retrieval)

 Estimation techniques (for example, analogy based estimation, parametric estimation, historical data, expert estimation)

 Scheduling methods (for example, critical path method, critical chain, linear, agile)

 Scheduling techniques (for example, resource leveling, schedule compression, simulation)

 Earned Value Management (EVM)

 Gantt Charts

 Quantitative and qualitative schedule analysis (for example, schedule performance index, baseline execution index, float analysis)

 Problem-solving tools and techniques

 Contract schedule requirements