7.3.4.6.6  Integrated Master Schedule (IMS)

The intent of this section is to obtain a functionally integrated understanding of the proposal with clear tracks between the technical, cost, schedule, management, etc., in a way that provides the Government confidence that the program is structured to be executable for the resources indicated.  The IMS is a detailed task and timing of the work effort in the IMP and is used as the primary tracking tool for technical and schedule status.

The IMS is an integrated and networked multi-layered schedule of program/project tasks.  The IMS identifies all IMP events, accomplishment, and criteria and the expected dates of each.  These dates are based on the calendar dates provided as the starting point and the logical flow of dates provided by calculating the addition of duration of all tasks using typical schedule networking tools.  The IMS tasks will be directly traceable to the WBS, IMP, SOW, and CLINs.

The offeror shall provide a top-level IMS as part of the proposal submittal.  The more detailed levels of the IMS, as well as updates, will be submitted after contract award as a CDRL deliverable.  The IMS is intended as a tool for day-to-day tracking of the program/project that rolls up to increasingly higher summary levels.  All tasks/activities in the IMS should be logically linked together showing predecessor/successor relationships. The activities and tasks will be sufficient to account for the entire program under contract.  Key elements of the IMS include:

a.  Milestone/Event - A specific definable accomplishment in the program/project network, recognizable at a particular point in time.

b.  Activity or Task - A time consuming element, e.g., work in progress between interdependent events, represented in an activity box. Activities are numbered and are contained within an activity box.  The left side represents the beginning of the activity, and the right side is the completion of the activity.

c.  Duration - The length of time estimated to accomplish an activity (disregarding the "calendar impact").  Rationale should also be provided supporting the derivation of the durations including ground rules and assumptions (e.g., historical data, experience on similar efforts, vendor schedules, number of work days per week, number of shifts, company holidays).  In addition, the offeror shall provide a supporting narrative for the network diagram that explains the basis for the estimated durations of those activities on the critical path(s) and for activities designated as high risk.  Any unusual aspects of their proposed approach to the program shall also be described.

d.  Constraint - A line that defines how two activities or events are logically linked.

(1)  Finish-to-Start (FS) - An activity must finish before another can start.  The offeror shall provide a brief narrative for all activities that do not have FS relationships and how the respective relationship was determined and the lead or lag estimated.

(2)  Start-to-Start (SS) - An activity depends on the start of another activity

(3)  Finish-to-Finish (FF) - One activity cannot finish until another activity finishes.

(4)  Start-to- Finish (SF) - An activity cannot finish until another activity starts.

(5)  Percent Complete or Lead Lag

e.  Total Slack or Float - Extra time available on an activity before it will impact another activity on the critical path.

f.  Free Slack or Float - Extra time available on an activity before it will impact an activity on another successor activity.

g.  Lead - The amount of time of the overlap between where a successor task begins and a predecessor task completes.

h.  Lag - The amount of time between the end of a predecessor task and the beginning of a successor task.

i.  Critical Path - A sequence of activities in the network that has the longest total duration through the program/project.  Activities along the critical path have zero or negative slack/float.  It should be easily distinguished on the report formats.

j.  Target Start (TS) - Date when an activity should start.

k.  Target Complete (TC) - Date when an activity should finish.

l.  Actual Start (AS) - Actual start date of an activity.

m.  Actual Finish (AF) - Actual finish date of an activity.

n.  Early Start (ES) - The earliest date an activity can start.

o.  Early Finish (EF) - The earliest date an activity can end.

p.  Late Start (LS) - The latest date an activity can start without delaying the program/project target completion date.

q.  Late Finish (LF) - The latest finish date an activity can have without affecting the program/project target completion date.

r.  Gantt Chart - A graphical display of program activities and key milestones that depict work activities in an integrated fashion.  Represent activities by bars showing the length of time for each activity.

The offeror shall also provide a resource-loaded Gantt chart for all high risk areas in the program, including separate charts for critical subcontract efforts. In addition, the offeror shall provide resource-loaded schedules for other risk areas that are unique to their proposal based on offeror's analysis.  For each of these high-risk areas, the offeror shall provide minimum and maximum durations for the summary-level activity/WBS. The resource loading shall be represented by functional hours for labor and by material content.  These hours shall be time phased by quarter with a recurring/non-recurring breakout for each quarter using the attached resource loaded Gantt chart.