Fig. 1:
Research methodology. DWR, daily work reports; GAO, Government Accountability Office; IRMs, industry-recognised metrics.
Tab. 1:
IRMs for evaluating baseline schedules.
| Major category | ID | Metrics | Calculation | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General: General metrics are those used to verify scheduling information in general. | G001 | Project ID | Is there a special project identifier for each project? | PMI (2011), OFPC (2011), GAO (2012) and Han et al. (2017) |
| G002 | Project name | Does a project have a special name? | OFPC (2011), PMI (2011) and Han et al. (2017) | |
| G003 | Task ID (unique) | (Number of tasks using different task I.D.s)/(total number of tasks) | OFPC (2011), PMI (2011), GAO (2012) and Han et al. (2017) | |
| G004 | Task name (unique) | (Number of tasks having unique names)/(total number of tasks) | OFPC (2011), GAO (2012), NDIA (2016) and Han et al. (2017) | |
| G005 | Task name (descriptive name) | (Number of tasks having descriptive names)/(total number of tasks) | OFPC (2011), GAO (2012), NDIA (2016) and Han et al. (2017) | |
| G006 | WBS element ID/reference | (Number of tasks having a WBS ID)/(total number of tasks) | PMI (2011), GAO (2012), OFPC (2011) and Han et al. (2017) | |
| G007 | Starting/finishing tasks on weekends or holidays | (Number of tasks starting or ending on a weekend or holiday)/(total number of tasks) | OFPC (2011), GAO (2012) and Han et al. (2017) | |
| G008 | LOE task | (Number of LOE tasks on the critical path)/(total number of tasks) | DOD (2005), GAO (2012) and Han et al. (2017) | |
| Milestones: Milestones are metrics used to verify information about milestones. | M001 | Milestone definition | (Number of detail tasks)/(total number of milestones) | GAO (2012) |
| Duration: The duration category includes the measurements for verifying duration data. | D001 | High duration | (Number of tasks whose durations are longer than 44 working days)/(total number of tasks) | DOD (2005), PMI (2011), GAO (2012), NDIA (2016) and Han et al. (2017) |
| Calendar: The metrics used to verify submitted to the calendar are classified as a calendar. | C001 | Project calendar | Is a project calendar available? | PMI (2011), GAO (2012), NDIA (2016) and Han et al. (2017) |
| C002 | Holidays | Do project calendars include holidays and exceptions? | OFPC (2011), GAO (2012), NDIA (2016) and Han et al. (2017) | |
| Logic: The metrics for verifying data pertaining to logic in a schedule are classified as logic. | L001 | Basic relationship (missing predecessor or successor) | (Number of tasks missing a pre-decessor or successor)/(total number of tasks) | DOD (2005), OFPC (2011), PMI (2011) and NDIA (2016) |
| L002 | Basic relationship (missing predecessor and successor) | (Number of tasks missing a predecessor and successor)/(total number of tasks) | DOD (2005, 2012), CVEM (2008), NAV (2010), OFPC (2011), PMI (2011), DCMA (2012), GAO (2012) and NDIA (2016) | |
| L003 | Percentage of tasks on the critical path | (Number of activities on the critical path)/(total number of activities) | DOD (2005) and Han et al. (2017) | |
| Float: The measurements used to verify information about float fall under this category. | F001 | High total float | (Number of activities over 44 working days total float)/(total number of activities) | DOD (2005), GAO (2012), NDIA (2016) and Han et al. (2017) |
| Lag: Lag metrics are defined as measurements used to verify information about lag. | La001 | Long lags | (Quantity of lags >30 working days)/(total number of links between activities) | DOD (2005) and Han et al. (2017) |
Fig. 2:
Baseline vs. as-built schedule analysis for Project I.
Tab. 2:
Evaluation of baseline schedules using IRMs.
| ID | Metric | Threshold | Project I | Project II | Project III | Project IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G001 | Project identifier | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| G002 | Project name | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| G003 | Task identifier (unique) | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| G004 | Task name (unique) | 100% | 100% | 73.33% | 100% | 100% |
| G005 | Task name (descriptive name) | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| G006 | WBS element identifier | 100% | 0% | 20% | 0% | 0% |
| G007 | Starting tasks on weekends or holiday | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| G008 | LOE task | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| M001 | Milestone definition | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| D001 | High duration > 44 days | 5% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| C001 | Project calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| C002 | Holidays | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| L001 | Basic relationship (missing predecessor or successor) | 0% | 22.22% | 0% | 0% | 62.5% |
| L002 | Basic relationship (missing predecessor and successor) | 0% | 22.22% | 0% | 100% | 12.5% |
| L003 | Percentage of tasks on the critical path | 95% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 83% |
| F001 | High total float > 44days | 5% | 0% | 0% | 6.25% | 31.25% |
| La001 | Long lags > 30 days | 5% | 25% | 0% | 6.25% | 0% |
| Pass | 11 (64.7%) | 13 (76.47%) | 10 (58.82%) | 10 (58.82%) | ||
| Fail | 6 (35.3%) | 4 (23.53%) | 7 (41.18%) | 7 (41.18%) | ||
| Total | 17 (100.0%) | 17 (100.0%) | 17 (100.0%) | 17 (100.0%) |
Tab. 3:
Evaluation of baseline schedules using GAO BPs.
| Practice name | Project I | Project II | Project III | Project IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BP #1: Capturing all activities | × | ✓ | × | ✓ |
| BP #2: Sequencing all activities | × | ✓ | × | ✓ |
| BP #3: Assigning resources to all activities | × | × | × | × |
| BP #4: Establishing the duration of all activities | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| BP #5: Verifying that the schedule can be traced horizontally and vertically | × | ✓ | × | ✓ |
| BP #6: Confirming that the critical path is valid | × | ✓ | × | × |
| BP #7: Ensuring reasonable total float | × | × | × | × |
| % of satisfied requirements | 14.29% | 71.43% | 14.29% | 57.14% |
Tab. 4:
Similarities between GAO BPs and IRMs.
| GAO BP | IRMs |
|---|---|
| BP #1: Capturing all activities | G003 - Task identifier (unique), G004 - Task name (unique), G005 - Task name (descriptive) and G006 - WBS element identifier. |
| BP #2: Sequencing all activities | L001 Basic relationship (missing predecessor or successor) and L002 - Basic relationship (missing predecessor and successor) |
| BP #3: Assigning resources to all activities | Not applicable |
| BP #4: Establishing the duration of all activities | D001 High duration, C001 Project calendar and C002 Holidays |
| BP #5: Verifying that the schedule can be traced horizontally and vertically | Not applicable |
| BP #6: Confirming that the critical path is valid | L003-Percentage of tasks on the critical path |
| BP #7: Ensuring reasonable total float | F001 High total float (> 44days) |
Fig. 3:
Baseline vs. As-built Schedule Analysis for Project II.
Fig. 4:
Baseline vs. As-built Schedule Analysis for Project III.
Fig. 5:
Baseline vs. As-built Schedule Analysis for Project IV.