Definition
Schedule Monitoring is the ongoing process of tracking project progress against the established timeline to identify variances. It involves comparing planned start and finish dates with actual dates for tasks and milestones. This continuous oversight ensures that the project stays on track and that potential delays are detected early. In practice, this means regularly updating task statuses, analyzing the critical path, and forecasting completion dates. Schedule Monitoring is crucial for managing stakeholder expectations, controlling costs, and ensuring timely delivery of project objectives. For instance, a software development team monitors daily standups to track feature completion against sprint goals. This differs from schedule control, which focuses on taking corrective action once variances are identified. You will encounter Schedule Monitoring concepts on PMP, CAPM, and PMI-ACP exams.