| Course | BU 442 Cost and Time Management |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 8 |
| Paper type | Forecast and status report |
| Length | About 960 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Herzing University |
| Program | BS in Project Management |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for BU 442 Unit 8
About $1.35 Million at Completion if the Remaining Work Holds to Budget: A Forecast and Status Report for a Composite Fort Wayne Shared Kitchen After Day 80
Student Name
Business, Herzing University
BU 442: Cost and Time Management
Instructor Name
June 10, 2026
About $1.35 Million at Completion if the Remaining Work Holds to Budget: A Forecast and Status Report for a Composite Fort Wayne Shared Kitchen After Day 80
Summary for the Board
To the Fort Wayne Food Works board, from the project manager, for the shared kitchen conversion, a composite case written for this course. Status is measured at day 80 of 135, Friday, May 22, 2026, with actions since then noted.
The project is forecast to cost about $1,351,900 at completion, about $34,900 above the $1,317,000 budget and well inside the $90,000 contingency. The forecast assumes the remaining work will cost what it was budgeted to cost, because the overruns so far came from one-time site conditions rather than from how the work is being done. The finish date is forecast at day 135, mid-August, provided two recovery actions under way this week succeed; if they do not, the finish moves to about day 141. No decision is needed from the board this month. One decision may be needed in July, described below.
How the Cost Forecast Was Built
At the status date, earned value was $658,689 against actual cost of $684,500, giving a cost performance index of 0.962. Four standard forecasts of cost at completion follow from those figures. Each assumes something different about the remaining $658,311 of budgeted work.
| Forecast method | Assumption about remaining work | Estimate at completion |
|---|---|---|
| Remaining work at budget | Future work costs what was planned | $684,500 + $658,311 = $1,342,811 |
| Cost index applied | Future work continues at 0.962 | $684,500 + $658,311 / 0.962 = about $1,368,600 |
| Cost and schedule indices combined | Future work suffers both cost and schedule pressure, 0.962 x 0.820 | $684,500 + $658,311 / 0.789 = about $1,518,900 |
| Remaining at budget plus known changes | Future work at budget, plus the approved electrical change and recovery crew | $1,342,811 + $2,300 + $6,800 = $1,351,911 |
The report recommends the last figure, about $1,351,900. The variance analysis traced the overruns to asbestos in the floor mastic, an old footing under the grease interceptor and the utility's relocation of the service entrance. None of these repeats in the remaining work, so applying the 0.962 index to the rest of the project would assume a problem that has ended. The combined-index forecast is rejected more firmly: its schedule index of 0.820 is dragged down by hood fabrication and electrical work running late within their float, which do not add cost. Fleming and Koppelman (2010) note that the index-based forecast is a useful floor for many projects because cost performance rarely improves late, but they also stress that forecasts should reflect known future conditions, which is what the recommended method does.
The recommendation depends on one assumption, stated so the board can watch it: that interior construction and equipment setting will be delivered within budget. The interior has a known risk, that the concrete floor must be ground flat before its coating goes down, a case the estimate priced in its pessimistic value. If that risk occurs, the forecast rises by up to about $15,000, still inside contingency.
Remaining Cost and Required Performance
Following the PMBOK guide's definitions (Project Management Institute, 2017), the estimate to complete is the forecast less the actual cost to date: $1,351,911 minus $684,500, or about $667,400. To finish within the original $1,317,000 budget without contingency, the remaining work would need a to-complete performance index of 1.041, the remaining budget of $658,311 divided by the remaining funds of $632,500, meaning every future dollar would have to buy about 4 percent more work than planned. That is not realistic on a renovation, and the report does not ask the team to try. Against the recommended forecast, the required index is about 0.986, which ordinary performance can meet. Contingency drawn so far is $35,600, leaving $54,400.
Schedule Forecast
The critical path slipped six days when plumbing finished late. A second interior crew started on June 1 to recover four days, and the refrigeration vendor will start building the walk-ins as soon as their corner of the room is finished, recovering two more. The superintendent's forecast is day 135. If either action falls short, the finish moves to between day 137 and day 141, late August.
A time-based check was also run. The planned value curve reached the current earned value of $658,689 at about day 69, so the project has earned about 69 days of scheduled work in 80 days. Projecting that pace forward would suggest about 156 days. That projection is shown for completeness but not relied on, because it treats noncritical lateness, especially in hood fabrication, as if it delayed the finish. Vandevoorde and Vanhoucke (2006) found that time-based earned value forecasts outperform dollar-based ones, but any such forecast must still be read against the critical path, which is the better guide on a project where most of the lag sits in float.
What Has Gone Well
The report records performance that went to plan as well as what did not, since a status report that lists only problems invites the board to assume everything else is also at risk. Design, the permit and walk-in fabrication finished on time and on budget. Mechanical work finished on schedule and about $4,000 under its budget, and a site check showed every rooftop unit running, so the saving is real rather than an early credit. The permit was issued on its planned date with no resubmission, which kept the first half of the critical path intact. And the utility transformer, the largest single risk in the estimate at up to $35,000, proved adequate, so the most expensive outcome the team feared did not happen. These results are why the forecast can reasonably assume the remaining work will hold to budget.
Risks and the Decision That May Be Needed
Three risks remain open: slab grinding under the interior floor, the utility's meter date, which must hold before day 100 to keep electrical off the critical path, and the health department's inspection schedule in July. If the utility date slips past day 100, the project manager will ask the board in July whether to pay for temporary power so equipment can be set and tested on time, estimated at $4,500 from contingency. The next report follows the day 100 status date. Every figure in this report belongs to the course's composite case.
References
Fleming, Q. W., & Koppelman, J. M. (2010). Earned value project management (4th ed.). Project Management Institute.
Project Management Institute. (2017). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide) (6th ed.). Project Management Institute.
Vandevoorde, S., & Vanhoucke, M. (2006). A comparison of different project duration forecasting methods using earned value metrics. International Journal of Project Management, 24(4), 289-302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2005.10.004
Reading the BU 442 Unit 8 instructions
The final BU 442 unit asks students to forecast a project's cost at completion from measured performance and present it in a status report. Typical requirements include computing several estimates at completion, choosing one with reasons, stating the assumption it depends on, calculating the estimate to complete and the to-complete performance index, and summarizing status, risks and decisions for a sponsor. Many instructors also ask for a schedule forecast. The report should be short and lead with the forecast, followed by the evidence a sponsor would need to trust it. Students are expected to connect the choice of forecast to the variance causes found earlier. A forecast table within a concise APA 7 report is the usual format.
How the BU 442 Unit 8 example is put together
The report opens with a summary for the board that gives the forecast, its assumption, the finish date and whether a decision is needed. A table computes four estimates at completion, each with its assumption. The following paragraphs recommend one, reject the combined-index figure, and name the interior slab as the risk to watch. A section computes the estimate to complete, the index needed to meet the original budget and the index needed to meet the forecast. The schedule section explains recovery actions and shows a time-based projection before setting it aside. A section on what went well supports the forecast's assumption, and the report closes with open risks and a possible July decision.
BU 442 Unit 8 rubric: what full points look like
Forecast report rubrics at Herzing generally reward correct calculation of forecasts, a justified choice, a stated assumption, accurate supporting measures, a clear schedule forecast and a report suited to its audience, with writing and APA. Calculation earns credit when several standard methods are shown with working. Justification scores highest when the choice follows from the causes of past variances. The assumption criterion rewards naming what would change the forecast. Supporting measures such as the estimate to complete and to-complete index are judged on accuracy and interpretation. The report criterion pays for leading with the forecast and any decision needed, in language a board can use without a course in earned value.
BU 442 Unit 8 help: mistakes that cost points
Forecast reports often lose points by computing one estimate at completion and presenting it as fact. Another common problem is choosing a method without explaining why it fits this project's history. Students frequently apply the cost index to all remaining work even when overruns came from one-time events. Some use the combined cost and schedule index without noticing that noncritical delays inflate it. Others omit the to-complete index or misinterpret it. Schedule forecasts often ignore the critical path. Finally, reports that bury the forecast after pages of detail, or that end without saying whether the sponsor must decide anything, miss what a status report is for and tend to be read too late.
Get a BU 442 Unit 8 example written to your instructions
Send the Unit 8 instructions and your BU 442 rubric, plus the baseline, the performance figures to date and any report format the assignment sets. We write a custom example that prices the remaining work, puts three forecasts side by side with their conditions, computes the required index and keeps the report wrapper short. First custom sample free, returned in 24 to 48 hours.
More BU 442 papers and project management samples
- BU 442 Unit 1: Estimating methods paper
- BU 442 Unit 2: Cost estimate with basis
- BU 442 Unit 3: Work breakdown and durations
- BU 442 Unit 4: Network diagram and critical path
- BU 442 Unit 5: Budget and contingency
- BU 442 Unit 6: Earned value calculation
- BU 442 Unit 7: Variance analysis with response
- BU 345 Unit 8: Project closeout file
- BU 396 Unit 8: Risk report to sponsor
- BU 433 Unit 8: Hybrid or scaling analysis
- BU 434 Unit 8: Traceability and validation plan
BU 442 Unit 8 questions, answered
Which forecast should the report recommend?
The one whose condition matches what the variance work found. If the causes identified are persistent, the forecast assuming current performance continues is the honest choice; if a cause was one-off and has been dealt with, the remaining work can reasonably be priced at the planned rate. Say which finding drove the choice, because that link is what the criterion is checking.
How is this different from a sponsor update in a planning course?
By what it is claiming. A planning update reports where the project has reached against its plan; this one projects where it will end up and defends the projection. If your draft could be written before any work started, it is not a forecast. Everything here should depend on performance already measured, and the assumption connecting that performance to the future should be visible.
Can I forecast the finish date as well as the cost?
Yes, when the instructions call for it, and it is worth doing carefully because a schedule forecast built from the earned value indices alone is unreliable near the end of a project. Check whatever the ratio suggests against the network and the float from the earlier unit, and report the two together. Label every date as belonging to the constructed case.
Where can I find a free BU 442 Unit 8 sample paper?
The complete BU 442 Unit 8 forecast and status report is free above, with all four forecasts, the recommendation and margin notes. If your project data differ, send your instructions and a custom report is written at no charge, usually within 48 hours.
Which forecast should BU 442 Unit 8 recommend?
The one whose assumption matches the causes of past variances. The sample recommends remaining work at budget plus known changes because its overruns came from one-time site conditions, and names the risk that would change that.