Performance Measurement Baseline

The value of the work actually completed, measured in terms of the budget originally planned for it. Also called earned value. BCWP is compared to actual cost to calculate cost variance, and to the budgeted cost of work scheduled (BCWS) to calculate schedule variance. For example, if a task budgeted at $100,000 is half done, its BCWP is $50,000 no matter how much has actually been spent.

The budgeted value of the work that was planned to be finished by a given date. Also called planned value. BCWS is the baseline for schedule performance in earned value management. When the budgeted cost of work performed (BCWP) is lower than BCWS, the program is behind schedule, and the schedule performance index (BCWP divided by BCWS) shows by how much.

A process improvement framework, maintained by the CMMI Institute (part of ISACA), that rates an organization's process maturity on a five-level scale from ad hoc to optimized. Federal buyers, especially in DoD software and systems development, often require or favor bidders holding a specific CMMI maturity level as evidence they can reliably deliver on schedule, cost, and quality.

A documented plan describing how an agency or contractor will sustain essential functions, personnel, and systems during a disruption such as a natural disaster, cyberattack, or facility loss. Federal COOP requirements stem from federal continuity directives, and contracts supporting critical missions often require contractors to maintain and periodically test their own COOP.

A project management method that integrates a contract's scope, schedule, and cost baselines to objectively measure work performance and forecast final cost and schedule outcomes. DoD and other agencies typically require EVM compliant with ANSI/EIA-748 on large or major systems contracts, using metrics like cost and schedule variance to flag problems early.