DCMA 14-Point Schedule Analysis & Assessment Software

The Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) 14-Point Schedule Assessment is a recognized framework for evaluating the technical quality of project schedules. Originally developed for U.S. Department of Defense projects, it has since become a best-practice benchmark across industries, including construction.
The framework uses 14 quantitative metrics to assess schedule integrity—ensuring it is realistic, logically structured, and executable. These checks help identify weak logic, excessive float, missing relationships, or over-constrained activities before they create problems in project delivery.

ALICE automates the entire DCMA 14-Point Schedule Assessment process. Once you upload or generate a schedule, ALICE instantly analyzes it against all 14 criteria to identify structural issues, inconsistencies, or risks.
Each assessment produces a clear visual scorecard showing where your schedule meets DCMA standards and where adjustments may be needed.
Because ALICE integrates schedule quality checking directly into its AI-powered optimization and planning workflows, every time you generate or optimize a new schedule, the quality assessment runs automatically—helping ensure that every scenario or recovery plan meets professional scheduling standards.

The DCMA 14-Point Assessment includes checks for:

1. Missing logic (predecessors and successors) - Ensures every activity is properly linked with predecessors and successors to maintain schedule continuity.
2. Leads (negative lags) - Detects overlapping activities that may distort sequencing accuracy.
3. Lags (positive delays) - Flags excessive delays between tasks that can mask true dependencies.
4. Relationship types (too many non-Finish-to-Start ties) - Checks that most activities use Finish-to-Start logic for clear, realistic sequencing.
5. Hard constraints - Identifies date restrictions that limit flexibility and critical path accuracy.
6. High float - Highlights tasks with excessive slack that may indicate weak logic or poor linkage.
7. Negative float - Detects tasks already behind schedule or constrained beyond achievable limits.
8. High-duration activities - Flags overly long tasks that reduce visibility and control.
9. Invalid dates - Catches scheduling errors such as activities planned in the past or out of order.
10. Resource loading - Confirms that labor, equipment, or cost resources are properly assigned to each task.
11. Missed tasks - Identifies activities that failed to start or finish according to the baseline plan.
12. Critical path test - Validates that the critical path truly drives the project completion date.
13. Critical Path Length Index (CPLI) - Measures how achievable the current critical path duration is.
14. Baseline Execution Index (BEI) - Compares planned versus actual task completion to assess schedule performance.

ALICE evaluates these parameters automatically to confirm that every schedule is well-built, consistent, and aligned with DCMA’s technical standards.

The DCMA 14-Point Assessment helps ensure that project schedules are credible, defensible, and achievable. By adopting these quality checks, construction teams can:

• Detect and correct logic errors early
• Improve schedule reliability and forecasting accuracy
• Reduce risks associated with unrealistic durations or constraints
• Enhance transparency and stakeholder confidence in planning
• Establish a consistent, data-driven benchmark for schedule quality across projects