When reviewing an Integrated Program Management Report (IPMR) there are certain things I look for that can alert you to changes in the status of your project or highlight data integrity issues. The following list ranges from finding data anomalies that put the validity of the data into question, to analytics that help identify areas […]
Deltek Insight 2016 Recap
The Deltek Insight 2016 conference was held in the Washington DC area this year at the end of November. As with prior years, the conference was full of content that made it well worth the trip. One of the biggest benefits I get from Deltek Insight 2016 is interacting with other users of the Deltek […]
Roper Technologies Buys Deltek for $2.8B
Deltek announced on December 6th, that it is being acquired for $2.8 Billion. Private equity firm Thoma Bravo which purchased Deltek in 2012 has now sold the company to Roper Technologies (NYSE:ROP). Deltek will still operate as separate company within Roper Technologies and maintain it’s brand and product names, strategy and global team. In addition, […]
DCMA 14-Point Assessment – Invalid Dates
Are you familiar with the Defense Contract Management Agency’s (DCMA) invalid dates assessment. Do your activity forecasted and/or actual dates and schedule data date accurately reflect the status of your project? The status date or data date, depending on your scheduling software terminology, is similar to the closing statement date of your checking account. The […]
DCMA 14-Point Assessment and High Duration Tasks
Does your schedule have excessively high duration tasks? The Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) says activities longer than 44-days (approximately 2-months) are not ideal, and should be limited. The quality of schedules is certified by the DCMA 14-point assessment. Schedules that meet or exceed the assessment have a significantly greater opportunity for success. The high […]
The DCMA 14-Point Assessment and Negative Float
Total float is a measure of how long an activity may delay without delaying the entire project. Positive and zero total float are acceptable. Negative float, however, means your schedule is already behind, which is not good if you’re still at the planning stage. The Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) 14-point assessment inspects project schedules […]
The DCMA 14-Point Assessment and High Float Tasks
Do your schedule activities have high float? High float is generally thought to be a good thing. It’s like a safety margin. But it may be indicative of missing relationships. The Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) developed a definitive 14-point assessment for gauging the quality of a schedule. The intent of this assessment is to […]
A More Descriptive Solution to the Negative Lags Dilemma
Removing negative lag or leads from your schedule is a noble cause. But replacing negative lag with positive lag and, perhaps, a start to start (SS) relationship may only be a partial solution. Negative lag or (lead) is a real problem in schedules. The following blog The Negatives of Negative Lag explains in detail the […]
The DCMA 14-Point Assessment and Hard Constraints
Hard constraints are date constraints on schedule activities that may cause them to violate activity dependency relationships, i.e. the network logic. Still limited application of hard constraints is acceptable according to the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) 14-point assessment. The DCMA 14-point assessment was developed to raise the standard and quality of schedules; particularly those […]
Primary Drivers of Variances
Part of writing and developing good variance analyses requires an understanding and identifying of the primary drivers of variances. You can break down variances into to two key buckets: variances driven by technical issues and variances driven by rate issues. These can be defined further: Rate vs. Usage variance in Labor – A rate variance […]