Pinnacle Insights

This is the first of a three-part series. 

We have all been told that time equals money. Even, time is money. But what does any of that truly mean? Time and money separately are highly debatable subjects. The combination of the two can certainly be a conundrum. However, it is my belief that in construction, A&D, or any industry really, this may as well be a law of the universe. Consider this, he or she who controls the schedule of the project, controls the cost of the project. Thus, the schedule is one of the most important documents your project(s) may ever possess. 

Warrenton, VA – November 2nd, 2020 – Pinnacle Management Systems, Inc., a leader in program and project management consulting and training services, announced today that Jason Kinder has joined the executive team in the role of Director of Marketing. 

Southlake, TX – January 7^th, 2020 – Pinnacle Management Systems, Inc., a leader in program and project management consulting and training services, announced today that Michael Breuker has been promoted to the role of President, effective immediately.

Often these two terms are used interchangeably, but they mean very different things to those of us who have been implementing project management and project controls systems.  

In Part 2 of this series, Schedule Analysis, Part 2: Why Should I Do It?, it was stated that schedule analysis increases confidence in the schedule and its results. It provides information as to where the schedule needs to be improved and how it needs to be improved. 

In Part 1 of this series, Schedule Analysis, Part 1: What Is It?, provided a brief introduction to schedule analysis. This article discusses why a schedule analysis should be performed. But first, a point of clarification. Schedule analysis and Schedule Risk Analysis (SRA) are two different things. 

Update: August 26, 2024.
Please note that the article below refers to the implementation of a DFAR deviation implemented in 2017 that effectively changed the EVMS validation threshold for DOD cost-plus development contracts to $100M, while keeping EVMS reporting threshold at $20M. The 2024 NDAA directs the Dept of Defense to update the DFAR to raise the reporting threshold to $50M, and officially change the validation threshold to $100M. DFARs changes take a long time, and we will post additional information when changes are made.

At the most recent NDIA Integrated Program Management (IPM) Division Meeting, John McGregor, Director of Earned Value Management for OSD Performance Assessment & Root Cause Analysis (PARCA) took the stage to discuss the latest updates related to EVM threshold requirements for DoD contracts. During the presentation, John clarified that DoD Instruction 5000.02 is finalized, signed and in full affect, even though the document looks like it may be in draft form.

A schedule is a time-model of how you as the supplier or manager plan on executing your project. It represents the project scope, resources, assumptions and constraints of the project. Like a cost model, the time model or schedule should respond to changes.