CAM Communication & Documentation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which report format is used to deliver contract performance data to the U.S. government on many DoD programs?
- The Integrated Program Management Data and Analysis Report (IPMDAR) (Correct answer)
- The internal weekly staff meeting minutes
- The employee timesheet summary
- The vendor invoice register
Correct answer: The Integrated Program Management Data and Analysis Report (IPMDAR)
The IPMDAR (successor to the IPMR/CPR) is the standard deliverable communicating contract performance data to the DoD.
Question 2: A CAM must document a change to the performance measurement baseline. Which record captures the change and its approval?
- A Baseline Change Request with an updated change control log (Correct answer)
- An informal email to the team
- A handwritten note in the schedule margin
- A revised invoice to the customer
Correct answer: A Baseline Change Request with an updated change control log
Baseline changes must be documented through formal change requests and logged to maintain traceability of the performance measurement baseline.
Question 3: During an Integrated Baseline Review (IBR), what is the CAM expected to communicate?
- Their understanding of scope, schedule, budget adequacy, and risks in their control account (Correct answer)
- The company's overall profit margins
- Future contract bidding strategies
- Human resources staffing policies
Correct answer: Their understanding of scope, schedule, budget adequacy, and risks in their control account
At an IBR the CAM demonstrates ownership by explaining their scope, baseline realism, resource adequacy, and identified risks.
Question 4: A CAM identifies that a corrective action from last month's VAR did not work. How should this be documented?
- Update the VAR with actual results and a revised corrective action plan (Correct answer)
- Delete the previous VAR to avoid confusion
- Stop reporting the variance since it was already explained
- Reassign the variance to another control account
Correct answer: Update the VAR with actual results and a revised corrective action plan
Corrective action follow-up requires documenting actual outcomes and revising the plan until the variance is resolved.
Question 5: Why must a CAM's estimate at completion (EAC) narrative be documented with supporting rationale?
- So reviewers can trace the basis of estimate and validate its credibility (Correct answer)
- Because narratives increase the contract value
- To eliminate the need for schedule updates
- So the CAM can skip monthly reporting
Correct answer: So reviewers can trace the basis of estimate and validate its credibility
A documented basis of estimate lets management and auditors verify that the EAC is credible and grounded in current performance data.
Question 6: In EVMS documentation, what is the purpose of the Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)?
- It maps WBS elements to organizational units, identifying each control account and its CAM (Correct answer)
- It records employee vacation schedules
- It lists all approved subcontractor invoices
- It defines the customer's payment milestones
Correct answer: It maps WBS elements to organizational units, identifying each control account and its CAM
The RAM intersects the WBS with the OBS to define control accounts and document which CAM is responsible for each.
Question 7: A surveillance auditor finds the CAM's records conflict with the accounting system data. What does this indicate?
- A data integrity and traceability problem that must be reconciled and documented (Correct answer)
- Normal practice, since records never need to match
- The accounting system should be ignored
- The auditor must accept the CAM's version automatically
Correct answer: A data integrity and traceability problem that must be reconciled and documented
EVMS requires traceable, consistent data, so discrepancies between CAM records and the accounting system must be reconciled.
CAM Communication & Documentation 3
Which report format is used to deliver contract performance data to the U.S. government on many DoD programs?