• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Project Management Knowledge

Simply explained by a PMI-certified Project Manager

  • Home
  • Acronyms and Abbreviations
  • Definitions
  • About the Author
  • Deutsch
  • Show Search
Hide Search
You are here: Home / Definitions / W / What-if Scenario Analysis

What-if Scenario Analysis

Anything can happen in project management. The unexpected situations does not only catch the project team off-guard but it also affects the entire project processes. The what-if scenario analysis is a project management process that evaluates different scenarios to predict their effects – both positive and negative – on  the project objectives. This is one of the modeling techniques used in the Develop Schedule process.

The analysis, as the name implies, asks the question “What if the situation represented by a certain given scenario happens?” Examples of scenarios that may affect the project management processes include delay of a major delivery and extending work durations. The introduction of external factors such as changes in the permitting process or strike among project team members are scenarios that can affect project management activities.

To compute the different scenarios, a schedule network analysis is often carried out. The outcome of the what-if scenario analysis is used to determine the feasibility of the schedule under unexpected and adverse situations. It also allows project managers to prepare contingency plans in order to overcome the impacts of the unexpected situations.

This term is defined in the 5th edition of the PMBOK.

Related Articles:

 
  • Landing Page This is an example of a WordPress post, you could edit this to put information about yourself so readers know...
  •  
  • Contact Us Add a contact form to this page with the pre-installed WPForms Lite plugin (Third Party). Learn how to create a...
  •  
  •       Get free Project Management updates!...
  •  
  • Acceptance – Definition Acceptance is the noun form of the previously defined verb “accept“. It represents the state of being in which one...
  •  
  • Data Science and Project Management II A few years ago, I wrote my first article about data science and project management. Since then, I have done...
  • Primary Sidebar

    Articles

    • November 2023
    • September 2023
    • August 2023
    • July 2023
    • June 2023
    • May 2023
    • April 2023
    • March 2023
    • February 2023
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • August 2021
    • September 2020
    • October 2019
    • October 2018
    • April 2017
    • June 2016
    • April 2016
    • November 2015
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • May 2011
    • April 2011
    • March 2011
    • February 2011
    • January 2011
    • December 2010
    • November 2010
    • October 2010
    • September 2010
    • August 2010
    • July 2010
    • March 2010
    • January 2010
    • October 2009
    • August 2009
    • June 2009
    • April 2009
    • March 2009
    • February 2009
    • January 2009
    • December 2008
    • November 2008
    • October 2008
    • September 2008
    • August 2008
    • July 2008
    • June 2008
    • January 2008

    Dear Visitor,

    I am a certified project manager (PMP) - Please let me know if you have any questions about project management that are not explained on this site!

    Best Regards,

    Tom

    Copyright © 2023

    • Privacy Policy