| Course | MT246 Project Planning and Project Execution |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 9 |
| Paper type | Status report |
| Length | About 830 words, 6 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MT246 Unit 9
Money on Plan, Dates Not: A Unit 9 Status Report on a Food Truck Seven Days Behind on May 1
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
MT246: Project Planning and Project Execution
Unit 9 Status Report
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
Harlan Street Barbecue, its vendors, dates and every figure are composite and illustrative; the sources cited are real.
To: Owner, Harlan Street Barbecue From: Catering Manager Date: Friday, May 1 Re: Food truck project status, week 9
Summary
The money is on plan and the dates are not. Plan approval came three working days late and the upfitter's exhaust hood is backordered by four more, so the upfit now finishes on May 28 instead of May 18. Without action, the truck would be ready on Friday, July 3, the day city offices close for the holiday, which leaves no time to fix any inspection problem before Riverfest. I recommend a recovery that buys back three days and ask for your decision by Wednesday.
Milestones
Each milestone shows the planned date, the actual or forecast date and the variance in working days.
Plan approved: planned March 4; actual March 4; 0
Health plan review approved: planned April 6; actual April 9; 3 late
Upfit begins: planned April 7; actual April 10; 3 late
Upfit accepted: planned May 18; forecast May 28; 7 late
Fire marshal sign-off: planned May 26; forecast June 4; 7 late
Health permit issued: planned June 1; forecast June 10; 7 late
Ready for launch: planned June 24; forecast July 3; 7 late
Riverfest: July 4; fixed
Buffer: six days in the baseline after the soft launch moved past Father's Day; minus one at today's forecast; back to two if the recovery below is approved, since it buys back three days.
Why the Dates Moved
Two causes, neither the team's doing. The PMBOK Guide asks that variances be explained by cause, not only measured (Project Management Institute, 2021), so the owner can tell whether the problem will recur. The health department's reviewer asked for a revised drawing of the handwash sink location, which took three working days to answer, so plan approval came on April 9 instead of April 6. The upfitter could not start until it had the approved plan, so its start moved from April 7 to April 10. Then on April 27 the upfitter's supplier reported that the exhaust hood specified in the plan is backordered and will arrive May 14 instead of May 8. The hood must be installed before the fire suppression system and the generator wiring, so the upfit's finish moves four more days, to May 28.
Progress by Deliverable
Ten of the eleven activities due by today are finished: plan approval, the upfitter's layout, plan review, the van purchase and inspection, the commissary letter, the draft menu, the insurance binder, menu testing, the hiring posting and the wrap design proof. The eleventh, the final wrap file, waits for menu photos and is one day late, with about four weeks of float. The upfit is sixteen working days in against nineteen planned, and the upfitter reports cabinetry and the water system complete. The catering booking calendar for the truck's first six weeks after Riverfest has four weeks filled.
Cost
Work completed so far is valued at $91,841 at budgeted rates. Actual spending is $92,576. The baseline planned $92,449 by the end of April. Spending is about $735 above the value of the work done, less than one percent, and the work done is about $608 short of plan, which matches the three-day late start. Fleming and Koppelman (2010) describe this comparison of earned value with actual cost and planned value as the way to separate cost problems from schedule problems, and here the cost side is sound.
The project is spending at the rate it should; it is simply spending it three days later.
Recommended Recovery
The upfitter has offered to work two Saturdays, May 16 and 23, for $1,900 in overtime, which recovers two days. The wrap shop has agreed to install in four days instead of five if the truck arrives clean, which recovers one more. Together they bring the ready date from July 3 to Tuesday, June 30, with two buffer days before city offices close. The overtime would come from contingency, which has $9,619 unspent.
Decisions Needed
Decision 1, by Wednesday, May 6: approve the upfitter's two Saturdays at $1,900 from contingency. Without approval by then, the upfitter will release the Saturday crew to another job.
Decision 2, by Monday, May 11: if the hood has not shipped by May 11, approve a fallback, a comparable hood from a second supplier at $640 more, available in two days. The fallback needs a one-page amendment to the health plan, which the reviewer has said she can turn around in two working days. Larson and Gray (2021) recommend that status reports end with decisions the sponsor can make by a date, so that a report produces action rather than only information.
References
Fleming, Q. W., & Koppelman, J. M. (2010). Earned value project management (4th ed.). Project Management Institute.
Larson, E. W., & Gray, C. F. (2021). Project management: The managerial process (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Project Management Institute. (2021). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide) (7th ed.). Project Management Institute.
Reading the MT 246 Unit 9 instructions
Unit 9 asks students to write a status report to the project's sponsor at a point when something has gone wrong. The prompt usually expects a short summary first, a milestone table with planned, actual or forecast dates and variances, progress stated by deliverable, a cost section and the decisions the sponsor must make. Many sections ask for earned value or another comparison of work done, money spent and work planned. Explain each variance by its cause. Recommend a recovery and say what it costs, and give each decision a deadline and the consequence of missing it. Two pages plus an appendix is common, written for a reader with five minutes, with sources cited in APA 7.
How the MT 246 Unit 9 example is put together
The memo header and three-line summary state the verdict and the request, under a margin note on leading with it. A milestone table gives eight dates with variances, followed by the buffer as a running balance, marked by a second note. A section explains the causes, the reviewer's sink drawing and the hood backorder, with the PMBOK Guide on explaining variances. Progress lists ten of eleven due activities finished and the upfit at sixteen days of nineteen. The cost section compares earned value, actual cost and plan, citing Fleming and Koppelman, and the highlighted line says the project spends at the right rate three days later. A recovery and two decisions with deadlines close it, with Larson and Gray.
Where the points sit in the MT246 Unit 9 rubric
Status reports earn marks for a clear verdict, accurate variances, honest causes and decisions the sponsor can act on. Putting the bottom line first matters because sponsors may read nothing else. Graders reward milestone tables with forecasts, not only plans, and progress stated by deliverables rather than percentages of effort. Earned value or a similar comparison earns credit when it separates cost from schedule problems. A recovery option should be priced and its effect on the buffer shown. Decisions with deadlines and the cost of delay show the report is a management tool. Brevity, consistency with the baseline figures and correct citations take the remaining points.
Common MT246 Unit 9 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Reports most often fail by listing what everyone did this week and never saying whether the project is on track. Another is variances with no cause, which leaves the sponsor unable to judge whether they will recur. Some reports present earned value figures without explaining what they mean. Others ask the sponsor to decide without a deadline, so the decision drifts past the point where it helps. Avoid blaming vendors; state causes plainly, with dates, so the sponsor can judge whether the same thing could happen again. Send your baseline and current dates, and a writer can draft the summary, milestone table and decisions for your sponsor.
Get an MT246 Unit 9 example written to your instructions
Measured against what? A status report needs the earlier schedule and budget as its baseline, plus whatever progress figures the case gives for the reporting date and the Unit 9 prompt and rubric. Within 24-48h the first report comes back free, leading with what changed and what the sponsor must decide. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
More MT246 papers and BS in Business Administration samples
- MT246 Unit 1: Discussion Board Post
- MT246 Unit 2: Work Breakdown Structure
- MT246 Unit 3: Estimating Exercise
- MT246 Unit 4: Network and Critical Path
- MT246 Unit 5: Project Schedule
- MT246 Unit 6: Seminar Reflection
- MT246 Unit 7: Cost Baseline
- MT246 Unit 8: Resource Assignment Plan
- MT246 Unit 10: Change Request Package
- MT245 Unit 9: Assumption and Constraint Log
- MT243 Unit 9: Measurement and Reporting Plan
- MT242 Unit 9: Crisis Communication Memo
- MT241 Unit 9: Recruitment Recommendation
MT246 Unit 9 questions, answered
Should the report include earned value?
Only if your course has taught it by this unit. The example uses a simple version, crediting finished work at its budget and half for work under way, because the owner wanted a check on spending. It adds no indices. Where earned value is required, the same figures extend easily; where it is not, the milestone table and buffer line carry the report on their own.
Why lead with a problem the team did not cause?
Because the sponsor needs the effect whatever the cause. The report does name the causes, a review queue and a backorder, but only after stating what they did to the launch date. Leading with where blame belongs, or with accomplishments, delays the part the owner has to act on. Early, plain reporting of a slip is what most rubrics reward.
What goes in a fallback decision?
What happens if the recovery fails, what it costs to prepare, and when the sponsor must choose. The example proposes serving Riverfest from the restaurant's catering tent under a temporary event permit if the truck lacks its health permit by June 26. Deciding by May 15 leaves time to apply. Framing it early keeps the choice a plan rather than a scramble.
Where can I find a free MT246 Unit 9 sample paper?
You can read the complete MT246 Unit 9 status report here. It reports a food truck project seven working days behind on May 1, with a milestone table, buffer balance, earned value and two dated decisions.
How does the MT246 Unit 9 sample show the money is on plan?
Work completed is valued at $91,841 against $92,576 spent and $92,449 planned, so spending runs less than one percent above the value of work done, and the shortfall against plan matches the three-day late start.