Earned Value Management program controls dashboard

CPI vs SPI: What They Tell Program Managers

Forecasting & Variance Analysis CPI, earned value management, EVMS, SPI By Noah Smith August 21, 2026

CPI vs SPI is a comparison of cost efficiency and schedule efficiency within earned value management. The Cost Performance Index (CPI) shows how efficiently the program converts actual cost into

BCWS, BCWP and ACWP vs PV, EV and AC

EVMS Fundamentals ACWP, BCWP, BCWS, earned value management, EVMS By Noah Smith August 21, 2026

BCWS, BCWP and ACWP are the traditional names for the three core earned value data elements now commonly called PV, EV and AC. Budgeted Cost for Work Scheduled (BCWS) equals

Budget at Completion (BAC) Explained

EVMS Fundamentals BAC, earned value management, EVMS By Noah Smith August 21, 2026

Budget at completion (BAC) is the total authorized budget assigned to complete a defined scope of work. At the total project or contract level, BAC generally represents the Performance Measurement

Schedule Assessment and DCMA schedule health dashboard

DCMA Hard Constraints Check

DCMA 14-Point Assessment DCMA, DCMA 14 point assessment, Schedule Constraints, Schedule Health By Noah Smith August 21, 2026

The DCMA hard constraints check measures the percentage of incomplete activities restricted by Must Start On, Must Finish On, Start No Later Than, or Finish No Later Than dates. The

DCMA High Float Check

DCMA 14-Point Assessment DCMA, DCMA 14 point assessment, High Float, Schedule Health By Noah Smith August 21, 2026

The DCMA high float check identifies incomplete schedule activities with more than 44 working days of total float. Under the commonly used Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) 14-point schedule assessment,

DCMA Leads Check Explained

DCMA 14-Point Assessment DCMA, DCMA 14 point assessment, Schedule Health, schedule leads By Noah Smith August 21, 2026

The DCMA leads check identifies predecessor relationships that contain negative lag. A lead allows a successor activity to start or finish before the relationship would otherwise permit. For example, an

Integrated Master Scheduling program controls dashboard

How to Trace a Critical Path in Microsoft Project

Critical Path & Float Critical Path, Microsoft Project, Schedule Analysis By Noah Smith August 21, 2026

To trace the Microsoft Project critical path, start at the project completion milestone and follow its driving predecessors backward through the schedule. Use the Critical Tasks format to see critical

Out-of-Sequence Progress Explained

Schedule Health Critical Path, out of sequence progress, Schedule Analysis By Noah Smith August 21, 2026

Out of sequence progress occurs when an activity reports actual progress even though the predecessor condition defined in the schedule has not been satisfied. For example, a successor may start

When Are Lags Appropriate in a Project Schedule?

Schedule Health Critical Path, Schedule Analysis, schedule lags By Noah Smith August 21, 2026

Schedule lags are appropriate when a relationship requires a real, measurable passage of time and no work, resources, or meaningful progress occurs during that interval. A fixed curing, drying, cooling,

Why Leads Can Damage Schedule Quality

Schedule Health Critical Path, Schedule Analysis, schedule leads By Noah Smith August 21, 2026

Schedule leads can damage schedule quality because they allow a successor to start before its predecessor reaches the event defined by the relationship. That overlap may look efficient. However, it

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