Baseline & Earned Value Schedule Flashcards

When analyzing schedule health using EVM, a negative Schedule Variance (SV) combined with an SPI less than 1.0 most likely indicates:

Answer: The project is behind schedule and performing less work than planned

Both negative SV and SPI < 1.0 confirm the project is completing less work than planned, indicating a schedule delay.

A project baseline change is sometimes called a 'baseline re-plan.' Under what condition is a re-plan considered inappropriate?

Answer: When management wants to hide past schedule variances without an approved change

Re-planning to conceal unfavorable variances without an approved change ('rubber baseline') is a misuse of the baseline process.

What is the relationship between the Authorized Work (AW) and the Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB) in a government EVM system?

Answer: AW equals PMB plus management reserve

Total Authorized Work (AW) = PMB + Management Reserve; management reserve is held outside the PMB for unplanned scope.

On a project, the actual finish date of an activity is earlier than the baseline finish date. This is referred to as:

Answer: A baseline deviation with positive schedule variance

When actual completion precedes the baseline date, this is a positive schedule variance or baseline deviation indicating the work finished early.

Under ANSI/EIA-748 EVMS guidelines, how frequently must contractors report EVM data to the government on large contracts?

Answer: Monthly

ANSI/EIA-748 requires monthly reporting of cost and schedule performance data via the Contract Performance Report (CPR).

What is 'undistributed budget' (UB) in the context of an EVM system?

Answer: Authorized budget not yet assigned to a specific control account

Undistributed Budget (UB) is authorized budget that has not yet been formally distributed to control accounts within the WBS/OBS.

A project schedule baseline includes all of the following EXCEPT:

Answer: Actual cost expenditures to date

The schedule baseline captures planned dates, milestones, and float values, but actual costs belong to the cost baseline and financial records, not the schedule baseline.