Keeping Resource Costs and schedule status in-sync can be a nightmare even in a moderately sized CPM Network. In this type of environment, it is possible to have an independent Cost Engineer and Schedule Engineer responsible for developing and maintaining Resource Costs and schedule making this effort even more complicated.
In an ideal situation, Resource Costs and schedule status are In-Sync when:
1) an activity has not started, and the Actual Resource Cost (Expenditures) is equaled to 0;
2) an activity is in-progress, and the Resource Cost Actual Cost To-Date is be between 0 and the Budgeted Cost;
3) an activity is complete, and the remaining Resource Cost is 0.
Obviously, the ideal situation is rarely the case and, in some instances, can even be justified. Regardless, when schedule and Resource Cost status get Out-of-Sync, these instances should be identified, reviewed, and adjusted accordingly.
There are 4 Out-of-Sync possibilities: (See illustration below)
1) Resource Cost exist on activities that have not started.
2) There is Remaining Resource Cost on activities that are complete.
3) There is no Remaining Resource Cost on activities that are in-progress.
4) There is no Actual Resource Cost on activities that are in-progress.
Zümmer checks for Possibility #1 with Analysis Report – “Expenditures on Not Started Tasks” illustrated below.
Zümmer checks for Possibility #2 with Analysis Report – “Remaining Cost On Completed Tasks” illustrated below.
Zümmer checks for Possibility #3 with Analysis Report – “No Cost to Complete on Tasks in Progress” illustrated below.
Zümmer checks for Possibility #4 with Analysis Report – “No Cost To Date on Tasks in Progress” illustrated below.
Each report lists the Activity ID, Activity Name, and either Budgeted Cost, Cost to Complete, or Expended Cost value. Line Items are highlighted when an unbalanced condition occurs. Unbalanced conditions occur when the Budgeted Cost is not equaled to the Actual Cost plus the Remaining Resource Cost value.