Cost-Loaded Schedule Integration Flashcards
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Read the first 7 Cost-Loaded Schedule Integration flashcards as text
A project manager notices the cost-loaded S-curve has a steep negative divergence between planned value and earned value starting in Month 4. What is the most appropriate first diagnostic step?
Answer: Identify which specific control accounts or activities account for the largest SV
Drilling down to the control account level pinpoints which scope areas are underperforming, enabling targeted corrective action rather than blanket responses.
In cost-loaded schedule integration, what is the purpose of 'undistributed budget' (UB)?
Answer: Budget authorized for the project but not yet assigned to specific WBS elements
Undistributed budget is an authorized portion of the PMB that has not yet been time-phased to control accounts, typically due to incomplete planning.
Which Integrated Baseline Review (IBR) objective verifies that the cost-loaded schedule is achievable given available resources?
Answer: Validate that the PMB is realistic, executable, and adequately resourced
The IBR assesses whether the baseline is technically and resource-credible — a PMB that cannot be executed is meaningless as a performance measurement tool.
When a change order adds scope to a cost-loaded schedule, which action must occur to maintain EVM data integrity?
Answer: The PMB must be formally revised to incorporate the authorized budget change
The PMB is revised by transferring budget from management reserve (or adding authorized budget) to the affected control accounts, maintaining the baseline's integrity.
A To-Complete Performance Index (TCPI) value of 1.25 indicates what about remaining project work?
Answer: The remaining work must be performed at 25% greater cost efficiency than achieved to date to finish within BAC
TCPI = (BAC − EV) ÷ (BAC − AC); a value of 1.25 means the team must earn $1.25 of value for every $1.00 spent going forward — a demanding target if CPI has been below 1.0.
Which method of earned value credit is most appropriate for long-duration, continuously progressing activities like concrete formwork installation?
Answer: Percent complete with weighted milestones
Weighted milestones subdivide long activities into measurable interim checkpoints, providing objective percent-complete data rather than subjective estimates.
In a cost-loaded schedule, what is the significance of the 'data date' (also called the status date)?
Answer: The cutoff point that separates actual performance from future planned performance in the schedule
The data date is the reference point for all EVM calculations: actuals and earned value are measured up to this date, and planned value beyond it represents future work.