Analysis Techniques

🔍 PMP Analysis Techniques: Your Problem-Solving Toolkit

Imagine you’re a detective. Every project problem is a mystery waiting to be solved. But instead of a magnifying glass, you have six powerful analysis tools in your detective kit!

The Big Picture

Think of managing a project like being a doctor. When something goes wrong, you don’t just guess—you run tests, look at patterns, and consider all the options before prescribing a solution.

These six analysis techniques are your medical tests for projects:

graph TD
    A["🔍 Project Problem"] --> B["Choose Your Tool"]
    B --> C["Alternatives Analysis"]
    B --> D["Root Cause Analysis"]
    B --> E["SWOT Analysis"]
    B --> F["Trend Analysis"]
    B --> G["Variance Analysis"]
    B --> H["What-If Scenario"]
    C --> I["✅ Better Decisions"]
    D --> I
    E --> I
    F --> I
    G --> I
    H --> I

1. 🎯 Alternatives Analysis

What Is It?

Imagine you want ice cream. You could:

• Walk to the store
• Ask mom to drive you
• Order delivery
• Make it at home

Alternatives Analysis is comparing ALL your options before picking the best one.

Real Example

Your project needs a new website. Your alternatives:

You compare them side-by-side and pick what fits your budget, timeline, and quality needs!

When to Use It

• Choosing vendors or suppliers
• Deciding between buy vs. build
• Selecting team members
• Picking project approaches

Pro Tip: Don’t just pick the cheapest option. The best choice balances cost, time, quality, and risk!

2. 🌳 Root Cause Analysis

What Is It?

A kid is crying. Why?

• “I fell down.”
• Why did you fall?
• “I tripped on my shoelace.”
• Why was your shoelace untied?
• “I forgot to tie it.”
• Root Cause: Need to remember to tie shoes!

This is the 5 Whys technique—keep asking “why” until you find the REAL problem.

The Fishbone Diagram

graph LR
    A["💀 Problem"] --- B["People"]
    A --- C["Process"]
    A --- D["Equipment"]
    A --- E["Materials"]
    A --- F["Environment"]
    A --- G["Management"]

Every problem has bones (causes) connected to a head (the effect).

Real Example

Problem: Project is behind schedule.

After investigation: Requirements were unclear (Process issue). Fix the requirements, fix the delay!

Remember

Treating symptoms is like putting a bandage on a leaky pipe. Find and fix the ROOT cause!

3. 📊 SWOT Analysis

What Is It?

SWOT is looking at yourself in a mirror—but a MAGIC mirror that shows:

• Strengths – What you’re GOOD at 💪
• Weaknesses – Where you struggle 😓
• Opportunities – Good things OUTSIDE you could grab 🌟
• Threats – Bad things OUTSIDE that could hurt you ⚠️

The SWOT Box

        HELPFUL          HARMFUL
      ┌─────────────┬─────────────┐
INSIDE│ STRENGTHS   │ WEAKNESSES  │
      │ 💪          │ 😓          │
      ├─────────────┼─────────────┤
OUTSIDE│ OPPORTUNITIES│ THREATS    │
      │ 🌟          │ ⚠️          │
      └─────────────┴─────────────┘

Real Example

Project: Building a Mobile App

Strategy

• Use Strengths to grab Opportunities
• Fix Weaknesses before Threats attack them

4. 📈 Trend Analysis

What Is It?

Like watching the weather forecast! You look at what happened BEFORE to guess what happens NEXT.

If it rained Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday… what’s likely Thursday? ☔

Real Example

Your project spending over 5 weeks:

Trend: Spending is going UP by $1K each week!

graph LR
    A["Week 1: +1K"] --> B["Week 2: +2K"]
    B --> C["Week 3: +3K"]
    C --> D["Week 4: +4K"]
    D --> E["Week 5: +5K"]
    E --> F["⚠️ Week 6: +6K?"]

What It Tells You

If you don’t act NOW, you’ll be $6K over budget next week!

The magic: Past patterns predict future problems. Catch them early!

5. ⚖️ Variance Analysis

What Is It?

You planned to eat 3 cookies. You ate 5.

Variance = 5 - 3 = 2 cookies more than planned!

Variance Analysis compares what you PLANNED vs. what ACTUALLY happened.

Real Example

Key Terms

• SV (Schedule Variance) = Planned Work - Actual Work
• CV (Cost Variance) = Planned Cost - Actual Cost

Positive = Good (under budget/ahead of schedule) Negative = Bad (over budget/behind schedule)

The Rule

Small variances = normal. Big variances = investigate!

If you planned $10K and spent $10.5K, that’s okay. If you planned $10K and spent $25K, something is WRONG!

6. 🔮 What-If Scenario Analysis

What Is It?

Playing pretend with your project!

“What IF it rains on our outdoor event?” “What IF our main developer quits?” “What IF the customer changes their mind?”

Real Example

Project: Product Launch

How to Do It

graph TD
    A["What Could Go Wrong?"] --> B["Best Case"]
    A --> C["Most Likely Case"]
    A --> D["Worst Case"]
    B --> E["Celebrate! 🎉"]
    C --> F["Stay on Track"]
    D --> G["Have Backup Plan Ready"]

The Magic Question

“What would we do IF…” — This prepares you for surprises!

🎓 Summary: Your Analysis Toolkit

🌟 Remember This Story

Imagine you’re the captain of a ship (your project):

1. Alternatives Analysis = Choosing which route to sail
2. Root Cause Analysis = Finding why the engine broke
3. SWOT Analysis = Knowing your ship’s strengths and the sea’s dangers
4. Trend Analysis = Watching the weather patterns
5. Variance Analysis = Checking if you’re on course
6. What-If Analysis = Preparing for storms

A great captain uses ALL these tools to reach the destination safely!

“The right analysis tool turns confusion into clarity. Choose wisely, analyze thoroughly, and lead confidently!” 🚀