Notional cam interview questions (update)

2012

Glen
B.
Alleman

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC

Copyright
©
2012

All
Rights
Reserved

+
1
303
241
9633

[NOTIONAL
CAM
INTERVIEW
QUESTIONS]

A
collection
of
CAM
interview
questions
and
typical
answers
based
on
ANSI-‐748-‐C
Earned
Value
Management
processes

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
2

This
document
provides
“notional”
questions
and
answers
for
Control
Account
Managers
(CAM)
during

CAM
interviews,
IBR
interviews
and
DCMA
validation
and
surveillance
interviews.
The
sections
are

common
to
all
DCMA
style
programs.
The
body
of
this
document
has
sub
elements:

«TOP
LEVEL
SECTION»

§ Background
information
in
support
of
the
question
and
its
answer
–
this
is
the
basis
of
the

activities
needed
for
the
CAM
interview
process.
It
contains
an
overview
of
the
guidance,

references
to
the
guidance
materials,
and
any
external
compliance
requirements.

! Questions
that
will
be
asked
during
the
interview
–
this
is
a
guide
to
the
types
of
questions
that

will
be
asked
by
the
interviewer
or
auditor.

" Answers
to
those
questions
–
these
are
the
sample
answers
to
the
questions.
In
all
cases
these

answers
must
address
the
question
directly.
No
further
explanation
should
be
provided.

These
need
to
be
tailored
to
the
specific
needs
of
the
program
and
the
firm’s
environment.
The
Earned

Value
Management
System
–
System
Description
is
the
place
to
start
for
this
tailoring.
As
well
there

should
be
a
set
of
Program
Directive
guidance
and
support
work
instructions
that
support
the

implementation
of
the
System
Description
and
other
program
execution
processes.
Since
this
document

is
generic
in
purpose
there
are
some
terms
that
are
also
generic.

PPM
–
Program
Performance
Management
–
guidance
describing
the
processes
used
to

management
programmatic
performance.

EVMS-‐SD
–
Earned
Value
Management
System
–
System
Description
–
guidance
for
applying

Earned
Value
Management
to
the
program
and
the
source
of
guidance
for
the
DCMA
audits.

Topics
in
the
notional
interview
guide
include:

1. Training
–
what
training
materials,
course,
and
guidance
should
the
CAM
have
had
prior
to

assuming
the
role
of
a
CAM?

2. Organization
–
how
is
the
program
organized?
How
does
the
CAM
interact
with
the

program
members?
Who
is
the
CAM
accountable
to
for
the
deliverables
and
reporting?

3. Work
Authorization
–
how
is
work
authorized?
How
does
the
CAM
know
what
work
he
or

she
is
accountable
for?

4. Planning
–
how
is
the
Performance
Measurement
Baseline
represented?
How
does
the
CAM

know
what
portions
of
the
PMB
he
or
she
is
accountable
for?

5. Earned
Value
–
how
are
the
Earned
Value
metrics
taken?

6. Change
Control
–
how
are
changes
to
the
PMB
managed?

7. Analysis
–
what
analytical
metrics
are
used
to
manage
the
program?

8. Risk
–
how
are
programmatic
and
technical
risk
managed?

9. Estimate
at
Completion
–
what
processes
are
used
to
produce
a
credible
EAC?

10. Subcontractor
Management
–
how
are
subcontracts
managed
by
the
CAM?

11. Material
Management
–
how
is
material
managed
by
the
CAM?

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
3

Evidence
Needed
by
the
CAM
Interview
support

Statement
of
Work
(SOW)
for
the

accountable
Control
Accounts
and
Work

Packages

§ Highlight
your
applicable
area
of
the
SOW

Contract
Work
Breakdown
Structure

(CWBS)
with
WBS
Dictionary
and
Exit

Criteria
for
each
Work
Package
and

deliverable

§ WBS
dictionary

§ Highlight
your
applicable
area
of
the
WBS
tree

§ Technical
Performance
Measures
for
critical
deliverables

§ Exit
criteria
for
Work
Package

§ Quantifiable
Backup
Data
(QBD)
for
measures
of
percent

complete

Organization
(OBS)

§ Level
II
organization
charts

§ CAM
organizational
charts

Responsibility
Assignment
Matrix
(RAM)

§ Bring
the
RAM
to
the
interview

§ Identify
your
items
in
the
RAM

Schedules
(DID
81861
compliant
IMS)

§ Integrated
Master
Plan
(IMP)

§ Integrated
Master
Schedule
(IMS)

§ IMS
Work
Package
Level
Data

§ Predecessor
and
Successor
report

§ Status
of
Late
Starts
and
Late
Finishes

§ Supplemental
or
Detailed
Schedules

Budget
and
Work
Authorization

Documents
(WAD)

§ Initial
signed
WAD

§ Control
Account
WADs
and
any
changes
from
the
BCR

Control
Account
Plans
(CAP)
/
Task
and

Work
Plans

§ Copy
of
the
discrete
MS
Project
reports

§ Cost
system
budget
distribution
by
Control
Account

Report

Requesting
Work
Authorization

Documents

§ Requesting
WADs
approved
and
signed

§ IMS
Change
Request
&
Change
worksheets

Estimate
Change
Request
(ECR)

§ ECRs

§ Bottoms
up
ground
rules
for
changes

§ Basis
of
Estimate
(BOE)
and
ETC
justification

§ Staffing
charts

Performance
Measurement
processes

§ Earned
Value
data
for
Work
PCKAGES

§ “redlined”
CAPs
showing
all
changes

Actual
Cost

Physical
Percent
Complete
with
QBD

§ Weekly
actual
reports

§ Cost
system
resource
code
index

§ Control
account
instructions

Analysis
and
Reporting

§ Variance
threshold
requirement
contained
in
the
Program

Directive

§ Variance
At
Completion
(VAC)

Risk
Management

§ Outline
all
technical,
schedule,
cost,
resource,
and

management
process
risks.

§ Risk
register
showing
handling
processes
in
the
IMS

§ Risk
register
showing
Management
Reserve
allocation

§ Be
prepared
to
provide
risk
mitigation
plans

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
4

«HISTORY
OF
THIS
DOCUMENT»

CAM
interviews
are
part
of
every
Earned
Value
Management
System
verification
and
part
of
every

weekly
program
performance
management
process.
These
“notional”
questions
have
been
captured

over
several
decades
of
work
within
earned
value
based
project
and
programs,
going
back
to
the
C/SCSC

days
before
ANSI-‐748A/B/C.
The
content
grows
every
program
I
work.

Over
time
DCMA,
Department
of
Defense,
and
the
Defense
Acquisition
University
have
developed

guidelines
for
CAM
interviews
and
Validation
and
Surveillance
processes.
These
have
been
incorporated

into
this
guide.

As
well
hands
on
Validation
and
Surveillance
experience
has
shown
that
the
core
questions
asked
and

the
critical
success
factors
for
any
program
are
incorporated
in
the
CAM’s
ability
to
answer
–
with

credible
evidence
–
these
questions.

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
5

«THE
ABRIDGED
VERSION
OF
THE
CAM
INTERVIEW»

General
–
what
is
the
primary
role
of
the
CAM
on
a
weekly
project
rhythm

! Do
you
have
multiple
Control
Accounts,
or
just
one?
What
are
they?

! What
is
the
approximate
dollar
value
of
your
Control
Account?

! What
is
the
nature
of
work
in
your
Control
Account?

! How
long
have
you
been
a
Control
Account
Manager?

! Do
you
like
being
a
CAM?
If
not,
do
you
accept
the
responsibility
and
function?

! Have
you
read
the
EVM
System
Description?

! Have
you
read
the
accompanying
Work
Instructions?

! Have
you
read
the
Program
Management
Plan
(PMP)?

! Demonstrate
the
contents
of
your
CAM
Notebook.

! Have
you
taken
the
CAM
training
provided?
Or
have
you
completed
an
equivalent
course?

! What
training
do
you
think
you
need
to
be
effective
as
a
CAM?

! What
areas
of
training

Organizing
Your
Control
Account
–
does
the
CAM
know
who
is
working
on
what
in
the
CA?

! Show
me
your
OBS.

! Does
your
Functional
organization
align
with
your
OBS?
If
not,
how
is
it
traced
to
the
OBS?

! Who
assigns
named
resources
to
your
Control
Account?
Can
you
get
whomever
you
need,
or

must
you
request
resources?

Authorizing
your
Work
–
does
the
CAM
know
what
should
be
worked
on
and
the
outcome?

! Who
directs,
approves,
and
assigns
you
to
work
on
a
control
account?

! Do
you
have
a
signed
CAP/PWAA?
Does
the
PWAA
indicate
WBS,
title/description
of
the
work,

BAC
(in
hours
or
dollars),
with
Start-‐End
dates?

! What
paragraphs
in
your
SOW
describe
your
work?

Is
your
work
specific
or
implied?

! What
CDRLs
apply
to
your
work?

! What
DIDs
apply
to
your
work?

! How
do
you
authorize
work?
Demonstrate
your
CNA
artifact
and
discuss
the
process.

! How
are
charge
numbers
opened
and
closed?

! Do
your
planning
packages
have
charge
numbers?

! Are
actuals
collected
and
charge
numbers
established
at
the
WP
level?
Lower?

! Is
an
approved
BCR
authorization
your
to
proceed
or
do
you
need
a
revised
CAA?

Organizing
the
Work
–
does
the
CAM
know
what
“done”
looks
like
for
this
CA

! Where
is
your
WBS?
Is
work
decomposed
into
logical
Work
Packages
from
the
WBS
structure?

! Show
me
your
WBS
dictionary?
Are
all
the
informational
elements
present?
Does
it
accurately

reflect
the
SOW
and
IMP
(or
deliverables
plan)?

! What
is
the
deliverable
for
the
work
done
in
your
Control
Account?

! Demonstrate
your
program
level
RAM.

! Has
the
RAM
been
dollarized?
Does
each
Control
Account
have
an
established
value?

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
6

! Demonstrate
your
detailed
RAM?

! Demonstrate
your
Basis
of
Estimate
summary?

! What
is
your
estimating
process/tool?

! Demonstrate
your
CAP?

Schedule
–
can
the
CAM
brief
the
order
of
work
needed
to
get
to
“Done?”

! Do
you
have
milestone
schedule?

! Do
you
have
direct
access
to
the
IMS?
If
not,
do
you
receive
a
schedule
extract?

! Does
the
deliverables
milestone
schedule
correspond
to
the
IMS?

! Identify
your
Control
Accounts
in
the
IMS.

! What
is
the
frequency
of
schedule
updates?

! What
is
the
process
for
making
a
schedule
change?
Who
approves
the
change
and
how
is
it

implemented
in
the
schedule?

! Identify
your
Work
Packages
and
Planning
Packages.
Is
there
visibility
of
work
below
the
Work

Package
level?

! Which
milestones
relate
to
your
effort?
Identify
these
in
your
schedules.

! Are
your
schedules
resource
loaded?
In
dollars
or
hours?
At
what
level?

! Are
your
forecasts
resource
loaded?

! If
used,
explain
Rolling
Wave
planning
process,
planning
packages,
and
summary
level
planning

packages.

! Does
BCWS
on
the
CAP
correspond
to
BCWS
on
the
IMS
and
PMB
databases?

Assessing
Performance

! Explain
and
justify
the
earned
value
types
you
use
(i.e.,
0/100,
50/50,
m/s,
%
complete,
LOE).

! What
are
the
technical
criteria
that
support
your
assessment
of
performance
attained?

! What
are
your
schedule
baseline
start
and
finish
dates?

! What
is
the
duration
of
Work
Packages?

! Demonstrate
how
and
when
status
is
reported?
Trace
to
month-‐end
BCWP

Budget

! What
resources
are
assigned
to
do
the
work?

! Do
you
have
named
resources
or
generic
resources?

! How
is
the
rate
determined
for
resources?

! Do
you
have
visibility
of
resource
rates?
Or
do
you
deal
with
hours
only?

! How
are
resources
assigned
to
the
tasks
in
your
schedule?
Do
you
select
resources
from
a

lookup
table?

! Are
you
responsible
for
indirect
costs?

! Do
you
have
Material,
Travel,
Sub
contractors,
Taxes,
or
ODCs?

! Where
are
Material,
Travel,
Sub
contractors,
Taxes,
or
ODCs
in
your
schedule?

! Does
the
BAC
in
your
CAP
correspond
to
your
schedule?

! Does
the
BCWS
in
your
CAP
correspond
to
your
schedule?

! Does
the
resource
allocation
in
your
CAP
correspond
to
your
schedule?

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
7

Accounting

! What
Accounting
reports
do
you
receive?

! What
labor
reports
do
you
receive,
e.g.,
Hours
or
Actuals?

! What
non-‐labor
actual
reports
do
you
receive?

! Are
you
required
to
maintain
element
of
cost
identification
(when
charge
numbers
do
not

distinguish
between
material
types)?
How
do
you
do
it?

! Do
you
sign/approve
timecards
of
those
who
charge
your
work?

! How
are
mischarges
corrected?

! Does
ACWP
on
your
Accounting
report
match
ACWP
on
your
CAP?

Analysis

! What
performance
reports
do
you
receive?
And
from
what
reporting
systems?

! Can
you
explain
anomalies,
for
example
when:
P
no
A;
A
no
P;
P>BAC;
A>EAC;
-‐
S,
P,
or
A

! What
are
SPI,
CPI,
TCPI,
BEI,
and
CPLI?

! What
are
your
VAR
reporting
thresholds?
Where
are
the
threshold
parameters
specified?

! Show
me
your
history
of
VARs.
Review
VAR
explanations

! Demonstrate
how
VAR
corrective
actions
are
tracked.

EAC
and
ETC

! How
do
you
get
ETC
and
EAC?

! How
do
you
put
EAC
and
ETC
into
the
system?

! Does
EAC
and
ETC
go
into
MSProject
as
“%
Complete”?
Or
does
BCWR
=
ETC?

! How
often
can
you
change
the
EAC
for
your
control
accounts?

Material,
Travel,
ODC,
Taxes

! What
is
the
value
of
material,
travel,
ODCs,
or
taxes
in
your
Control
Account?

! What
EV
type
do
you
use
for
material,
travel,
ODCs,
or
taxes?

! Demonstrate
where
material,
travel,
ODCs,
or
taxes
are
planned
in
your
schedule.
How
was

BCWS
determined
and
time-‐phased?

! Is
BCWP
earned
at
receipt
or
usage?

! Demonstrate
how
you
forecast
receipt
of
material,
travel,
ODCs,
or
taxes.

! What
is
the
process
for
Rejected
material?
Is
BCWP
decremented?

! Explain
the
process
for
Property
management.

! Demonstrate
your
material
receiving
reports.

! Demonstrate
your
open
commitments
reports.

! Demonstrate
your
travel
log

! Demonstrate
an
example
of
unit/lot
costing.

! Demonstrate
examples
of
price/usage
variance
analysis.

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
8

Subcontracts

! Do
you
manage
any
subcontractors?

! Demonstrate
your
major
subcontracts
in
the
WBS
dictionary.

! What
is
the
nature
of
the
sub-‐contracted
effort?
Labor
hours
or
a
clearly
defined
deliverable?

! What
type
of
contract
drives
the
sub-‐contracted
effort?
T&M,
Firm
Fixed
Price?

! Explain
flow
down
requirements
for
subcontractor
EVMS.
Full
EVMS
with
certification;
EVMS

compliance
only;
no
EVMS?

! Trace
subcontract
effort
in
the
IMS.

! What
is
the
basis
for
assessing
subcontractor
performance?

! What
is
the
basis
for
assessing
ETC
of
sub-‐contracted
effort?

! Where
is
the
subcontract
effort
indicated
in
the
CAP?

! Explain
process
for
accrual
of
an
estimated
ACWP
for
sub-‐contracted
work.

! Have
you
visited
your
subcontractor?
Show
me
results
of
your
reviews.

! What
formal
performance
reporting
requirements
do
you
receive
from
subs?

! Is
the
sub-‐contracted
effort
formally
observed
and
evaluated?

Change
Control

! How
often
do
you
change
your
baseline?

! How
do
changes
get
submitted
and
approved?
Explain
the
BCR
process.

! Have
you
had
a
change?
Explain.
Demonstrate
your
BCR.
Demonstrate
before
and
after
in
your

IMS
and
on
your
CAP.

! Where
are
the
documents
that
support
your
baseline
changes?

! Are
your
BCRs
(Budget
Change
Request)
signed?

! Under
what
circumstances
can
you
request
Management
Reserve?

! How
is
your
management
reserve
calculated?

! Do
you
have
Contingency
Reserve
(i.e.,
slack
or
float)?

Risk

! What
tool
do
you
use
to
identify
risk?

! What
tool
do
you
use
to
track
and
report
risk?

! What
tool
do
you
use
to
quantify
risk
assessment?

! System
Description
requires
Risk
added
to
EAC
when
probability
reaches
80%.
How
do
CAMs

determine
80%
probability?

! How
are
Risks
recorded
and
indicated
on
Risk
Registry?

! How
do
you
nominate
Risks
to
be
put
on
Risk
Registry?

! How
do
you
escalate
Risks?

! How
do
you
close
out
Risks?

! Demonstrate
your
Risks?

! What
are
your
risk
areas?
Cost?
Schedule?
Technical?

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
9

Accrual
of
Estimated
Actuals

! What
do
you
accrue
on
a
regular
basis?

! Who
does
the
accrual
of
estimated
actuals?

! Where
is
the
record/artifact
of
accruals?

! Where
is
the
CAM
documentation
kept
that
validates
accrual?

! Who
does
the
monthly
reversal
process?

! How
is
the
reversal
process
performed?

! What
documentation
do
you
retain
to
justify
the
accrual
of
estimated
actual?

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
10

«TRAINING»

§ Training
processes
are
the
core
of
CAM
success.
This
training
must
include
the
mechanics
of

the
EVMS
as
well
as
the
governance
process
applied
to
Control
Accounts

! When
did
you
last
receive
PP&C
or
CAM
training?

" Our
formal
EVM
System
Description
is
the
starting
point
for
our
training.
The
CAM
notebook

training
covers
the
use
of
all
materials
we
need
to
do
our
job
as
a
CAM,
guided
by
the
EVM

System
Description.

«ORGANIZATION»

§ Define
the
authorized
work
elements
for
the
program.
A
work
breakdown
structure
(WBS),

tailored
for
effective
internal
management
control,
and
is
commonly
used
in
this
process.

§ Identify
the
program
organizational
structure
including
the
major
subcontractors
responsible

for
accomplishing
the
authorized
work,
and
define
the
organizational
elements
in
which
work

will
be
planned
and
controlled.

§ Provide
for
the
integration
of
the
company’s
planning,
scheduling,
budgeting,
work

authorization
and
cost
accumulation
processes
with
each
other,
and
as
appropriate,
the

program
work
breakdown
structure
and
the
program
organizational
structure.

§ Identify
the
company
organization
or
function
responsible
for
controlling
overhead
(indirect

costs).

§ Provide
for
integration
of
the
program
work
breakdown
structure
and
the
program

organizational
structure
in
a
manner
that
permits
cost
and
schedule
performance

measurement
by
elements
of
either
or
both
structures
as
needed.

! Show
your
organizational
chart
and
describe
your
responsibilities

" Be
prepared
to
show
application
organizational
charts
with
traceability
from
the
highest
level

program
organization
to
the
lowest
level
where
resources
support
your
work
scope.

" Highlight
this
traceability
from
the
highest
to
the
lowest
level.
Be
prepared
to
discuss
your
roles

and
responsibilities
as
reference
on
your
applicable
organizational
chart.

! Where
is
your
scope
of
work
defined?

§ This
information
is
defined
in
the
Statement
of
Work
(SOW)
and
WBS
Dictionary.

§ The
WBS
Dictionary
is
correlated
with
each
WBS
element
to
the
SOW
tasks.

§ The
WBS
Dictionary
describes
the
effort,
and
the
Control
Accounts
through
with
the
effort
will

be
accomplished.

" Be
prepared
to
show
the
SOW
and
WBS
dictionary.

" Explain
their
use
as
they
apply
to
your
Control
Accounts.

" Highlight
your
applicable
SOW
and
WBS
dictionary
paragraphs.

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
11

" Show
the
IMP
matrix
and
explain
its
logic.

! Do
you
own
or
support
any
of
the
Events,
Accomplishments,
or
Criteria
in
the
IMP?

§ Systems
Engineering
is
responsible
for
the
development
of
the
Integrated
Master
Plan
(IMP)

Matrix.
The
IMP
Matrix
is
an
event
driven
plan
of
Program
Events
(PE),
Significant

Accomplishments
(SA),
Accomplishment
Criteria
(AC),
and
Process
Definition
(process

narratives)
which
encompass
the
scope
of
your
program
activities.
The
IMP
defines
WHAT
and

HOW
–
but
not
WHEN
(scheduled
dates).

" Be
prepared
to
show
the
IMP
Matrix,
explain
that
the
IMP
Matrix
contains
Program
Events
(PE),

Significant
Accomplishments
(SA),
and
Accomplishment
Criteria
(AC).

" Be
prepared
to
show
and
explain
those
PE’s,
SA’s
and
the
AC
as
they
pertain
to
your
Work

Package,
its
scope,
the
Control
Accounts
and
how
they
relate
and
trace
to
the
Integrated
Master

Schedule
(IMS).
High
light
your
applicable
IMP
PE’s,
SA’s
and
the
AC
in
the
IMP
Matrix.

! What
WBS
elements
are
you
responsible
for?

§ The
WBS
tree
reflects
the
WBS
elements
for
which
you
are
responsible.

" Be
prepared
to
show
the
applicable
WBS
elements
with
traceability
from
the
lowest
level
to
the

highest
level
of
the
WBS
Tree.

" Highlight
traceability
from
the
lowest
to
the
highest
level.

! Show
your
responsibility
Assignment
Matrix
(RAM)

§ The
Responsibility
Assignment
Matrix
(RAM)
is
the
intersection
of
the
Organization
Breakdown

Structure
(OBS)
and
the
Work
Breakdown
Structure
(WBS)
responsibilities.

" Be
prepared
to
show
the
intersection
with
your
Control
Accounts
as
reflected
on
the
RAM.

" Understand
all
components
contained
in
the
RAM
that
pertain
to
your
Control
Accounts.

" Highlight
your
applicable
Control
Account
data.

! How
many
Control
Accounts
do
you
have
and
what
are
their
total
budgets?

" Identify
the
Control
Accounts
on
the
RAM
for
data
traces

" Identify
your
Control
Accounts
on
the
RAM
and
be
prepared
to
show
the
Budget
At
Completion

(BAC)
for
each
Control
Account
(burdened
and
direct
dollars).

" Show
how
the
BAC
for
each
Control
Account
is
reflected
on
the
current
month
Control
Account

Organizational
Performance
Report
(CA
OPR).

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
12

«WORK
AUTHORIZATION»

§ Maintaining
the
proper
sequence
of
work
package
execution
is
critical
to
the
generation
of

credible
Earned
Value
Management
data.
Work
preformed
out
of
sequence
either
has
not

budget
assigned
for
that
period
of
performance
or
has
budget
assigned
but
no
work
be

performed
or
some
combination.

§ In
both
cases
the
Earned
Value
number
cannot
represent
the
proper
progress
of
the
project.

! What
authorizes
you
to
begin
your
work?
Are
the
appropriate
signatures
present?

§ Operation
Directives
(Program
Directives
or
other
firm
dependence
names)
provide
the
Program

with
the
Authorization
to
Proceed
(ATP).

" Be
prepared
to
show
this
OD
(PD)
as
well
as
any
other
OD’s
(PD’s)
that
authorize
contract

changes
which
impact
your
Control
Accounts.
Identify
appropriate
approval
signatures.

" The
work
authorization
process
triggers
the
planning,
scheduling,
budgeting,
and
performance
of

work
form
the
total
program
level
through
the
responsible
organizational
structure
to
the

Control
Account
level.

" The
Work
Authorization
process
begins
with
an
OD
(PD)
issues
by
the
Contracts
Organization.

The
OD
(PD)
authorizes
the
program
to
issues
a
Work
Authorization
Document
(WAD)
that

defines
all
authorized
work
elements
on
the
program.

" Once
the
OD
(PD)
has
been
issued,
authorizing
work
to
commence
on
a
contract
or
contract

change,
all
program
work
subsequently
must
be
authorized
or
directed
by
a
WAD.

! Identify
the
key
elements
on
the
Work
Authorization
Document
(WAD)

" The
WAD
contains
the
following
key
elements

" Scope
of
the
work
to
be
performed
in
terms
of
activities
and
deliverables

" Schedule
of
the
work
packages
that
performance
the
work

" Budget
for
each
Work
Package

" Period
of
Performance
for
the
collective
Work
Packages

" Approval
processes
for
this
work
and
the
release
of
the
funding

! Show
how
you
can
trace
the
key
work
elements
on
the
latest
approved
WAD?

" The
following
key
elements
of
the
latest
approved
WAD
are:

" Scope
to
SOW/WBS
Dictionary
or
equivalent

" Budget
on
WAD
to
the
Cost
Control
System
–
the
Budget
Distribution
Reports

" Validate
that
the
WAD
is
consistent
with
the
period
performance
on
the
Integrated
Master

Schedule
(IMS),
baseline
date
and
revision
number

" Provider
a
description
of
each
of
these
documents
and
the
processes
used
to
create
and

management
them

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
13

! Does
the
Control
Account
period
of
performance
on
the
WAD
match
the
start
and
end
dates
for

the
time
phased
resources
in
your
Control
Account
Plan?

" Be
prepared
to
trace
the
period
of
performance
for
each
Control
Account
budget
referenced
on

the
current
approved
WAD
to
the
applicable
IMS
time–phases
Control
Account
/
task
period
of

performance.
Ensure
all
dates
can
be
reconciled.

! Do
the
Control
Account
periods
of
performance
match
the
schedule
time
spans
in
the
IMS?

" Be
prepared
to
trace
the
period
of
performance
for
each
Control
Account
budget
referenced
on

the
most
current
approved
WAD
to
the
applicable
IMS
time–phased
Control
Account
/
task

period
of
performance.
Ensure
all
dates
reconcile.

" Be
prepared
to
justify
the
budget
and
the
Earned
Value
methods
selected.

«PLANNING»

§ Schedule
the
authorized
work
in
a
manner,
which
describes
the
sequence
of
work
and

identifies
significant
task
interdependencies
required
to
meet
the
requirements
of
the

program.

§ Identify
physical
products,
milestones,
technical
performance
goals,
or
other
indicators
that

will
be
used
to
measure
progress.

§ Establish
and
maintain
a
time-‐phased
budget
baseline,
at
the
Control
Account
level,
against

which
program
performance
can
be
measured.
Budget
for
far-‐term
efforts
may
be
held
in

higher
level
accounts
until
an
appropriate
time
for
allocation
at
the
Control
Account
level.

Initial
budgets
established
for
performance
measurement
will
be
based
on
either
internal

management
goals
or
the
external
customer
negotiated
target
cost
including
estimates
for

authorized
but
undefinitized
work.
On
government
contracts,
if
an
over
target
baseline
is
used

for
performance
measurement
reporting
purposes;
prior
notification
must
be
provided
to
the

customer.

§ Establish
budgets
for
authorized
work
with
identification
of
significant
cost
elements
(labor,

material,
etc.)
as
needed
for
internal
management
and
for
control
of
subcontractors.

§ To
the
extent
it
is
practical
to
identify
the
authorized
work
in
discrete
work
packages,
establish

budgets
for
this
work
in
terms
of
dollars,
hours,
or
other
measurable
units.
Where
the
entire

Control
Account
is
not
subdivided
into
work
packages,
identify
the
far
term
effort
in
larger

planning
packages
for
budget
and
scheduling
purposes.

§ Provide
that
the
sum
of
all
work
package
budgets
plus
planning
package
budgets
within
a

Control
Account
equals
the
Control
Account
budget.

§ Identify
and
control
level
of
effort
activity
by
time-‐phased
budgets
established
for
this
purpose.

Only
that
effort
which
is
unmeasurable
or
for
which
measurement
is
impractical
may
be

classified
as
Level
of
Effort.

§ Establish
overhead
budgets
for
each
significant
organizational
component
of
the
company
for

expenses
that
will
become
indirect
costs.
Reflect
in
the
program
budgets,
at
the
appropriate

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
14

level,
the
amounts
in
overhead
pools
that
are
planned
to
be
allocated
to
the
program
as

indirect
costs.

§ Identify
management
reserves
and
undistributed
budget.

§ Assure
that
the
program
target
cost
goal
is
reconciled
with
the
sum
of
all
internal
program

budgets
and
management
reserves.

! What
key
supporting
documentation
do
you
use
to
establish
and
plan
your
tasks?

" Budgets
are
based
on
negotiated
proposal
values
less
Management
Reserve
(MR).
the
CAM

plans
and
spreads
the
BCWS
received
according
to
how
the
scope
of
work
will
be
accomplished

as
defined
in
the
Statement
of
Work
(SOW)
and
the
WBS
dictionary,
and
consistent
with
the

Integrated
Master
Plan
(IMP)
and
Integrated
Master
Schedule
(IMS).

" The
WBS
Dictionary
correlates
WBS
elements
to
the
SOW
tasks,
and
provides
a
description
of
the

effort.
Control
Accounts
and
tasks
are
developed
by
the
CAMs
form
the
SOW
and
WBS.
The

program
IMS
establishes
the
periods
of
performance,
work
tasks,
and
milestones
(if
needed).

! How
do
you
time
phase
the
budget
for
the
tasks?

" Based
on
the
documentation
provided
above
(SOW,
WBS,
IMP/IMS),
you
as
the
CAM
must

provide
a
time
phased
budget
baseline
for
each
Control
Account
Work
Package
and
the
activities

within
those
Work
packages
contained
in
the
IMS.

! Do
you
have
any
Level
of
Effort
(LOE)

" BCWP
for
LOE’s
is
earned
through
the
passage
of
time
and
is
not
based
on
work
accomplished.

BCWP
always
equals
BCWS
through
the
current
period.

" Each
CAM
may
have
Control
Accounts
that
are
classified
as
totally
LOE
or
Control
Accounts
that

may
only
have
some
LOE
effort.
Be
prepared
to
justify
why
you
have
LOE
Control
Account(s)
or

LOE
tasks
contained
with
a
Control
Account.
Explain
why
they
are
not
measureable.

! What
is
the
recommended
ratio
of
LOE
to
discrete
budget
in
a
Control
Account
classified
as

discrete?

" As
stated
in
the
Program
Directive
(PD),
the
recommended
ratio
of
LOE
to
discrete
budget
within

a
Control
Account
is
not
to
exceed
some
predefined
value.
This
is
typically
10%
to
20%
of
the

burdened
dollar
Budget
at
Completion
(BAC).

! In
the
current
rolling
wave,
do
you
have
any
discrete
Control
Accounts
with
more
LOE
than

allowed?

" No.
Ensure
that
any
LOE
effort
within
a
discrete
Control
Account
does
not
exceed
the
stated
PD

guidance.
If
discrete
Control
Accounts
do
exceed
this
guidance,
then
the
LOE
effort
should
be

extracted
and
a
new
separate
LOE
Control
Account
developed.

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
15

! Are
all
your
LOE
Control
Accounts
detail
planned
through
completion?

" Yes.
All
LOE
effort
has
been
planned
through
completion

" When
the
current
program
has
multiple
rolling
wave
periods
–
Discrete
work
scope
must
be

planned
through
the
current
rolling
wave
period.
Future
rolling
wave
periods
must
be
contained

in
discrete
planning
packages.

" These
must
be
“detail
planned”
at
least
30
days
prior
to
the
start
of
the
next
rolling
wave
period

of
performance.

! Do
you
have
the
current
approved
version
of
the
Integrated
Master
Schedule
and
know
how

your
work
packages
and
planning
packages
support
the
major
program
events
and
milestones?

" Be
prepared
to
trace
the
period
of
performance
for
each
Control
Account
work
package
and
its

work
activities
references
in
the
Control
Account
Plan
(CAP)
to
the
applicable
Program
Events

referenced
in
the
program
Integrate
Master
Schedule
or
master
Milestones
contained
in
the

Program
IMS.

" Ensure
all
dates
reconcile.

" Be
able
to
justify
the
budget
and
Earned
Value
methods
selected
for
each
Work
Package
and

Planning
Package.

! Is
the
task
/
milestone
exit
criteria
clearly
defined?
Either
separately
documented
or
embedded

in
the
task
description.

" A
Task
Entry
and
Exit
(TEC)
must
be
established
for
each
discrete
work
package.
If
the
task

descriptions
in
the
IMS
are
at
such
a
detailed
level
that
clearly
defines
the
exit
criteria
closure,

then
no
additional
exit
criteria
documentation
is
required.

" Be
prepared
to
show
and
explain
the
TECs
referenced
on
the
IMS
that
support
your
Control

Account
tasks.
Also
be
prepared
to
show
the
entrance
and
exit
criteria
for
each
discrete
Control

Account
work
package.
Explain
how
they
were
derived.

! For
the
current
planning
period,
what
is
your
total
LOE
versus
Discrete
in
dollars
and
hours?

" Be
prepared
to
identify
the
Budget
At
Completion
(BAC)
in
burdened
dollars
and
hours
for
all

current
LOE
effort
contained
in
your
Control
Accounts.
Divide
the
dollar
amount
by
the
total
of
all

current
open
Control
Accounts
Budget
At
Completion.
This
will
provide
the
LOE
versus
Discrete

percent
ratio.

! Trace
a
task(s)
from
your
IMS
to
your
Control
Account
Plan
(CAP)
for
both
total
and
time
phase

resources

" Be
prepared
to
trace
the
period
of
performance
for
each
Control
Account
budget
referenced
on

the
current
approved
WAD
to
the
applicable
IMS
time
phased
Control
Account
or
task
period
of

performance.
Ensure
all
dates
and
resources
allocated
reconcile
with
the
current
rolling
wave

period.

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
16

! Show
an
example
that
you
have
predecessors
and
successors
identified
within
your
organization

or
Integrated
Product
Team
(IPT)
and
between
other
organizations
or
IPTs.

" A
series
or
network
of
activities
which
are
required
to
accomplish
a
task
are
linked
together
with

logical
predecessors
and
successor
relationships
must
provide
for
the
identification
of
the
critical

path(s).
Each
discrete
activity
has
an
output
predecessor
which
is
linked
to
an
input
or
successor

activity.
This
defining
activity
relationship
enables
the
process
to
assess
progress
within
the

network.
Be
prepared
to
show
an
example
of
how
your
predecessor/successor
activities
are

indentified
with
your
organization
or
Integrated
Product
Team
(IPT)
are
dependent
or
linked

between
other
organizations
or
IPTs
predecessors
and
successor
activities.
Program
Planning

and
Controls
can
provide
predecessor
and
successor
reports
to
help
clarify
your
response.

! If
you
are
responsible
for
any
major
subcontracts
or
intercompany
work
transfers,
where
is
it

reflected
in
your
IMS?

" Be
prepared
to
show
the
major
subcontracting
and
inter-‐company
work
transfer
authorization

(IWTA)
effort
reflected
in
the
IMS
and
how
your
tasks
support
the
major
events
and
milestones.

! If
you
are
responsible
for
any
high
value
material,
where
is
it
reflected
in
your
IMS?

" Be
prepared
to
show
any
high
value
material
effort
reflected
on
the
IMS.
Explain
how
your
tasks

support
the
major
events
and
milestones.

! Are
any
of
your
tasks
on
the
program
or
IPT
critical
path?

" If
yes,
be
prepared
to
show
which
tasks
are
contained
on
the
critical
path.

" The
critical
path
is
defined
as
the
longest
computed
path
through
a
program
schedule
network.

The
critical
path
represents
scheduled
activities
with
the
highest
risk
and
the
least
margin
for

error.

! Do
you
have
any
special
requirements
because
you
are
on
the
critical
path?

" Yes.
Any
schedule
activities
that
are
contained
on
the
critical
path
will
have
increased

management
visibility
and
must
be
statused
weekly
for
impacts
to
the
program.

! What
are
the
most
critical
areas
of
your
work
effort?

" Identify
areas
in
your
work
scope
which
you
consider
the
most
critical.
Explain
why.

! What
is
your
schedule
reserve?

§ Schedule
reserve
is
generally
expressed
as
float.
Float
is
the
amount
of
time
an
activity
can
slip

before
it
affects
another
activity
finish
date.
It
is
the
difference
between
when
the
activity
can

happen
and
when
the
activity
must
happen.
Positive
float
(reserve)
should
be
conserved
and

managed.
Negative
float
indicates
activities
that
must
be
reworked
to
meet
the
event
schedule.

Events
may
be
milestones
or
deliverables.
If
the
total
float
is
less
than
or
equal
to
zero
(0),
then

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
17

there
may
be
a
critical
condition
in
the
schedule.
Schedule
reserve
is
indentified
on
the
IMS

network
by
Control
Account
or
task,
or
by
the
IMS
schedule
reserve
reports.

" Be
prepared
to
describe
the
schedule
reserve
for
the
Control
Accounts
you’re
accountable
for
and

how
that
schedule
margin
was
arrived
at.

" Be
prepared
to
describe
how
you
measure
the
erosion
of
the
schedule
margin
as
the
program

progresses
and
whether
the
remaining
schedule
margin
is
sufficient
to
protect
the
deliverable

dates
in
the
IMS.

! Do
you
have
resources
allocated
for
your
float
or
schedule
reserve?

" No.
schedule
reserve,
or
float,
does
not
have
a
defined
work
scope.
Resources
may
be
allocated

to
tasks
when
a
behind
schedule
condition
occurs
(which
may
cause
negative
schedule
reserve
or

float).
If
this
occurs,
additional
resources
may
be
applied
to
the
task
to
help
mitigate
schedule

degradation.
This
situation
most
likely
will
result
in
a
cost
overrun
condition
and
may
require

additional
resources
or
estimates
to
be
applied.
This
should
not
be
view3ed
as
the
best
solution.

! Do
you
status
your
IMS
detail
tasks
weekly?

" Yes.
Control
account
task
activities
schedule
in
the
IMS
are
statused
weekly
which
includes

accomplishments,
forecasts
(late
or
early)
and
all
schedule
changes
and
revisions.

! Do
you
track
late
starts
and
late
finishes?

" Be
prepared
to
show
the
status
of
late
starts
and
late
finishes
which
occurred
during
last
week.

This
data
can
be
obtained
from
the
metric
produced
by
the
Program
Planning
and
Controls
staff.

! Validate
that
the
month-‐end
schedule
progress
for
a
Control
Account
taken
in
the
IMS
is

consistent
with
the
cost
system.

" Be
prepared
to
reconcile
the
current
month
Earned
Value
(BCWP)
values
contained
in
the

monthly
Organizational
Performance
Report
(OPR)
with
the
Control
Account
and
task
Earned

Value
(BCWP)
contained
the
IMS.

! Do
you
have
approved,
documented,
discrete
criteria
for
all
percent
complete
work
packages

and
or
tasks
that
exceed
45
workdays
in
length?

§ Percent
Complete
Earned
Value
method
is
based
on
objective
(not
subjective)
criteria
and
is

used
for
tasks
where
the
measured
accomplishment
is
for
equal
value
products
or
services.
Each

lower
level
task
should
be
less
than
two
months
in
duration
and
must
have
a
start
and

completion
along
with
associated
time
phased
resource
plan.

" Be
prepared
to
show
the
approved
documents
and
the
discrete
criteria
for
all
percent
complete

work.
The
percent
complete
evidence
can
be
in
the
form
of
actual
deliverables
or
in
a
document

showing
how
you
would
calculate
this
percent
complete.

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
18

" Remember,
CAM
opinion
is
no
acceptable
as
a
measure
of
percent
complete
–
only
tangible

evidence
can
be
used.

! Do
you
have
supplemental
schedules?
Do
they
support
the
IMS?

§ In
some
cases
CAMs
may
feel
the
need
to
maintain
lower
level
detailed
schedules
that
support

Control
Accounts
and
tasks.
These
lower
level
schedules
are
not
contained
in
the
IMS,
but
are

supportive
in
monitoring
Control
Accounts
and
tasks
scheduled
performance.

" If
this
is
the
case,
be
prepared
to
show
how
this
lower
level
of
detail
is
traceable
to
the
IMS
and

the
PMB.

«EARNED
VALUE»

§ Record
direct
costs
in
a
manner
consistent
with
the
budgets
in
a
formal
system
controlled
by

the
general
books
of
account.

§ When
a
work
breakdown
structure
is
used,
summarize
direct
costs
from
Control
Accounts
into

the
work
breakdown
structure
without
allocation
of
a
single
Control
Account
to
two
or
more

work
breakdown
structure
elements.

§ Summarize
direct
costs
from
the
Control
Accounts
into
the
contractor’s
organizational

elements
without
allocation
of
a
single
Control
Account
to
two
or
more
organizational

elements.

§ Record
all
indirect
costs
that
will
be
allocated
to
the
contract.

§ Identify
unit
costs,
equivalent
unit’s
costs,
or
lot
costs
when
needed.

§ For
EVMS,
the
material
accounting
system
will
provide
for:

• Accurate
cost
accumulation
and
assignment
of
costs
to
Control
Accounts
in
a
manner

consistent
with
the
budgets
using
recognized,
acceptable,
costing
techniques.

• Cost
performance
measurement
at
the
point
in
time
most
suitable
for
the
category
of

material
involved,
but
no
earlier
than
the
time
of
progress
payments
or
actual
receipt
of

material.

§ Full
accountability
of
all
material
purchased
for
the
program
including
the
residual
inventory

! What
Earned
Value
techniques
are
approved
for
use
on
this
program?

" The
Program
Directive
(PD)
defines
the
Earned
Value
techniques
approved
for
use
on
this

program.

" Be
prepared
to
provide
a
copy
of
the
Program
Directive
which
contains
the
approved
Earned

Value
techniques.

! How
is
Earned
Value
taken
for
your
work?
Task
Level,
Work
Package
Level?

" Earned
Value
for
your
Control
Account
tasks
are
determined
as
the
task
level
based
on
the

Earned
Value
methods
selected.
Earned
Value
also
is
taken
consistent
with
how
the
work
is

planned.

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
19

" Be
prepared
to
discuss
each
Control
Account
task
Earned
Value
technique
and
the
method

selected
for
determining
earned
Value.

! Is
the
Earned
Value
technique
or
method
chosen
appropriately
for
the
specific
task
or
work

package?

" Be
prepared
to
provide
a
rational
for
selecting
the
earned
value
method
for
each
task.
Explain

why
the
earned
value
methods
selected
are
appropriate.

! Do
you
have
any
apportioned
effort?

" An
apportioned
earned
value
method
is
used
for
efforts
like
quality
assurance
which
can
be

identified
and
measured
with
the
completion
of
an
assembly,
a
manufacturing
process,
or
a

portion
thereof.

" If
you
have
selected
an
apportioned
earned
value
method,
be
able
to
explain
the
BCWP
of
the

base
or
parent
account.
Parent
apportioned
accounts
must
have
the
same
start
and
completion

date.
Apportioned
accounts
must
have
discrete
effort
as
a
base
and
not
LOE.
BCWP
for
the

apportioned
account
is
expressed
as
the
same
percentage
of
its
Budget
At
Completion
(BAC)
as

the
BCWP
calculated
for
the
base
account
or
work
task.

«CHANGE
CONTROL»

§ Incorporate
authorized
changes
in
a
timely
manner,
recording
the
effects
of
such
changes
in

budgets
and
schedules.
In
the
directed
effort
prior
to
negotiation
of
a
change,
base
such

revisions
on
the
amount
estimated
and
budgeted
to
the
program
organizations.

§ Reconcile
current
budgets
to
prior
budgets
in
terms
of
changes
to
the
authorized
work
and

internal
replanning
in
the
detail
needed
by
management
for
effective
control.

§ Control
retroactive
changes
to
records
pertaining
to
work
performed
that
would
change

previously
reported
amounts
for
actual
costs,
Earned
Value,
or
budgets.
Adjustments
should
be

made
only
for
correction
of
errors,
routine
accounting
adjustments,
effects
of
customer
or

management
directed
changes,
or
to
improve
the
baseline
integrity
and
accuracy
of

performance
measurement
data.

§ Prevent
revisions
to
the
program
budget
except
for
authorized
changes.

§ Document
changes
to
the
performance
measurement
baseline.

! What
is
the
process
you
must
follow
to
make
a
change
to
your
baseline
budget?

§ The
process
for
baseline
change
control
is
described
in
the
Earned
Value
Management
Systems

Description.
It
should
read
something
like
this…

" There
are
essentially
situations
that
permit
the
Performance
Measurement
Baseline
(PMB)
to

change:
externally
directed
contract
changes,
formal
reprogramming,
and
internal
replanning.

Each
situation
is
defines
and
described
in
the
EVMS
SD.

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
20

" Externally
directed
contract
changes
and
formal
reprogramming
are
the
only
conditions
that

permit
a
change
to
the
Contract
Budget
Base
(CBB)
and
both
require
permission
from
the

customer.

" If
changes
to
the
PMB
are
within
the
constraints
of
the
contract
then
internal
replanning
is

permitted
subject
to
the
limitation
of
the
EVMS
SD.

" The
internal
budget
replanning
process
should
following
this
approach:
The
CAM
requests
a

change
to
a
Control
Account(s)
level
budget
through
a
Requesting
WAD
and
reviews
the
request

with
the
Program
Planning
and
Controls
lead
for
determination
of
any
impact
to
the
IMS.
If
it
is

determined
that
the
change
will
impact
the
IMS,
then
the
process
for
internal
schedule

replanning
must
be
followed.

" Typically
this
internal
replanning
process
follows
these
steps
(1)
Intermediate
Management
and

the
Change
Control
Board
(CCB)
approve
or
deny
the
request.
Approved
requests
are
sent
to
the

Program
Planning
and
Control
Lead
for
approval
(2)
The
PP&C
Lead
reviews
and
approves
or

denies
the
request;
(3)
if
the
requesting
WAD
is
disputed
or
involves
Management
Reserve

distribution,
the
Program
Manager
makes
the
final
determination
of
approval;
(4)
If
the
changes

are
to
occur
within
two
accounting
period
beyond
the
current
accounting
period,
the
Program

Manager
or
Business
Deputy
notifies
the
customer
in
writing
of
the
change;
(5)
If
the
change
is

approved,
the
WAD
is
sent
to
the
CAM.
The
CAM
revises
the
detailed
schedules
and
prepares
an

Estimate
To
Complete
(ETC).
PP&C
inputs
the
data
into
the
cost
and
schedule
tools.
If
the
CAM

states
in
the
Comments
Section
of
the
Requesting
WAD
that
this
ETC
is
equal
to
the
change
to

the
time
phased
BCWS
(budget),
then
no
Estimate
Change
Request
(ECR)
is
required.
If
the
ETC
is

different
than
the
time
phased
BCWS
on
the
Requesting
WAD,
then
the
CAM
must
submit
an

ECR.

! What
is
the
process
you
must
follow
to
make
a
change
to
your
baseline
schedule?
Where
is
this

documented?

" The
internal
schedule
replanning
process
is
usually
described
in
the
EVMS
Systems
Description.

This
usually
is
described
as
follows:

" The
CAM
submits
a
Request
for
IMS
Change
for
and
the
accompanying
IMS
Change
Request

Worksheet
to
the
Schedule
Review
Board
(SRB).
The
SRB
includes
the
IPT
and
organizational

scheduler,
intermediate
management
and
the
CAM.
The
SRB
determines
of
the
change
is
minor

or
major.
Guidelines
for
the
classification
of
changes
is
usually
described
in
the
EVMS
System

Description.

" If
the
change
is
determined
minor,
then
the
forms
are
sent
to
the
Program
Master
Scheduler
for

review.
Of
the
Program
Master
Scheduler
approves
the
request,
the
approved
forms
are
sent
to

the
Schedule
Review
Board
(SRB)
and
evaluated.
Of
the
SRB
approves
the
change,
and
then
it

may
be
implemented.

" If
the
change
is
determined
major
by
the
SRB
and
the
Program
Master
Scheduler,
then
the
forms

are
sent
to
the
Change
Control
Board
(CCB)
for
review.
If
the
CCB
approves
the
change,
the

change
may
be
implemented.

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
21

" If
approved
changes
are
to
occur
within
two
accounting
periods
beyond
the
current
accounting

period,
the
Program
Manager
or
Business
Deputy
notifies
the
customer
in
writing
of
the
change.

" As
soon
as
practical
WAD(s)
are
updated
to
reflect
the
schedule
change.

! What
was
the
last
change
to
one
of
your
Control
Accounts?

" Be
prepared
to
describe
this
change,
the
reason
for
the
change

" Be
able
to
show
the
latest
revised
IMS
resulting
from
the
change
and
the
affected
Control

Accounts
and
any
Work
Packages
affected
by
the
change.

" If
no
changes
were
made
to
the
work
packages,
describe
the
process
used
to
make
a
change.

! Were
any
changes
performed
in
the
last
60
days?

" Walk
through
the
last
change
you
made
to
a
Control
Account.

" If
no
changes
were
made,
describe
the
process
used
to
make
a
change

! Were
all
appropriate
documents
used
to
process
the
change?

" Show
the
requesting
WAD
or
IMS
change
request
involved.

! What
is
the
difference
between
the
classes
of
change
defined
in
your
change
control

management
system?

" Class
1
changes
are
usually
out
of
scope
to
the
contract.
Class
I
changes
are
customer
directed

(authorized
negotiated
work
scope
or
authorized
unpriced
work
scope).
All
contract
baseline

changes
must
be
authorized
by
a
Program
Directive
(PD)
or
Operations
Directive
(OD)
and

directed
by
Work
Authorization
Documents
(WAD)

" Class
2
changes
are
in
scope
to
the
contract
but
out
of
scope
to
the
CAM
or
Control
Account.

Class
2
changes
are
classified
to
internal
revisions
to
the
baseline.
They
are
either
within
the

baseline
scope
or
are
changes
to
the
baseline
scope
which
requires
a
transfer
from
Management

Reserve
(MR).

! Were
the
changes
performed
in
a
timely
manner?

" Changes
to
the
baseline
must
be
accomplished
in
a
timely
manner.
Revisions
to
the
budget
and

schedule
must
be
completed
and
input
to
the
cost
and
schedule
tool
within
60
calendar
days

after
authorization
of
a
change.
Work
authorizing
documents
and
schedules
must
be
amended

where
appropriate

! What
is
the
acceptable
use
of
management
reserve?

" The
acceptable
use
of
Management
Reserve
(MR)
is
described
in
the
EVMS
Systems
Description

and
a
sample
is
stated
below

" Management
Reserve
(MR)
is
a
budget
account
established
by
Program
Management
for
use
in

accommodating
growth
in
the
current
work
scope,
rate
changes,
and
other
program
unknowns.

MR
must
be
held
for
current
and
future
needs.
Because
it
is
a
control
tool,
actual
and
Earned

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
22

Value
are
never
allocated
to
the
MR
account.
It
must
be
not
allocated
to
offset
accumulated

overruns
or
underruns.
MR
is
not
a
contingency
that
can
be
eliminated
from
contract
prices

during
subsequent
negotiations.
It
must
not
be
used
to
absorb
the
cost
of
out-‐of-‐scope
contract

changes.
The
customer
must
not
view
this
budget
reserve
as
a
source
of
funding
for
added
work

scope.

" In
some
instances
the
Program
Manager
may
elect
to
add
work
scope
to
what
has
already
been

authorized
and
budgeted
and
/
or
CAMs
may
wish
to
request
MR
funds.
For
example:
there
may

be
a
change
in
the
number
of
components
or
an
insignificant
amount
of
budget
transfer

accompanying
a
transfer
in
work
scope.
New
or
revised
work
must
be
judged
to
be
within
the

scope
of
the
existing
contract.
Technical
breakthroughs
or
improved
manufacturing
processes

may
allow
previously
authorized
and
budgeted
work
to
be
canceled
or
reduced
in
scope.
In
these

cases,
budgets
may
be
transferred
to
MR
from
the
affected
Control
Accounts.
WADs
and

schedules
must
be
prepared
or
revised
as
necessary.
Budgets
must
be
issued
through
an

approved
WAD
and
charge
numbers
opened
or
closed
as
necessary.
Consideration
of
potential

liens
or
givebacks
to
MR
must
be
given
as
well

" Changes
to
overhead
or
General
and
Administrative
(G&A)
rates
can
have
a
significant
impact
on

budgets.
Revised
reporting
could
be
significantly
different
from
the
existing
rates
affecting

budgets.
When
the
effect
of
a
burden
rate
change
is
so
great
that
the
budget
becomes

unrealistic,
MR
may
be
used
to
compensate
for
the
rate
change.

! What
would
you
do
of
your
requests
for
additional
resources
were
denied?

" If
a
Requesting
Work
Authorization
Document
(WAD)
initiated
by
the
CAM
requesting
additional

resources
was
denied,
then
the
CAM
must
(1)
maintain
a
copy
of
the
denied
WAD
to
reflect

additional
budget
was
requested
and
disapproved;
(2)
initiate
and
submit
and
Estimate
Change

Request
(ECR)
from
to
identify
the
resources
required
for
the
appropriate
Control
Account
and
to

revise
the
Estimate
To
Complete
(ETC).

! Who
initiates
requests
for
opening
and
closing
charge
numbers?

" You
do.
CAMs
must
request
new
WBS
charge
numbers
be
opened
for
controls
accounts
that
are

scheduled
to
commence
in
the
near
future.
WBS
charge
numbers
are
opened
or
closed
by

authorized
Program
Planning
and
Controls
staff
using
an
appropriate
charge
number
form.

! Is
it
permissible
to
make
changes
to
the
Budgeted
Cost
of
Work
Scheduled
or
Actual
Cost
of

Work
Performed?

" Yes,
but
under
limited
conditions.
Retroactive
changes
to
Budgeted
Cost
for
Work
Scheduled

(BCWS)
may
be
made
only
to
correct
clerical
errors
or
to
make
customer
authorized
changes.

Routine
accounting
adjustments
to
cumulative
BCWS
can
be
accomplished
only
through
a

current
month
adjustment
and
not
retroactively.

" Retroactive
changes
to
actual
cost
may
not
be
made
except
for
correction
of
clerical
errors
or

normal
accounting
adjustments.
Adjustments
must
be
reflected
in
the
accounting
records
for
the

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
23

month
the
adjustments
are
made.
The
categories
of
adjustments
are:
(1)
non
labor,
(2)
labor

current
year,
(3)
labor
prior
year.

«ANALYSIS»

§ At
least
on
a
monthly
basis,
generate
the
following
information
at
the
Control
Account
and

other
levels
as
necessary
for
management
control
using
actual
cost
data
from,
or
reconcilable

with,
the
accounting
system:

♦ Comparison
of
the
amount
of
planned
budget
and
the
amount
of
budget
earned
for
work

accomplished.
This
comparison
provides
the
schedule
variance.

♦ Comparison
of
the
amount
of
the
budget
earned
the
actual
(applied
where
appropriate)

direct
costs
for
the
same
work.
This
comparison
provides
the
cost
variance.

§ Identify,
at
least
monthly,
the
significant
differences
between
both
planned
and
actual

schedule
performance
and
planned
and
actual
cost
performance,
and
provide
the
reasons
for

the
variances
in
the
detail
needed
by
program
management.

§ Identify
budgeted
and
applied
(or
actual)
indirect
costs
at
the
level
and
frequency
needed
by

management
for
effective
control,
along
with
the
reasons
for
any
significant
variances.

§ Summarize
the
data
elements
and
associated
variances
through
the
program
organization

and/or
work
breakdown
structure
to
support
management
needs
and
any
customer
reporting

specified
in
the
contract.

§ Implement
managerial
actions
taken
as
the
result
of
Earned
Value
information.

§ Develop
revised
estimates
of
cost
at
completion
based
on
performance
to
date,
commitment

values
for
material,
and
estimates
of
future
conditions.
Compare
this
information
with
the

performance
measurement
baseline
to
identify
variances
at
completion
important
to
company

management
and
any
applicable
customer
reporting
requirements
including
statements
of

funding
requirements.

! Show
how
you
monitor
who
charges
your
Control
Account

" By
using
the
Systems,
Applications,
Products
data
processing
(SAP)
or
equivalent
weekly
actual

cost
reports.
These
reports
are
generated
and
distributed
weekly
by
Cost
Management
and

Program
Controls.
Each
CAM
must
review
the
SAP
actual
cost
reports
on
a
weekly
basis
and

assess
proper
charging
practices.
If
resources
aren’t
recognized
or
incorrect
charging
practices

occur,
a
Current
Year
Labor
Cost
Transfer
form
must
be
completed
and
submitted
to
correct
any

charging
anomalies.

! How
does
Earned
Value
get
into
the
cost
accounting
system?
How
do
you
verify
what
was

submitted?

" The
Program
Directive
defines
the
Earned
Value
techniques
approved
for
use
on
the
program.

Earned
Value
for
your
Control
Account
tasks
is
based
on
the
Earned
Value
methods
selected.

Earned
Value
is
taken
consistent
with
how
the
work
is
planned.

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
24

" On
a
monthly
basis
(month-‐end)
Program
Planning
and
Controls
and
the
CAM
assess
each
work

package
and
the
tasks
in
the
Work
Package
to
assure
progress
and
Earned
Value
is
taken
in

accordance
with
the
method
selected.

" After
this
process
is
complete
the
planning
tool’s
Earned
Value
is
uploaded
to
the
Cost

Management
system
for
pricing
and
cost
analysis.
Once
the
Cost
System
has
been
uploaded
the

Organizational
Performance
Reports
(OPR)
are
generated
to
validate
the
Earned
Value
taken.

! How
do
you
use
weekly
labor
actual
reports
and
organizational
performance
reports?

" Actual
cost
reports
are
generated
and
distributed
weekly
by
PP&C.
each
CAM
must
review
these

actual
cost
reports
on
a
weekly
basis
to
assess
the
impacts
to
current
and
cumulative
cost

variances
by
Control
Account.

" Organizational
Performance
Reports
are
generated
from
the
Cost
System
each
month-‐end
to

reflect
BCWS,
BCWP,
ACWP,
Schedule
Variance,
Cost
Variance,
and
Variance
at
Completion
for

the
current
period,
cumulative
to
date
and
at
completion
data
by
Control
Account
and
by

resource.

! What
weekly
and
monthly
meetings
do
you
attend
where
your
schedule
and
cost
performance

is
discussed?

§ Schedule
review
meetings
are
held
weekly
and
monthly
as
outlined
in
a
Business
Rhythms

Calendar.
During
these
meetings
each
CAM
must
present
schedule
progress
and
monthly

performance,
schedule
metric
reports,
risks,
risk
mitigation
plans,
etc.
CAMs
must
be
prepared

to
discuss
all
details
relating
to
any
problems
and
proposed
resolutions
concerning
their
Control

Accounts.

§ CAMs
and
Program
Managers
must
review
schedule
status
at
the
Weekly
Program
Control

meeting.
This
meeting
is
an
internal
review
in
which
the
Technical
and
Intermediate
Managers,

and
CAMs
present
schedule
information
to
the
Program
Manager.

" Be
prepared
to
discuss
other
pertinent
business
meeting
where
your
scope
of
performance
is

reviewed.

! Show
your
latest
variance
analysis
report.
Has
it
been
reviewed
and
approved?

§ This
report
is
provided
from
the
Cost
Management
System
and
used
as
required.

§ With
this
report
the
CAM
can
speak
directly
to
the
performance
of
the
Control
Account
and
the

Work
Packages
that
make
up
the
CA

" Be
prepared
to
explain
variances
or
trending
thresholds
that
determine
how
you
take
corrective

actions
for
your
Control
Account.

! Is
the
root
cause
of
the
variance
drivers
clearly
and
accurately
identified?

" Be
prepared
to
explain
the
root
causes
of
any
variances
shown
in
the
Variance
Analysis
Report

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
25

! Has
the
impact
to
other
Control
Accounts
or
the
program
been
identified?

" Be
prepared
to
explain
the
impacts
to
other
Control
Accounts
and
the
Program.

! If
recoverable,
has
a
corrective
action
plan
been
identified?

" Be
prepared
to
explain
your
corrective
action
plan.

! Does
the
schedule
variance
correlate
with
the
schedule
status?

" Be
prepared
to
explain
how
the
schedule
variance
is
correlated
with
the
schedule
status.

! Who
reviewed
and
approves
the
variance
analysis
reports?

" The
approval
signatures
for
a
Control
Account
variance
analysis
for
are:
(a)
The
Control
Account

Manager
(CAM);
(b)
the
Intermediate
Manager
or
Business
Manager;
(c)
the
Program
Manager

or
Director.

! How
do
you
use
the
organizations
performance
reports
or
their
equivalents?

" Organizational
Performance
Reports
(OPRs)
are
generated
from
the
Cost
Management
System

each
month
end
to
reflect
BCWS,
BCWP,
ACWP,
schedule
variance,
cost
variance,
and
variance
at

completion
for
the
current
period
and
cumulative
to
date
and
at
completion
data
by
Control

Account.

" The
OPR
is
the
official
Cost
Management
System
document
used
to
identify
and
status
all

variance
analyses
for
each
Control
Account.
Be
prepared
to
provide
the
OPR
for
all
your
Control

Accounts.
Be
able
to
explain
all
variance
calculations
and
indices
referenced
along
with
their

impacts
to
your
Control
Accounts.

" Some
type
of
Performance
Management
Fact
Sheet
contain
all
variance
analyses,
indices
and

percentage
calculations
must
be
contained
in
your
CAM
Notebook

! Show
and
explain
your
CPI
and
SPI
values
that
support
your
TCPI
values?

" Be
prepared
to
show
your
CPI
and
SPI
values
from
the
Cost
Management
System
performance

reports
and
how
they
support
the
To
Complete
Performance
Index.

! What
drives
your
variances?

" The
following
are
explanations
that
must
be
considered
tin
order
to
address
properly
favorable

or
unfavorable
cost
and
schedule
performance
measurement
variance
analysis
problem

statements:

" Cost
Variance
–
problem
statement
(favorable
or
unfavorable)

" BCWP
>
BCWS
–
favorable
variance
explanations

" The
task
is
less
complex
and
will
be
completed
earlier
than
planned

" Early
effort
has
been
confined
to
tasks
which
are
less
complex
than
those
that
follow

" The
task
has
been
overstaffed
early
in
order
to
recognize
the
establishment
of
a
higher
priority

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
26

" Deliverables
of
hardware
have
been
accomplished
in
advance
of
need
date

" Earned
Value
may
be
incorrect
and
require
an
adjustment
in
the
next
reporting
period

" The
plan
is
time
phased
poorly
and
the
current
status
is
not
reflective
of
what
is
really
happening

" BCWP
<
BCWS
–
unfavorable
variance
explanation

" The
task
is
more
complex
than
originally
planned

" Early
effort
has
been
more
complex
than
the
effort
that
follows

" Delays
in
staffing
have
slowed
progress

" Hardware
deliverables
are
late

" Design
of
rework
activities
has
delayed
progress

" Software
deliverables
are
late

" Data
from
another
organization
(drawings
or
technical
analysis)
has
been
late

" Additional
requirements
have
been
established
or
changed

" Higher
priority
has
been
establishes
on
other
work

" The
plan
is
time
phased
poorly

" Schedule
Variance
–
favorable
or
unfavorable
explanations

" The
complexity
of
the
task
is
less
than
originally
estimated

" The
less
complex
tasks
have
been
completed
early

" The
task
is
primarily
LOE
and
not
been
fully
staffed

" The
plan
is
time
phased
poorly

" BCWP
<
BCWS
–
unfavorable

" The
task
is
more
complex
than
originally
planned

" The
more
complex
tasks
have
been
complete
early

" Program
priorities
have
resulted
in
application
of
resources
in
an
inefficient
manner
–
more

overtime
or
additional
staffing

" Delays
in
receipt
of
data
have
resulted
in
implementation
of
workarounds
to
make
schedule.

More
overtime
or
additional
staffing

" Changes,
redesign,
additional
requirements,
or
out-‐of-‐scope
effort

" The
plan
is
time
phased
poorly

" Rate
or
usage
variance

«RISK»

§ DID
81650
calls
out
a
Statistical
Risk
Analysis
(SRA)
for
the
Integrated
Master
Schedule
(IMS).

§ The
risk
management
of
the
technical
aspects
of
the
program
should
be
included
in
the
IMS
as

well.

§ Technical
risk
management
is
guided
by
the
specific
procurement
agency,
but
DoD
Risk

Management
is
the
starting
document.

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
27

! What
is
risk
mitigation?

" Risk
mitigation
is
a
formal
process
of
identifying,
tracking
and
minimizing
potential
hazards,

obstacles,
and
risks
to
successful
program
performance.
Risk
mitigation
is
described
more

formally
as:

" “The
Program
Manager
is
responsible
for
overseeing
the
implementation
and
maintenance
of
a

program
Risk
and
Opportunities
Management
Plan.”

" Risk
and
Opportunity
potentials
are
identified
and
quantified
at
both
the
Intermediate

Management
and
CAM
levels.
Mitigation
Plans,
including
estimated
plan
costs,
are
developed
as

necessary
and
submitted
either
to
Intermediate
Management
for
approval
or
directly
to
the
Risk

Management
and
Opportunities
Board.
Upon
Board
approval,
the
Risk
Mitigation
Plan
and

associated
cost
are
submitted
to
the
Program
Manager.

" The
Program
Manager
approves
the
plans
and
determines
if
the
cost
will
be
funded
out
of

Management
Reserve.
If
so,
the
Program
Manager
directs
Program
Planning
and
Controls
to

issue
a
WAS
to
Intermediate
Management
or
CAM
so
the
appropriate
Control
Account(s)
can

then
be
replanned
and
input
through
Program
Planning
and
Controls
to
the
Cost
Management

System.
If
the
Program
Manager
decides
the
Mitigation
Plan
will
not
be
funded
out
of
MR,

Program
Planning
and
Controls
notifies
the
CAM
who
prepares
and
submits
an
ECR
package,

which
is
then
input
into
the
Cost
Management
System.

! Do
you
have
adequate
budget
and
facilities
to
complete
your
work?

" Provide
and
explain
as
required

! Is
the
risk
high,
medium,
or
low?

" Provide
and
explain
as
required

! Are
there
any
cost,
schedule,
or
technical
risks
in
your
Control
Accounts?

" Provide
and
explain
as
required

! Have
the
risks
been
documented
in
the
Risk
Management
Plan?

" Provide
and
explain
as
required

! Are
you
risk
mitigation
activities
incorporated
in
the
IMS?

" Provide
and
explain
as
required

! What
is
the
process
for
retiring
or
closing
out
a
risk
when
the
mitigation
plan
is
successful?

" Once
an
identified
risk
has
been
successfully
mitigated
in
accordance
with
the
Risk
Mitigation

Plan,
the
final
risk
action
plan
must
be
reviewed
by
the
Risk
Management
Board
for
final

disposition
and
closure.

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
28

! What
is
the
process
for
retiring
or
closing
out
a
risk
when
the
mitigation
plan
is
unsuccessful?

" If
an
identified
risk
has
not
been
mitigated
completely
in
accordance
with
the
Risk
Mitigation

Plan,
then
the
Risk
Management
Board
must
review
the
mitigation
plan
actions
taken
and
make

appropriate
adjustments
as
needed
(mitigation
plans,
mitigation
times,
etc.).
The
Risk

Management
Board
may
simply
accept
the
risk
level
as
is
and
continue
to
monitor
as

appropriate.
These
actions
could
result
in
additional
revisions
to
the
Control
Account
Baseline.

This
change
may
require
a
WAD
or
an
Estimate
Change
Request

! Have
resources
been
provided
for
the
mitigation
plans?

" Identify
any
resources
that
have
been
provided
for
the
mitigation
plans.
If
none
have
been

provided,
explain
why?

! Where
critical
skills
exist,
are
you
sufficiently
staffed
in
these
areas?
Do
you
have
succession

planning
for
these
critical
areas?

" Provide
and
explain
as
required

«ESTIMATE
AT
COMPLETION
(EAC)»

! Describe
the
process
you
use
to
update
your
EAC
and
what
documentation
is
used?

§ The
acceptance
process
for
updating
the
Estimate
To
Complete
(ETC)
and
Estimate
At

Completion
(EAC)
are
described
in
the
published
Earned
Value
Management
System
Description

and
summarized
below

§ “Every
month
CAMs
review
the
Control
Account
cost
and
schedule
data
and
assess
the
ETC
and

EAC
of
each
Control
Account.
CAMs
make
an
assessment
based
on
the
historical
performance
of

the
accounts
current
metrics
and
future
projections.”

§ “The
projections
should
consider
potential
process
improvements,
risk
assessments,
and
other

applicable
factors
that
may
affect
remaining
work.
The
EAC
is
updates
in
the
cost
tool
as
Actual

Cost
for
Work
Performed
(ACWP)
replaces
ETC.
It
is
recommended
that
this
occur
monthly.
If

not
monthly
than
quarterly.
If
the
current
ACWP
is
different
from
the
current
ETC
minor

perturbations
will
result
in
the
EAC.
If
the
customer
mandates
a
stable
EAC,
then
a
log
must
be

maintained
to
reconcile
internal
EAC
values
and
customer
reported
EACs.

§ Where
Control
Account
ETC
changes
are
required,
the
CAM
generates
and
redlines
a
time

phased
ETC.
The
change
request
form
is
completed,
or
other
documentation
that
contains
the

appropriate
data
elements
are
attached
to
the
form.
The
Change
Request
is
then
submitted
to

Program
Controls
for
review

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
29

! How
do
you
update
your
Estimate
to
Compete
(ETC)?
When
was
the
ETC
last
updated?

" The
Estimate
At
Completion
should
be
reviewed
monthly
and
updated
as
appropriate.
Provide

the
rationale
for
the
latest
ETC
and
EAC
revisions.

! Show
documentation
of
that
update
and
rationale
for
the
new
ETC
numbers.

" Provide
and
explain
as
required.

! Who
reviews
and
approves
your
ETC?

" The
CAM,
Program
Controls,
and
the
Program
Manager

! Do
the
cost
and
schedule
variances
support
the
EAC?

" If
you
have
experienced
unfavorable
cost
or
schedule
variances
and
have
not
revised
your
EAC

and
ETC
values,
then
the
following
actions
should
be
taken:

" Compare
the
CPI
percent
against
the
TCPI
percentage.
Of
the
delta
value
is
less
than
X%
then

your
EAC
is
considered
credible.
The
Independent
Estimate
At
Completion
(IEAC)
indices
are
used

to
assess
the
validity
of
the
range
and
to
evaluate
the
realism
of
the
projected
EAC.

! How
often
is
a
comprehensive
EAC
(CEAC)
performed?

§ Each
program
should
performance
a
Comprehensive
Estimate
At
Completion
(CEAC)
using
a

“bottoms
up”
method
at
least
annually.
This
date
should
be
defined
in
the
Program
Directive.

" Be
prepared
to
answer
which
data
has
been
chosen
for
your
program.

! If
a
CEAC
was
performed,
show
your
memo
with
the
ground
rules
from
Program
Control?

" Be
prepared
to
describe
what
ground
rules
are
used
for
the
CEAC,
who
participants
in
the
CEAC,

and
how
the
program
Performance
Measurement
Baseline
(PMB)
is
adjusted
using
the
output
of

the
CEAC.

«SUBCONTRACTOR
MANAGEMENT»

§ Do
any
of
your
Control
Accounts
contain
subcontractor
effort?
If
so,
answer
the
following

questions:

! What
scope
is
the
subcontract
responsible
for?

" Subcontracts
and
or
inter-‐company
work
transfer
agreements
(IWTAs)
scope
is
based
on

negotiated
or
documented
contracted
work.
Be
prepared
to
discuss
your
subcontract
/
IWTA

contract
type
and
work
scope
and
be
prepared
to
provide
the
Statement
of
Work
(SOW)
and

work
authorization
for
each
subcontract
/
IWTA

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
30

! How
does
the
subcontractor
receive
authorizations
for
scope,
schedule,
and
resources
from
the

prime?

§ Subcontractor
and
IWTA
direction
is
provided
by
the
contract
administration
organization

through
a
negotiated
contract
or
a
contract
modification
to
amend
or
change
work
scope,

schedule,
and
resources.

! What
reporting
requirements
have
been
levied
on
the
subcontractors?

§ Any
nonrecurring
or
development
subcontract
that
is
larger
than
$25M
and
not
Firm
Fixed
Price

(FFP),
has
a
Cost
Performance
Report
(CPR)
requirement.
A
non-‐FFP
sub-‐contract
larger
than

$10M,
but
less
than
$25M,
has
a
modified
Cost
Performance
Report
(MCPR)
requirement.
The

Non-‐FFP
subcontracts
under
$10M
have
minor
reporting
requirements
although
if
considered
a

high
cost,
schedule,
or
technical
risk
a
MCPR
is
required.
Firm
Fixed
Price
contracts
fall
into
two

categories:
Delivery
and
Support
/
Level
of
Effort

" Be
prepared
to
provide
copies
of
the
latest
reporting
documentation
pertaining
to
your

subcontracts
/
IWTAs

! Are
the
subcontractor’s
schedules
status
weekly?

" Provide
and
explain
as
required

! How
are
the
resources
planned
for
the
subcontractors
(BCWS
spreads
for
the
subcontractor

work
packages)

§ The
budget
information
should
represent
the
cost
baseline
negotiated
or
proposed.
The
BCWS

must
be
time-‐phased
consistent
with
the
baseline
schedule
spans
negotiated
with
each

subcontractor,
and
should
be
reconciled
to
the
reporting
requirement
documentation
(CPR,

MCPR)
with
the
cost
management
system.
Regardless
of
the
Program
Performance

Management
system
applied
to
the
subcontractor,
the
Program
Performance
Management
data

must
be
reviewed
for
logic,
consistently,
and
validity

§ For
minor
subcontracts
the
CAM
uses
the
IMS
information
and
the
time
phased
budget
to
plan

and
status
the
effort
in
the
PPM
cost
management
tool.
The
BCWS
in
input
into
the
PPM
Cost

Tool
and
planned
by
the
CAM
using
the
time
phased
data
in
conjunction
with
the
schedules

tasks.
The
subcontractor’s
scheduled
tasks
are
given
as
associated
dollar
value
using
the

appropriate
Earned
Value
techniques
allowed
in
the
PPM
cost
tool.
The
recommended

technciques
for
minor
subcontarcts
is
Percent
Complete
method.
It
provide
a
means
to
gain

partial
earnings,
thereby
minimizing
erroneous
cost
and
schedule
variances.

! Is
the
BCWS
time
phased
with
the
baseline
schedule
plans?

" Be
prepared
to
provide
copies
of
your
sibcontracts
or
IWTAs
latest
budget
milestone
plans
and

reporting
documentation,
and
show
traceability
to
the
applicable
Control
Account

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
31

! Can
you
trace
the
budget
from
the
Work
Authorization
to
the
Control
Account
Plans,
to
the

subcontractors?

" Be
prepared
to
provide
traceability
for
each
subcontractor
/
IWTA
Work
Authorization
Document

(WAD)
that
provides
scope,
schedule,
budget,
period
of
performance,
and
approvals
to
the

applicable
PPM
cost
report
and
control
account
plan.

! Can
you
trace
the
schedule
from
the
subcontractor’s
schedule
to
the
Control
Account
Plan,
to

the
IMS?

" Be
prepared
to
provide
copies
of
your
subcontract
/
IWTA
latest
milestone
plans
and
reporting

documentation
and
provide
traceability
to
the
program
IMS

! How
do
you
determine
BCWP
for
each
subcontractor?

§ Subcontract
Earned
Value
Budgeted
Cost
for
Work
Performed
(BCWP)
is
taken
from
the
CPR
or

MCPR.
This
value
is
represented
at
cost,
but
appropriate
fee
must
be
added.
BCWP
is
handled

based
on
the
contract
type
and
fee
type.
Once
the
appropriate
fee
is
added
to
the
cost,
BCWP

form
the
subcontract
CPR
or
MCPR
data
is
then
input
into
the
PPM
Cost
Tool.

" As
a
CAM
you
must
provide
a
sanity
check
to
ensure
that
the
Earned
Value
represented
in
the

subcontract
reports
is
accurate
and
that
progress
has
been
assessed
properly
based
on
your

knowledge
of
the
work
being
performed.

" For
minor
subcontract
effort
the
CAM
must
update
progress
and
Earned
Value
monthly
on
both

an
IMS
and
on
the
Work
Packages
listed
on
the
CAP
worksheets.
Immediately
upon
receipt
of
the

subcontractor’s
status
and
schedule
data,
the
CAM
must
determine
the
current
Earned
Value

(BCWP)
by
using
the
appropriate
approved
technique.

" IWTAs
are
handled
in
the
same
fashion
as
previously
described.
The
only
difference
between

subcontracts
and
IWTAs
is
that
no
fee
is
added.

! What
are
the
thresholds
for
generating
a
variance
analysis
report
for
the
subcontractors?

§ Variance
Analysis
thresholds
for
subcontracts
and
IWTAs
must
be
the
same
as,
or
are
greater

than,
customer
directed
variance
analysis
reporting
requirements.
It
is
imperative
that
the

subcontract
or
IWTA
cost
and
schedule
variances,
and
Variance
At
Completion
(VAC)
thresholds

are
assessed
and
reported
in
the
same
manner
as
the
prime
contractor
in
order
to
provide

uniform
CPR
Format
5
variance
analysis
narratives
and
corrective
actions.

§ There
are
two
primary
methods
of
variance
analysis
required
by
most
customers:
variance

drivers
or
traditional
dollar
and
or
percentage
thresholds.
If
the
customer
requires
the
variance

driver
method,
then
the
subcontractor
should
also
be
required
to
use
this
method.
If
the

traditional
dollar
and
or
percentage
method
is
required
,
the
program
should
flow
down
that

same
percentage
but
reduce
the
dollar
amount.
Non-‐FFP
subcontractor’s
value
data
in
the
PPM

tool
system
includes
fee,
which
increases
the
subcontractor’s
values
by
as
much
as
5%
to
15%/

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
32

as
such,
tighter
variance
thresholds
should
be
given
to
the
subcontractor,
and
these
should
be

documented
in
the
variance
reporting
thresholds
section
of
the
PPM
Program
Directive.

! Is
the
subcontractor’s
ETC
consistent
with
the
IMS
forecast
completion
date?

" Be
prepared
to
provide
copies
of
your
subcontract
or
IWTA
latest
milestone
plans
and
reporting

documentation
and
provide
traceability
to
the
program
IMS.

" Show
traceability
for
each
subcontract
Estimate
To
Complete
(ETC)
period
of
performance
as

reflected
in
the
appropriate
Organizational
Performance
Report
or
equivalent,
to
the
completion

dates
reflected
in
the
IMS.

! Is
you
subcontractor
required
to
do
a
Comprehensive
EAC
(CEAC)?

§ Subcontract
or
IWTA
Estimate
At
Complete
(EAC)
should
be
reviewed
monthly
and
updated
as

appropriated.
Subcontract
and
IWTA
Comprehensive
Estimate
At
Completion
(EAC)
must
be

conducted
annually
at
the
same
time
the
prime
contractor
perform
its
CEAC,
as
described

Program
Directive
and
the
Business
Rhythm
Calendar.
Subcontract
or
IWTA
CEAC
process
may

be
performed
more
often,
or
at
a
different
time
as
the
prime,
but
must
be
authorized
and

documented
in
the
PPM
Program
Directive
and
Business
Rhythm
Calendar.

" Be
prepared
to
show
the
PPM
Program
Directive
and
Business
Rhythm
Calendar
reflects
the

latest
upcoming
subcontract
or
IWTA
CEAC
process
dates.

" Provide
the
latest
CEAC
documentation
(if
performed)
and
be
able
to
explain
the
process
and

how
the
data
is
incorporated
in
the
Contract
Performance
Report
(CPR)
and
IMS
documentation.

! How
often
is
this
done?

" Be
prepared
to
support
the
period
of
assessment
for
the
Subcontractor
CEAC
and
its
relation
to

programmatic
risk
reduction.

! How
is
it
incorporated?

" Be
prepared
to
show
who
the
subcontract
CEAC
and
the
associated
programmatic
risk
is

incorporated
in
the
Performance
Measurement
Baseline.

! Does
your
subcontractor
have
a
risk
mitigation
plan?

" If
the
Subcontract
has
a
risk
management
plan,
show
a
copy
and
explain
its
use.

«MATERIAL
MANAGEMENT»

§ If
there
are
Control
Accounts
with
material,
you
need
to
answer
the
following
questions:

! Is
the
material
high
or
low
value,
and
how
are
these
values
determined?

" The
process
of
material
management
is
described
below

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
33

§ “Initially
material
budgets
can
be
placed
in
planning
packages
until
specific
material

requirements
are
identified
(by
purchase
requisition,
purchase
order,
development
Bill
of

Materials,
or
material
lists).
As
requirements
are
identified,
budgets
are
converted
into
tasks

with
schedules
and
estimated
or
know
costs.
For
the
purpose
of
performance
management

there
are
generally
three
type
of
material:
direct
charge,
inventory,
and
miscellaneous
material.

BCWS
and
BCWP
are
handled
differently
for
each
category.”

§ “If
a
program
does
not
utilize
a
Materials
Requirements
Plan
(MRP)
system
for
tracking
direct
or

inventory
material,
it
must
be
tracked
using
high-‐dollar-‐value
or
high-‐quantity
level
that

warrants
planning
and
statusing
by
part
number
because
of
its
criticality
to
the
program.
The

definition
of
“high
dollar
or
high
quantity”
must
be
defined
in
the
Program
Directive.
High
Value

Material
is
to
be
planned
discretely
while
low
value
material
may
be
planned
as
Level
of
Effort.”

" Be
prepared
to
explain
how
the
program
determine
“high”
and
“low”
value
material

requirements,
and
provide
the
definition
referenced
in
the
Program
Directive.

! How
do
you
plan
your
material?
Is
it
listed
by
Bill
of
Materials
or
an
equivalent?

§ BCWS
for
Direct
Charge
Material:
typically
Direct
Charge
Material
is
represented
by
estimated

(of
not
yet
negotiated)
pt
negotiated
values
time-‐phased
by
month;
and
based
on
milestone

schedules,
on
expected
receipt
of
hardware
to
the
point-‐of-‐use,
or
on
a
monthly
percentage.

§ In
determining
the
BCWS
methodology
consideration
should
be
given
to
program
requirements,

the
subcontractor
/
purchase
order
type
of
the
contract
and
the
payment
terms
(milestones,

payment
on
delivery,
etc.).
Tasks
should
be
primarily
considered
“discrete
effort”
and
planned

as
such,
using
any
of
the
Earned
Value
techniques
defined
in
the
Program
Directive.

§ Inventory
Material
BCWS:
BCWS
for
inventory
material
should
be
time
phased
in
months
based

on
the
expected
point
of
consumption.
Typically
this
is
based
on
anticipated
inventory

withdrawal,
or
the
expected
parts
fabrication
support.
Inventory
materials
tasks
should
be

primarily
considered
“discrete
effort.”
The
only
tasks
that
should
be
planned
as
LOE
are

common
use
inventory
items
such
as
fasteners,
wire,
bulks
supplies
and
standard
parts.

§ Miscellaneous
Material
BCWS:
BCWS
for
miscellaneous
material
Work
Packages
should
be

planned
as
LOE.

" Be
prepared
to
explain
how
you
have
planned
your
material,
and
provide
Bill
of
Materials
if

available.

" Explain
any
alternative
methods
you
use
to
track
your
material
requirements.

! Is
the
high
value
material
tracked
in
the
cost
system?

" Based
on
the
answer
from
above,
show
the
appropriate
high
level
materials
Control
Account
or

work
package
monthly
BCWS
spreads
as
reflected
in
the
cost
accounting
system
report.

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
34

! What
Earned
Value
techniques
are
used
for
the
high
value
materials?

" Utilizing
the
definitions
for
BCWS
provided
in
answer
above,
explain
the
appropriated
Earned

Value
techniques
you
use
for
your
Low
and
High
Value
material
Control
Accounts
or
work

packages.

! Are
material
actual
and
Earned
Value
recorded
on
the
same
basis
/
time
period?

§ Direct
Charge
BCWP:
is
based
on
completion
or
milestones,
percent
complete,
or
receipt
and

acceptance
of
material

§ Direct
Charge
ACWP:
are
typically
entered
into
work
in
progress
when
material
is
received,

milestone
requirements
are
completed,
or
nondeliverable
items
have
been
invoiced.
When

using
the
Percent
Complete
methodology,
ACWP
must
be
ratioed
(allocated)
relative
to
BCWP

percentages,
thereby
reflecting
true
purchase
order
values.
Estimated
actual
can
be
used
to

avoid
billing
lags
between
accrual
and
paid
values.
In
addition,
based
on
program
requirements,

ACWP
may
be
allocated
but
must
be
readily
traceable
to
subcontract
or
purchase
order
values.

§ Miscellaneous
Material
BCWS:
is
credited
using
LOE
Earned
Value
methodology.
BCWP
is

measured
through
the
passage
of
time
and
always
equals
BCWS
values.

§ Miscellaneous
Material
ACWP:
are
entered
into
work
in
progress
when
material
is
withdrawn

from
common
usage
inventory
based
on
accounting
system
practices
(average
unit
costs,

standards,
latest
purchase
order
price,
etc.)
or
based
on
invoice
value
for
non-‐inventory
or

deliverable
items.

" Based
in
the
information
provided
above,
explain
how
and
at
what
time
period,
actual
and

Earned
Value
/
BCWP
are
recorded
for
the
material
you
manage.

! To
what
extent
is
the
variance
being
driven
by
price
and
/
or
quantity?

§ Variance
analysis
includes
schedule,
cost
(price
and
usage)
and
“at
complete”
variances.

§ Schedule
Variances:
are
used
to
determine
if
material
availability
jeopardized
completion
of

program
milestones.
Corrective
actions
include
improved
availability
or
a
satisfactory
work

around.
Schedule
variances
reflect
whether
material
was
received,
accepted,
completes,
by
the

user
when
planned
or
in
the
case
of
point
consumption
items,
whether
the
performance

occurred
at
expected
consumption
rates
(manufacturing
delays
or
re-‐prioritization
of
tasks
have

contributed
to
different
than
planned
inventory
withdrawal
rates).

§ Cost
Variances:
are
analyzed
by
segregating
the
price
and
use
of
components
for
the
direct
and

inventory
material
categories.
Segregation
of
price
and
usage
is
not
practical
for
LOE
or

miscellaneous
types
of
material.

§ Price
Variances:
analysis
of
potential
price
variances
should
begin
when
difference
between
the

actual
material
costs
and
amounts
initially
planned
are
recognized.
The
CAM
is
responsible
for

analyzing
price
variances
and
ensuring
they
are
included
in
the
Estimate-‐At-‐Completion
(EAC).

The
price
variance
is
calculated
as:

(Budgeted
Unit
Price)
–
(Actual
Unit
Prices)
x
(Actual
Quantity
Used)

Notional
Control
Account
Manager
Interview
Questions

Niwot
Ridge,
LLC,
Copyright
©
2012,
All
Rights
Reserved
P a g e
|
35

§ Usage
Variance:
can
be
attributed
to
many
causes
including
engineering
changes,
liaison
calls,

order
policies
(safety
stock),
economics
of
scale,
spares,
minimum
buys,
nonconforming

material,
substitute
parts,
part
availability,
etc.
The
usage
variance
calculation
is:

(Budgeted
Quantity)
–
(Actual
Quantity)
x
(Budgeted
Unit
Price)

" If
your
material
Control
Account
has
a
variance,
explain
to
what
extent
the
variance
is
being

driven
by
price
and
or
quantity.

Notional cam interview questions (update)

More Related Content

Similar to Notional cam interview questions (update)

More from Glen Alleman

Notional cam interview questions (update)