CDFM Module 3 study plan

Define the three phases of the resource management cycle (planning, programming, budgeting) and state the output of each in one sentence

Map the PPBE timeline to the federal budget calendar, listing the key submission dates for your own organization

Distinguish between requirements generation and resource allocation, giving one concrete example of each from a defense program

Build a one-page glossary of at least 20 resource management terms (program objective memorandum, budget estimate submission, spend plan, obligation, commitment)

Explain how the program objective memorandum feeds the budget estimate submission and where the two documents diverge

Trace a single requirement from identification through funding authorization, noting each approval gate

Differentiate between program years, the future years defense program, and the budget execution year

Summarize the roles of the comptroller, program manager, and resource sponsor in the funding chain

Apply obligation and expenditure rules to five sample transactions and classify each correctly

Calculate an obligation rate and an execution rate from a supplied spend plan and interpret whether execution is on track

Identify the three most common causes of unfunded requirements and propose a reprogramming action for each

Describe the purpose-of-fund rules that govern color-of-money decisions

Explain the difference between cost estimating and cost analysis and when each is used in a budget submission

Identify the major cost drivers in a life-cycle cost model and rank them by sensitivity

Describe the four standard cost estimating methods (analogy, parametric, engineering build-up, extrapolation from actuals) and select the appropriate one for three scenarios

Outline how inflation and escalation indices are applied to multi-year cost estimates

Build a parametric cost estimate from three supplied data points and document every assumption

Perform a sensitivity analysis on two cost drivers and quantify the effect of a 10 percent change in each

Explain learning curve theory and compute the cost of the 8th unit given an 85 percent curve

Identify the components of a cost benefit analysis and evaluate a sample alternative against them

Classify 15 sample transactions into the correct general ledger accounts and fund types

Explain the difference between budgetary and proprietary accounting and give two examples of each entry type

Trace a transaction from commitment through obligation to outlay and record the journal entries at each stage

Describe the purpose of the trial balance, the statement of net cost, and the statement of budgetary resources

Reconcile a sample fund balance by matching obligations, expenditures, and outlays and explain each variance

Interpret the key ratios in the statement of budgetary resources and state what each reveals about financial health

Explain the audit readiness requirements for financial statements and list the three most common deficiencies

Describe the anti-deficiency act implications of overobligating a line of accounting

Complete a 60-question timed practice set across all three domains and score at least 75 percent overall

Review every missed question and write a one-sentence rule or formula that would have prevented the error

Re-derive the three highest-yield formulas (obligation rate, learning curve, cost escalation) from memory

Summarize the top 10 weak areas into a single-page final review sheet