# Projects Canonical URL: https://babadook.tech/modules/projects Entity: modules Content hash: ad02463efe92401bb7f8c8f3798936fc65164331f411e709a2460aa331963638 Know you're over budget while there's still time to act — not at closeout. Every troubled project tells the same lie at every status meeting: we're roughly on track. Then closeout arrives with the overrun nobody can explain. Projects replaces the ritual with earned value computed live — planned, earned, and actual cost per package, variances alerting while correction is still cheap, and baselines that survive replans instead of being rewritten. ## Why baselines must survive replans Every project replans. The question is whether the replan erases the promise it replaces. Most systems overwrite the baseline, so variance resets to zero and nobody can say how far the plan drifted. XRP supersedes instead: the new baseline cites the old one with reason and authority, actuals keep accruing from live events, and the drift stays visible for exactly as long as accountability requires. ### data Viz ### data View section: thesis ## Project capabilities - **Live earned value:** Planned, earned, and actual cost per package with variance thresholds - **Loaded schedules:** Resources, skills, and availability resolved from workforce truth - **Honest replans:** Superseding baselines with reason, authority, and retained history - **Fund discipline:** Appropriations tracked by fund with restriction enforcement before commitment - **section:** capabilities ## Who answers for Projects Four roles, four anxieties, one baseline record answering each. ### data Viz ### data View section: personas ### Section 1 col Title: CEO col Cont: Portfolio truth without the status-theater. Which projects earn, which bleed, and which baselines moved — with reasons recorded instead of massaged. ### Section 2 col Title: CFO col Cont: Actuals accrue from live events instead of reconstructed journals. Capital appropriations track to outcomes with fund discipline enforced pre-commit. ### Section 3 col Title: Project Controller col Cont: Variances alert while correction is cheap. Replans supersede with history retained, so no one can hide drift by rewriting the baseline. ### Section 4 col Title: Auditor col Cont: Every baseline revision carries reason and authority. History stays queryable across replans, so reviews follow decisions instead of hunting them. ## From status theater to earned truth subtitle: What each stage feels like after adoption. layout: alternating enable Slideshow: false slideshow Interval: 5000 ### Baselines seal date: Phase 1 status: in-progress Plans commit with reason and authority; variance has a reference. has Learn More: false ### Actuals accrue live date: Phase 2 status: upcoming Labor, material, and usage events charge packages as they validate. has Learn More: false ### Variances alert early date: Phase 3 status: upcoming Thresholds fire while correction is cheap, with causes cited. has Learn More: false ### Replans stay honest date: Phase 4 status: upcoming New baselines supersede with history retained — drift stays visible. has Learn More: false ## Projects in daily operation Each surface below works the same work-breakdown structure — planning loads it, execution charges it, billing draws from it, and baselines preserve its history. ### data Viz ### data View section: applications ### Planning Work breakdown with resource-loaded schedules from workforce truth and material needs from MRP. Baselines seal with reason and authority before execution begins charging. ### Execution Tracking Labor, material, and usage events accrue to packages as they validate. Earned value computes live with variance thresholds alerting while correction is still cheap. ### Billing Milestone, time-and-materials, and fixed-price billing draw from the same actuals the project tracks. Invoices cite the work evidence behind every line. ### Capital Programs Multi-project programs with fund controls, appropriation tracking, and cross-project resource contention flagged with both claimants named. ## Projects sub-modules subtitle: Control cost, justify capital. data View: projects:sub-modules ### Earned Value desc: Budget health today. link: /sub-modules/earned-value ### Capital Planning desc: Spend where evidence points. link: /sub-modules/capital-planning ## Projects questions ### Section 1 How do project costs stay current? Labor, material, and asset-usage events accrue to work packages as they validate, so actuals track progress without batch journals. ### Section 2 What happens on replan? A new baseline revision supersedes the old one with reason and authority recorded. Variance restarts from the new baseline while history remains queryable. ### Section 3 How are shared resources handled across projects? Contention surfaces where the same workers, machines, or funds are committed twice. Portfolio views flag the conflict with both claimants named so it resolves by decision, not discovery. ### Section 4 Our PMs pad estimates to survive variance reviews. Does this punish honesty? The opposite: padding becomes visible as systematic over-performance against baselines, while honest plans earn trust through accurate forecasting. Gaming the baseline stops paying. ### Section 5 Can this handle fixed-price contracts with change orders? Yes. Change orders version against the baseline with commercial terms attached, and margin impact computes before the client signs — not discovered at closeout. ### data View section: faqs ## content section value: Earned value shows budget health in real time — not at month-end, and never by rewriting history. Replanning supersedes baselines with reason and authority recorded, so variance restarts honestly while the past stays queryable. ## Section 9 Earned-value tracking with schedule and cost variance alerts ## Section 10 Resource-loaded schedules drawn from workforce truth ## Section 11 Baseline-preserving replans with full history retained ## Section 12 Capital appropriation with fund, program, and cost-center controls ## Section 13 Grant and matching-fund linkage with sponsor-ready reporting ## Section 14 Commitment versus expenditure visibility per appropriation ## Section 15 Work-package costing fed by live labor, material, and usage events ## Section 16 Portfolio views across projects with shared resources flagged ## Relationships ### products - XRP — https://babadook.tech/products/xrp ### sub modules - Earned Value — https://babadook.tech/sub-modules/earned-value - Capital Planning — https://babadook.tech/sub-modules/capital-planning