DCMA 14-Point Assessment
Scheduling Terms
Reviewed by forProject Technology - updated Oct 2026
Quick definition: The DCMA 14-Point Assessment is a set of 14 standard checks, developed by the Defense Contract Management Agency, for judging the health and quality of a project's Integrated Master Schedule.
The checks cover schedule logic (missing links, leads, lags and relationship types), constraints, float, task durations, missing resources, missed tasks and invalid dates, plus three tests of overall health: the Critical Path Test, the Critical Path Length Index (CPLI) and the Baseline Execution Index (BEI). Each check has a threshold. Summary tasks, milestones and Level of Effort tasks are excluded from all 14 metrics. The 14 points remain a widely used benchmark across government and industry.
What this means for you
The 14 points give a fast, common way to spot schedules that can't be trusted for forecasting or critical path analysis. A check that trips its threshold isn't automatically a defect, but it's a question the scheduler should be able to answer.
Also known as
DCMA 14-Point Schedule Assessment; DCMA 14 PA
Used in
Integrated Master Schedule reviews; Integrated Baseline Reviews; schedule health analysis tools
See also
Related job aid
DCMA 14-Point Assessment Checklist →FAQ
Are the thresholds pass/fail rules?
No. DCMA describes them as indicators that prompt questions and follow-up, not automatic failures.
Has DECM replaced the 14-Point Assessment?
For DCMA's own surveillance, DECM is the current metric set. The 14 points are still widely used as an industry standard for schedule health.
Definition maintained by forProject Technology.
© 2026 forProject Technology, Inc.
© 2026 forProject Technology, Inc.
