It’s important to fully understand the parameters of an Integrated Baseline Review’s (IBR) execution in order to be better prepared when an IBR is appropriate for your Contract. Normally this will be applicable if your Contract has a Contract Value (CV) of equal to or greater than $50M and it’s cost reimbursable. Ordinarily the IBR will be scheduled within the first 90 to 180 days after Contract Award.
Below are a few guidelines that you should take into consideration while getting ready for an upcoming IBR. First we’ll talk about what an Integrated Baseline Review (IBR) is and then, equally importantly, what an IBR is not.
What Is An IBR?
An IBR is a thorough evaluation of the Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB). It is:
- An assessment of the realism of the scope, schedule and budgets associated with the PMB.
- A joint assessment performed by the Customer and the Contractor.
- Part of an integrated project management process and not a single event; therefore it’s an ongoing activity.
What An IBR Is Not!
Below is a list of items demonstrating what an IBR is not:
- An audit.
- A checklist review of a process.
- A demonstration of Earned Value Management (EVM) compliance, but….
- Your ability to be compliant could be examined.
- A pass/fail event, but instead is an ongoing identification of issues that will be collectively resolved.
- A redirection of the Contract, but rather an opportunity to gain a mutual understanding of the Contract’s content.
- An “Event”, but rather a part of an ongoing process.
Now that we’ve established what an IBR is or is not, we’ll show the key objectives of the IBR in terms of what basic stakes in the ground are established during the IBR process.
The Significance Of An IBR
The IBR importance is often underestimated by organizations that have not experienced one before or have never implemented an Earned Value Management System (EVMS). An IBR:
- Provides an opportunity to compare Customer Program Manager(s) expectations with the executing Contractor Program Managers expectations.
- Will enable Program management teams to more thoroughly understand the program plan and its risks.
- Provides increased confidence in the program cost, schedule, and performance data.
Next we’ll illustrate the elements to be reviewed in the IBR process and what aspects will be reviewed within each of them.
What elements will be reviewed in the IBR process?
Each of the following elements is rigorously reviewed during the IBR process:
Scope
- Review contract baseline documents
- Conduct discussions with project personnel i.e. Control Account Managers (CAMs) to assess and evaluate risk, scope, schedule and budget definition/planning
Objectives
Confirm compliance with the following key business rules:
- Technical scope has been accommodated and is consistent with authorizing Contractual documents.
- All key Contract milestones have been incorporated into the executing program schedules.
- Supporting schedules reflect a sound, logical flow to ensure successful execution of program technical objectives.
- All resources being utilized are reasonable and available and consistent with scheduled needs.
- All tasks have objective methods with which to assess accomplishment.
- All planning has been accomplished using consistent management processes.
- Management Reserve (MR) has been assessed to assure that it accommodates all Program Risks associated with scope, schedule and budgets that has not been included within the PMB.
- A sound baseline management process is in place to assure all changes have been accommodated in a consistent process-based manner and within Program scope, schedule and budget constraints.
Finally, we’ll circle back and show what ultimate objectives of the above reviews are to provide to both the Customer and the Contractor in terms of the overall execution of the Contract.
Execution
Both the Customer and the Contractor should be in complete alignment regarding the following:
- All efforts associated with the IBR should be focused upon understanding the PMB content and all Risks associated with its accomplishment.
- A key event in an IBR is always the CAM interviews. These verify and validate that all processes discussed are in fact integrated into the execution process.
- An integral aspect of the CAM interviews will be their ability to do three things associated with the above demonstration:
- Explain the processes (Tell them).
- Have examples of the documentation (Show them).
- Be able to show examples of how all the scope, schedule, budgets and risks have been adequately addressed within their respective Control Accounts and how they affect other Control Accounts & other Control Account Managers (Demonstrate it).
- An integral aspect of the CAM interviews will be their ability to do three things associated with the above demonstration:
This should give a Contractor with an impending IBR some basic framework as to what the content of an IBR should be. While it is not the intention of this article to accommodate the level of detail that will be required in each of the above areas, it will hopefully give you some basic guidelines. In the event that any Contractor needs assistance in preparation for their respective IBR, specific considerations will need to be given to the type of Contract, the contracting agency and the Contractor’s prior experience in order to better scope the level of efforts required to be ready to proceed into the Integrated Baseline Review (IBR) process.
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