When to use it
A useful fit
Use it when the required finish is at risk and there are credible alternatives for the work controlling that finish.
Know the limits
Do not add people indiscriminately or overlap work whose inputs are too unstable. Check bottlenecks and rework risk first.
How to use it
- Identify the activities currently controlling the finish.
- Compare added-capacity and overlap options, including cost and introduced risks.
- Recalculate the full schedule and agree owners, safeguards and a review trigger.
Worked example
A team considers starting training preparation before acceptance testing ends. It limits early work to stable workflows and holds uncertain screenshots until the tests pass, comparing the expected time gained with revision effort.
Illustrative scenario by fannarmaximus; not an official exam question.
Common pitfalls
Speeding up a non-critical activity may not change the project finish.
Attribution & sources
Common scheduling techniques; independently explained by fannarmaximus.
The citations below identify authoritative references for this topic. They do not imply endorsement or reproduce the bodies’ competence lists.
- IPMA® (2015). Individual Competence Baseline for Project, Programme and Portfolio Management, Version 4.0 (ICB4). Zurich: International Project Management Association. ISBN 978-94-92338-00-6 (print), 978-94-92338-01-3 (pdf). Free PDF from IPMA®: https://ipma.world/ipma-standards-development-programme/icb4/
- Project Management Institute (2025). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), Eighth Edition, and The Standard for Project Management. Newtown Square, PA: PMI®. ISBN 9781628258295.
- Association for Project Management (2025). APM Body of Knowledge, 8th edition. Princes Risborough: APM. ISBN 9781913305390.