Why Schedule Health Checks Matter
A CPM schedule is only as valuable as its accuracy and integrity. A schedule riddled with logic gaps, artificial constraints, and unrealistic durations is not just unreliable — it is a liability. It cannot accurately predict completion dates, it undermines delay analysis, and it erodes stakeholder confidence.
Regular schedule health checks are essential for maintaining a schedule that serves as a genuine project management tool rather than a contractual formality.
✅Schedule Health Check Dashboard — 25-Point Assessment
The 25-Point Schedule Health Check
Logic Integrity (Points 1-6)
1No Open Ends: Every activity has at least one predecessor and one successor (except project start/finish milestones).
2Relationship Types: FS relationships dominate. SS, FF, and SF relationships are justified and documented.
3No Negative Lag: Negative lag (leads) should not exist. Use SS relationships with positive lag instead.
4Reasonable Lag Values: Lag values are realistic and documented. Excessive lag often masks missing activities.
5Logic Density: Average relationships per activity should be between 2.0 and 2.5.
6No Redundant Logic: Remove relationships that are already implied through transitive logic.
Critical Path Analysis (Points 7-10)
7Critical Path Continuity: The critical path runs logically from project start through construction activities to completion.
8Critical Path Length Index (CPLI): Should be close to 1.0. Values below 0.9 indicate the critical path may be unrealistic.
9Near-Critical Activities: Identify activities with total float between 1-20 days that could become critical.
10No Negative Float: Negative float indicates scheduling conflicts that must be resolved.
Duration Analysis (Points 11-15)
11Duration Reasonableness: Activity durations reflect realistic production rates based on scope quantities.
12No Excessive Durations: Activities longer than 44 working days should be subdivided by area, phase, or scope.
13Baseline Execution Index (BEI): Completed activities should have actual durations close to their original durations.
14Remaining Duration Accuracy: In-progress activities have remaining durations that reflect current field conditions.
15Calendar Assignments: Activities are assigned appropriate calendars (5-day, 6-day, 7-day, weather-adjusted).
Constraints & Coding (Points 16-20)
16Minimal Hard Constraints: Less than 5% of activities should have hard constraints (Must Start/Finish).
17Complete Activity Coding: All activities are coded per contract specifications (area, phase, trade, responsibility).
18WBS Structure: Logical and consistent Work Breakdown Structure aligned with the project scope.
19Milestone Completeness: All contract milestones are present with correct dates.
20Activity ID Convention: IDs follow a logical, sortable convention.
Performance & Compliance (Points 21-25)
21Resource/Cost Loading: Schedule is properly loaded per contract requirements.
22Out-of-Sequence Progress: Identify and resolve any activities progressing out of logical sequence.
23Actual Start/Finish Dates: Completed activities have accurate actual dates recorded.
24Total Float Distribution: A healthy float distribution — not too much concentrated float or too little.
25Specification Compliance: Schedule meets all contract scheduling specification requirements.
Download Our Free Checklist: Visit our interactive Schedule Health Check tool to get an instant score for your project schedule across all 12 key categories.
Need Expert Scheduling Support?
Our certified team can help you implement these best practices on your project.
Get a Free Consultation →