How to Check a P6 Schedule Against the 14 DCMA Checks
A schedule that fails a DCMA review usually fails for reasons someone could have caught weeks earlier. Here is how to check a P6 or MS Project file quickly and know what to fix first.
What the 14 DCMA checks tell you
The DCMA 14-point assessment is a standard way to test whether a schedule is built well enough to trust. It looks at logic, constraints, float, durations, dates, resources and how the schedule has performed against its plan. It does not tell you if the plan is smart, but it tells you whether the network can be believed.
A weak schedule hides problems. Missing logic lets activities float when they should be driving. Hard constraints can override the true critical path. Negative float that nobody explained means the dates already disagree with the logic.
Owners, lenders and project management offices increasingly ask for a schedule quality check before they accept an update or a baseline. If your file fails in front of the client, you lose time and credibility.
Where the hours go when you check by hand
Most schedulers check health the slow way. They export from P6, build filters, count activities in Excel, and write notes on what looks wrong. Then they re-key Activity IDs into a layout or a email so someone can fix them.
That work is repeated every update cycle. Each pass takes a scheduler away from the work that matters, like looking at the critical path and talking to the field about sequence.
Late findings also cost money. If bad logic is found after the baseline is submitted, the fix means a revision, a resubmittal and often another round of review comments.
What the DCMA Schedule Health Reviewer does
You load a Primavera P6 XER or XML file, or a Microsoft Project XML file, right in your browser. The tool runs all 14 DCMA checks, including the critical path test, and gives you an overall letter grade.
The part I care about most is the fix list. It is sorted by priority, so you start with the problems that matter most. The Activity IDs are ready to copy straight into Excel or P6, so you can filter to the offenders without retyping anything.
- All 14 DCMA checks with a letter grade and critical path test
- A prioritized fix list you can copy into Excel or P6
- A dashboard with S-curve, manpower and cost when that data is in the file
- Client-ready branded reports
- Tutorials read aloud on every screen
Where it saves time and money
The first saving is the setup. You skip building filters and count sheets every cycle, because the checks run when the file loads. That is time you can spend on the schedule instead of on measuring the schedule.
The second saving is rework. When the fix list is ordered and the IDs paste straight into P6, the team can clean up logic and constraints before the file goes out. Catching it in-house is cheaper than catching it in a client review.
The third is communication. A letter grade and a branded report are easier to share with a project manager or client than a page of scheduler notes. Everyone sees the same result, so there is less back and forth about what is wrong.
I will not put a dollar figure on this, because it depends on your team and your files. But if you check schedules every month, you know how much time that takes.
Who it is for
I built this from years of scheduling and turnaround planning on large industrial projects, where schedule quality gets checked and questioned constantly. It fits several kinds of users.
- Schedulers and planners who want a fast self-check before they submit an update
- Project controls leads who review other people's schedules
- Project managers who want a plain-language read on schedule quality
- Turnaround and shutdown teams that need clean logic before the work window
- Consultants who need a branded report to hand to a client
Try it before you pay
There is a free demo that runs in the browser. No card and no install, so you can load a file and see the grade and the fix list for yourself.
If it fits your workflow, it is $75 per month and you can cancel anytime. If you have questions, you get support from the person who built it.
See it for yourself
DCMA Schedule Health Reviewer: Grade any P6 or MS Project schedule — and know exactly what to fix first.