WCC (NAWCCB) cheat sheet

Project: temporary endeavor with a defined start and end, producing a unique deliverable; program: group of related projects managed together for coordinated benefits; portfolio: collection of projects, programs, and operations aligned to strategy.

Triple constraint (scope, time, cost) with quality at the center: changing any one leg forces adjustment in at least one other; scope creep is uncontrolled change without approved change control.

Critical path = longest path through the network; its length equals the shortest possible project duration, and any delay on it delays the project finish (float/slack = 0).

Float (slack) = late start minus early start, or late finish minus early finish; total float is shared along a path, free float is time before the next successor is affected.

Earned Value formulas: CV = EV - AC; SV = EV - PV; CPI = EV / AC; SPI = EV / PV; EAC = BAC / CPI when current cost performance persists; ETC = EAC - AC; VAC = BAC - EAC.

CPI or SPI below 1.0 indicates cost overrun or schedule slippage respectively; indices above 1.0 indicate favorable performance.

Risk response strategies: for threats - avoid, transfer, mitigate, accept, escalate; for opportunities - exploit, share, enhance, accept, escalate.

Stage-gate/phase-gate governance: each gate reviews deliverables and business case before releasing funding and resources for the next phase; gates can be go, kill, hold, or recycle.

RACI: exactly one Accountable per activity; Responsible does the work; Consulted is two-way input; Informed is one-way notification.

Headcount gap = demand forecast (workload-driven or strategic) minus current supply after attrition; close with build (train), buy (hire), borrow (contract), bot (automate), or bounce (redeploy).

Attrition/turnover rate = separations during period / average headcount during period × 100; average headcount = (beginning + ending headcount) / 2.

Voluntary vs involuntary turnover must be separated: involuntary (layoffs, terminations) reflects restructuring, voluntary reflects retention and market pull.

Time-to-fill = calendar days from requisition approval to offer acceptance; time-to-start = requisition approval to first day worked; vacancy cost accrues for both.

Yield ratios = candidates advancing to next stage / candidates in prior stage; use them to size sourcing volume needed to hit hiring targets.

Cost per hire = (total internal recruiting costs + external recruiting costs) / number of hires in the period.

90-day/new-hire failure rate = new hires terminated or exiting within 90 days / total hires in cohort; high rates point to selection or onboarding defects.

Job analysis produces the job description (tasks, duties, responsibilities) and job specification (KSAs); these anchor selection criteria and defensibility of hiring decisions.

Structured interviews with job-related, consistently scored questions have higher predictive validity and lower adverse-impact risk than unstructured interviews.

Compa-ratio = actual pay / midpoint of the pay range; 0.80-1.20 is a common acceptable band; below 0.80 signals pay compression or inexperience, above 1.20 signals red-circling.

Range spread = (maximum - minimum) / minimum × 100; midpoint progression between adjacent grades typically 10-15% to reward promotion.

Total rewards = base pay + short-term incentives + long-term incentives + benefits + recognition + development + work environment; compare total cost, not base alone.

Pay equity analysis: compare similarly situated employees using regression controlling for job, level, tenure, performance, and location; unexplained gaps require remediation.

FLSA exempt tests (salary basis, salary level, duties) must all be met; misclassifying non-exempt employees as exempt creates overtime liability and penalties.

Benefits cost per employee = total employer benefit spend / FTE count; benefit participation rate = enrolled employees / eligible employees × 100.

Defined benefit pension risk is borne by the employer; defined contribution (e.g., 401(k)) shifts investment risk to the employee.

Incentive plan leverage = target incentive / base salary; payout curves can be linear, threshold-capped, or accelerated above 100% of target.

Progressive discipline sequence: verbal warning, written warning, final written warning/PIP, termination; documentation must be contemporaneous, specific, and consistent across similar cases.

Just cause framework (seven tests): notice, reasonable rule, investigation, fair investigation, proof, consistent treatment, appropriate penalty.

Protected concerted activity under the NLRA (Section 7) applies to union and non-union workplaces; policies that chill discussion of wages or working conditions are unlawful.

Title VII prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and related conditions), and national origin; retaliation claims are the most common charge filed.

ADA requires reasonable accommodation absent undue hardship; the interactive process is a documented, individualized dialogue, not a one-time decision.

FMLA: 12 workweeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period for eligible employees (12 months tenure, 1,250 hours in prior 12 months, 50+ employees within 75 miles).

Harassment liability: employer is vicariously liable for supervisor harassment; the Faragher/Ellerth defense requires a reasonable anti-harassment policy, complaint mechanism, and prompt corrective action.

Grievance procedure steps typically: informal discussion, written grievance to supervisor, step to HR/management, arbitration or final review; timelines are contractual and strictly enforced.

Documentation rule: if it is not written down, it did not happen; investigations should be confidential, impartial, and concluded with a written report.

Kirkpatrick four levels: Reaction (satisfaction), Learning (knowledge/skill gain), Behavior (on-the-job application), Results (business impact); each level requires different measurement methods.

Training ROI = (monetary benefits - training costs) / training costs × 100; benefits must be isolated from other influences (e.g., control group, trend line, estimated effect).

Needs assessment has three levels: organizational (where training is needed), task/operational (what must be taught), and individual/person (who needs it).

70-20-10 model: roughly 70% experiential/on-the-job, 20% social/coaching, 10% formal coursework; use it to design blended programs.

Learning transfer requires pre-training manager support, practice with feedback, and post-training reinforcement; without transfer, level 3 behavior change fails.

Knowledge retention: spaced repetition and retrieval practice outperform massed study and re-reading; design refreshers at increasing intervals.

ADDIE: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation - iterative instructional design process; evaluation feeds back into analysis.

Cost per learning hour = total L&D spend / total learning hours delivered; learning hours per employee = total learning hours / average headcount.

HR-to-employee ratio = HR FTE / total employee FTE; a common benchmark is about 1 HR FTE per 100 employees, varying by industry and automation.

Revenue per employee = total revenue / average headcount; profit per employee = net profit / average headcount; both are productivity indicators.

Absence rate = total absence hours / (average headcount × scheduled work hours) × 100; separate planned (vacation, FMLA) from unplanned absence.

Cost of vacancy = daily contribution margin lost × days vacant, plus recruiting and overtime costs; use it to justify faster hiring.

Descriptive (what happened) → diagnostic (why) → predictive (what will happen) → prescriptive (what to do) is the analytics maturity ladder.

Correlation does not imply causation; validate with control groups, pre/post comparisons, or regression controlling for confounders before claiming impact.

Data quality dimensions: accuracy, completeness, consistency, timeliness, validity, uniqueness; audit these before publishing dashboards.

Benchmarking requires matching job scope, industry, company size, and geography; mismatched benchmarks produce misleading comparisons.

Dashboard design: lead with the decision the metric informs, show trend and target, avoid vanity metrics that do not change behavior.

HRIS core modules: core HR record, payroll, time and attendance, benefits administration, talent management, recruiting (ATS), and learning (LMS); integration via APIs or flat-file feeds.

Single source of truth: employee master data should be created once and propagated; duplicate entry across systems causes reconciliation errors and audit findings.

Role-based access control (RBAC) grants permissions by job role; least-privilege principle limits access to what the role requires.

Data privacy: GDPR requires lawful basis, data minimization, retention limits, subject access rights, and breach notification; employee data is personal data.

System development life cycle for HR tech: requirements, vendor selection/RFP, configuration, data migration, testing (unit, integration, UAT), go-live, hypercare, optimization.

Cloud vs on-premise: SaaS shifts infrastructure and upgrade burden to vendor; on-premise offers control but requires internal maintenance and capex.

Self-service portals reduce HR transactional load; adoption depends on usability, mobile access, and manager training.

Audit trail: every change to pay, personal data, or status should record who, what, when, and prior value; required for compliance and investigations.

Integration failure modes: field mapping errors, timing/scheduling mismatches, and missing error handling; monitor reconciliation reports after each payroll cycle.