Gold Seal Superintendent cheat sheet

Critical path is the longest-duration path through the schedule network; its activities have zero total float in deterministic CPM and set the minimum project duration.

Total float = late start − early start = late finish − early finish; free float = early start of successor − early finish of the activity.

PERT expected duration = (optimistic + 4 × most likely + pessimistic) ÷ 6; variance = ((pessimistic − optimistic) ÷ 6)².

A finish-to-start lag adds waiting time between activities; a lead allows the successor to start before the predecessor finishes.

Resource leveling can extend project duration when it consumes float; resource smoothing uses available float without changing the critical path.

A milestone has zero duration and marks a significant event or contractual date; it is not a work activity.

The approved schedule baseline is the comparison point for progress and delay analysis; changes to it require formal approval.

A rolling look-ahead schedule commonly covers the next one to six weeks and is updated as work progresses.

Total estimate = direct costs + indirect costs + contingency + overhead and profit; direct costs include labor, material, equipment, and subcontracts.

Contingency covers known-unknown risks within scope; management reserve covers unknown-unknown risks outside the approved baseline.

Unit cost = total cost ÷ quantity; labor productivity = installed quantity ÷ labor hours.

Cost variance CV = earned value EV − actual cost AC; positive CV means under budget.

Schedule variance SV = EV − planned value PV; positive SV means ahead of schedule in cost terms.

CPI = EV ÷ AC; SPI = EV ÷ PV; EAC = BAC ÷ CPI when current cost efficiency is expected to continue.

Labor burden includes payroll taxes, insurance, benefits, and statutory costs; it is applied as a percentage of base wages.

A quantity takeoff measures net quantities from drawings; waste, overlap, and conversion factors are added separately.

Cash flow forecast aligns billing, retainage, payment lag, and schedule progress; profit is not cash until collected.

A change order is a written, signed amendment to contract scope, price, or time; a field instruction alone may not change the contract until confirmed.

Substantial completion occurs when the work is usable for its intended purpose, even if minor punch-list items remain; it often triggers warranty and lien periods.

Compensable delay is owner-caused or owner-risk and supports time and cost; excusable noncompensable delay supports time only; inexcusable delay supports neither.

Contract notice provisions can operate as conditions precedent; late notice may bar an otherwise valid time or cost claim.

Statutory construction lien holdback is set by provincial legislation; amount, release timing, and permissible substitutions vary by jurisdiction.

Payment certification confirms amount due under the contract; it does not necessarily waive defects or accept nonconforming work.

When contract documents conflict, apply the contract's stated order of precedence before reliance on general common-law rules.

Ambiguity in a contract is generally construed against the party that drafted it under contra proferentem, unless another rule applies.

Typical dispute resolution sequence is negotiation, mediation, then arbitration or litigation as specified in the contract.

Hierarchy of controls, from most to least effective: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, then personal protective equipment.

Risk score = likelihood × severity; controls are prioritized for hazards with the highest score and for those with severe irreversible outcomes.

A job hazard analysis breaks a task into steps, identifies hazards for each step, and assigns controls before work starts.

A near miss is an unplanned event that did not cause injury or damage but had the potential to do so; it is recorded and investigated.

Confined-space entry requires hazard assessment, atmospheric testing, isolation, ventilation, a permit, an attendant, and a rescue plan.

Root-cause analysis seeks underlying management-system causes; immediate causes describe the unsafe act or condition at the event.

Incident investigation should identify what happened, why barriers failed, and what corrective actions prevent recurrence.

Emergency response plans define roles, evacuation routes, communication, rescue, and medical arrangements for site-specific hazards.

Experience rating modifies workers' compensation premiums based on claims history relative to industry peers.

Quality assurance covers planned processes that prevent defects; quality control covers inspection, testing, and measurement of completed work.

An inspection and test plan lists activities, acceptance criteria, inspection methods, frequencies, and hold or witness points.

Cost of quality = prevention + appraisal + internal failure + external failure; external failure usually carries the highest cost.

PDCA cycle: plan the change, do it on a small scale, check results against criteria, and act by standardizing or correcting.

A nonconformance report records the requirement not met, disposition, root cause, corrective action, and verification.

Dispositions for nonconforming work include rework, repair, concession or deviation acceptance, and rejection.

Calibration confirms that measuring and test equipment has known accuracy against a traceable standard.

A mock-up or benchmark establishes a visible quality standard before repetitive work begins.

Tuckman team stages are forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning; performance usually stabilizes after storming is resolved.

Communication channels = n(n − 1) ÷ 2, where n is the number of participants; channels grow rapidly as team size increases.

SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

Situational leadership matches directive or supportive behavior to follower competence and commitment.

Conflict modes are competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, and accommodating; collaborating seeks a win-win solution.

Herzberg separates hygiene factors, such as pay and working conditions, from motivators, such as achievement and recognition.

Active listening includes attending, paraphrasing, questioning, and confirming understanding before responding.

Progressive discipline typically moves from verbal warning to written warning to suspension and termination, with documentation at each step.

A stakeholder power-interest grid prioritizes engagement by influence and interest.