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

How the IMS Supports Earned Value Management

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

The Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) supports an Earned Value Management System (EVMS) by defining when authorized work will occur, connecting that work through schedule logic and providing the status and

Schedule Assessment and DCMA schedule health dashboard

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

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,

Integrated Master Scheduling program controls dashboard

Critical Path Method: Guide for Program Schedulers

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

The critical path method is a network-based scheduling technique that calculates the sequence of activities controlling a project or milestone finish date. It gives the program team a forecast based

What Is Total Float in Project Scheduling?

Critical Path & Float Critical Path, Schedule Analysis, total float By Noah Smith August 21, 2026

Total float is the amount of working time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project finish date or another controlling schedule milestone. It measures schedule flexibility relative to

What Is Negative Float and What Causes It?

Critical Path & Float Critical Path, negative float, Schedule Analysis By Noah Smith August 21, 2026

Negative float is the amount of time by which a schedule’s calculated completion date exceeds a required or targeted date. If an activity has negative 10 days of total float,

Free Float vs Total Float Explained

Critical Path & Float Critical Path, Free Float, Schedule Analysis, total float By Noah Smith August 21, 2026

Free float measures how long an activity can slip without delaying an immediate successor. Total float measures how long it can slip without delaying the project finish or another controlling

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