How the Schedule Quality Index is calculated

ScheduleInsight scores a Primavera P6 schedule against a set of checks aligned with the DCMA 14-point assessment — the same framework used in forensic schedule and delay analysis. Each check produces a score; a weighted roll-up becomes the Schedule Quality Index (SQI), a single number from 0 to 100. Nothing is a black box: every threshold and weight below is visible, and configurable per organisation inside the app.

The Schedule Quality Index (SQI)

Each metric is scored against a green / amber / red threshold, then combined as a weighted average and normalised to 0–100:

A higher weight means the check counts for more. As a rule of thumb:

Grades carry a shape (✓ / ~ / ✕) as well as a colour, so they're readable without relying on colour vision.

The checks

ScheduleInsight runs the following checks. Targets reflect common DCMA / GAO guidance; weights are the defaults and can be tuned to your organisation's standard.

Check	Target	Weight	What it looks for
Logic
Missing logic (open ends)	<5%	10	Activities with no predecessor or successor — they float free and distort the critical path.
Logic density	2.0–3.5	8	Average relationships per activity. Too few is under-linked; too many often signals redundant logic.
Finish-to-start %	>80%	6	Share of relationships that are FS. Heavy use of SS/FF/SF can hide true sequencing.
Lags	<5%	7	Positive lags on links — duration hidden inside a relationship rather than a real activity.
Leads (negative lags)	Zero	8	Negative lags artificially compress the logic and are discouraged by DCMA.
Out of sequence	Zero	9	Progress that violates the network logic — retained-logic vs progress-override changes the result.
Float
Negative float	Zero	10	The plan can't meet a constraint or deadline on the current logic.
Near-critical (float ≤10d)	<10%	6	Chains that can become critical with a small slip — worth protecting.
High float (>50d)	<10%	4	Excess float often means missing successor logic.
Critical path
Critical path %	<15%	9	A high share of critical activities makes the programme fragile.
CPLI	≥1.0	10	Critical Path Length Index — below 1.0 means the critical path is forecast to finish late.
Duration & detail
High duration (>44d)	<5%	7	Long activities hide progress and risk; DCMA suggests breaking them down.
Insufficient detail	<5%	5	Activities whose remaining duration exceeds ~10% of the project span.
Constraints & structure
Hard constraints	<2%	8	Mandatory start/finish dates override the network and mask true float.
Soft constraints	<5%	4	Start/finish-on-or-after constraints; keep only those reflecting real commitments.
Milestone coverage	>2%	6	Interim milestones at key handoffs make progress and contractual dates explicit.
Performance (needs a baseline)
BEI	≥1.0	9	Baseline Execution Index — are activities completing as fast as baselined?
SPI	≥1.0	8	Schedule Performance Index — progress vs planned progress to date.

What "DCMA-aligned" means

The DCMA 14-point assessment is a widely used checklist for evaluating the structural soundness of a CPM schedule — logic completeness, lags and leads, constraints, float, high durations, and indices like CPLI and BEI. ScheduleInsight implements these checks and rolls them into the single SQI so you can see overall health at a glance and then drill into the activities behind any failing metric. It is an analysis aid, not a formal compliance certification.

Configurable thresholds

Every threshold and weight above is a default. Inside the app's Criteria tab you can tighten or relax amber/red limits, change weights, or exclude a check entirely — the SQI recalculates immediately. This lets a firm encode its own schedule-acceptance standard and apply it consistently across every programme it reviews.