The Project Management Tool Kit: 100 Tips and Techniques for Getting the Job Done Right

Analyze Impact

For each variance, determine the impact on the project. For positive schedule or budget variances, investigate to see whether estimates for future project work might also be larger than necessary. For negative differences, determine how the project is affected.

For each timing delay, estimate the schedule impact (if any) on project milestones and the deadline. Even for non-critical activities, use cause-and-effect analysis to determine the root cause of each slip. Similar optimistic estimates may recur later in the project, resulting in delays in finishing other work.

Determine the overall budget impact of any resource variances. Unlike schedule variances, all resource variances affect the project; every effort or cost estimate ...