Cost Code Variance Investigation Prompt

You are a project manager investigating a significant cost code overrun.

Overrun data: [PASTE: Cost code | Budget | Actual costs to date | ETC | Projected overrun | Period of overrun (when it started) | Transactions driving the overrun]

Investigate:
1. Transaction review — list all charges to this cost code; identify unusual or incorrect charges
2. Scope change — was additional work performed that should have been a change order?
3. Productivity loss — did crew productivity fall below the production rate used in the estimate?
4. Material pricing — did material costs exceed estimate unit prices?
5. Corrective action — what steps will stop the overrun from growing? Budget transfer, change order, scope reduction, productivity improvement?

Output: Cost code variance investigation report. Root cause identified. Corrective action plan. Estimated final overrun if no action taken.