Capital and IT Project Variance Reporting Checklist

Establish the approved project baseline

• Record the project owner, authorized scope, approved budget, baseline schedule, and decision authority.
• Identify which source record establishes each baseline and whether an approved change replaced it.
• Distinguish capital-program commitments from IT project assumptions when their governance differs.

Explain budget and schedule variance in context

• Compare approved current records with the applicable baseline rather than mixing unofficial estimates.
• Document which milestone moved, what changed, and who verified the supporting information.
• Separate confirmed variance from incomplete records, pending change requests, and unapproved forecasts.

Prepare a leadership-ready agency review

• Summarize the current status, material issue, accountable owner, next action, and decision requested.
• Identify where supporting records can be reviewed under the agency's own access requirements.
• Retain agency authority over prioritization, project status, budget interpretation, and final reports.

Decide whether a focused pilot is justified

A proposed engagement could examine one approved capital program, IT project group, or leadership-reporting handoff. The agency determines source records, buyer approvals, technical scope, reporting format, and acceptance criteria. Any dashboard, finance import, automated report, connector, or production control requires separate authorization, implementation, and verification.