Construction Schedule Health Explained: DCMA 14 and Why It’s Not Enough
Challenge
You’re handed a live project and a plan that “passes DCMA,” yet dates keep slipping and no one trusts the critical path. On this episode of Beyond Deadlines, we tackle the core challenge: what “schedule health” really means and how to use it to drive real predictability.
We discuss why a schedule is more than a spreadsheet of tasks, it’s an algorithm that models intent and execution and how the best schedulers blend data checks with field truth to build trust and precision in project delivery.
Key Takeaways
A schedule is an algorithm, not a calendar. It’s a living system of activities, logic, and data. Treat it like code: test it, stress it, and refine it.
Start with the basics. DCMA’s 14 checks like missing logic, negative float, and hard constraints catch the mechanical errors that distort critical paths.
Run integrity tests. Go beyond DCMA. Slip a key activity and make sure downstream dates move. If they don’t, your logic is broken.
Measure realism, not perfection. Use CPLI and BEI to test whether progress and efficiency align with what the schedule predicts.
Avoid copy-paste ghosts. Old calendars, code structures, or unused WBS fragments silently corrupt updates and metrics. Localize your schedule for every project.
Pair software checks with human sense. Automated health tools like Nodes & Links speed up analysis, but judgment in context still drives decisions.
The bottom of the iceberg matters. True schedule health means your logic mirrors field sequencing, progress updates are real, and your plan reflects what crews are actually doing.
Bad inputs, bad forecasts. A schedule that doesn’t reflect field progress isn’t predictive it’s just a log of assumptions.
Health leads to predictability. Better integrity and logic drive consistent forecasts, but only when change and risk are also managed in real time.
Don’t audit in isolation. Pair every data check with a conversation. The best health reviews happen side by side with the field team, not in an office.
Tactical Takeaway
Validate schedule health with a field walk.
A healthy schedule isn’t proven by software, it’s proven on site. The fastest way to confirm progress accuracy is to walk the field with your schedule in hand. Here’s how to turn that walk into a powerful validation habit:
Bring your lookahead. Focus on the next 60–90 days of planned work. Highlight critical and near-critical activities.
Walk the sequence. Follow the schedule logic physically from the first activity on the path to the last. See if the work happening in the field matches the order and timing in the schedule.
Spot discrepancies. Identify tasks shown as complete but still underway, or activities started early without updates. Note resource gaps or resequencing decisions made in the field.
Talk to the builders. Ask superintendents and foremen how they plan to tackle the next phase. Record their reasoning these conversations reveal what logic needs adjusting.
Update and close the loop. Back at your desk, correct the logic, adjust progress, and document why. Track repeat issues and use them to refine your next update cycle.
Do this once per update cycle. It turns “schedule health” from a compliance exercise into a reality check. You’ll strengthen your logic, improve data accuracy, and build credibility with the teams who live the plan every day.
Because the real test of schedule health isn’t in passing a checklist, it’s in walking the site and proving the plan still matches the project.
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