Some things are better on paper. A cheat sheet pinned next to your monitor, a checklist you tick off in a schedule review, a scorecard you fill in by hand each Sunday before deciding whether to book an exam. We have turned the most practical parts of our project controls and certification guides into seven free, printable PDFs.
Each guide is short — usually two to four pages — and designed to be used, not just read. Each one links back to the full article that explains the reasoning, so you can go deeper whenever you need to. They are free to download, print and share with colleagues; please keep the attribution and link back to this page if you share them more widely.
This page describes what each guide contains, who it is for and how to get the most from it.
Project controls guides
These three guides support planners, schedulers, cost engineers, controls leads and project managers who want reliable numbers and governed use of AI.
1. Earned value management cheat sheet
Download: Earned value management cheat sheet (PDF)
What is inside:
- the core values — planned value, earned value, actual cost, budget at completion — with plain-language definitions;
- variances and indices (CV, SV, CPI, SPI) with how to read them;
- the main estimate at completion methods and the to-complete performance index, with when each fits;
- a summary of progress measurement methods (rules of credit);
- a five-question health check to run before you trust the numbers;
- a small worked example.
Who it is for: anyone who reads or produces earned value reports, from new analysts to sponsors who want to challenge a forecast.
How to use it: keep it beside you during the monthly reporting cycle. Before presenting CPI or SPI, run the health check questions. The full explanation is in earned value management explained, with formulas compared in estimate at completion formulas.
2. Schedule health check template
Download: Schedule health check template (PDF)
What is inside:
- the fourteen checks of the DCMA 14-point assessment with the thresholds commonly quoted;
- columns for your result, pass or fail, and a justification for accepted exceptions;
- a six-step review workflow from freezing a copy to tracking trends;
- a sign-off block for the planner and reviewer.
Who it is for: planners preparing a baseline or monthly update, and reviewers assessing contractor schedules.
How to use it: fill it in at each update and keep the completed sheets. Trends over several months tell you more than one result. Read the DCMA 14-point assessment guide for what each failure usually means and how to fix it.
3. AI in project controls: practical playbook
Download: AI in project controls playbook (PDF)
What is inside:
- practical AI use cases across scheduling, cost, forecasting, risk and reporting, each with a suggested level of human review;
- a governance checklist covering allowed uses, data handling, review, audit trail, validation and fallback;
- prompt patterns that keep AI outputs grounded in your data;
- a review workflow for AI-assisted reports;
- a 30-day pilot plan to test a use case with evidence.
Who it is for: controls leads, PMO managers and project managers introducing AI tools to their teams.
How to use it: pick one use case, run the 30-day pilot and use the governance checklist before any wider rollout. The background is in AI for project scheduling, AI cost forecasting and our AI governance policy template.
Certification guides
These four guides support professionals preparing for certification exams, including the PMP and PCI AI's PCL-AI, PFL-AI and PML-AI.
4. Choosing a project controls certification
Download: Choosing a project controls certification (PDF)
What is inside:
- an overview of integrated, specialist and project management credentials relevant to controls professionals, including PCI AI's PCL-AI, AACE International's specialist credentials and PMI's PMI-SP and PMI-RMP;
- a five-question decision worksheet covering your direction, market signals, eligibility, learning style and AI;
- a checklist of questions to answer before you register for any exam.
Who it is for: planners, cost engineers and controls analysts deciding which credential to pursue.
How to use it: fill in the worksheet, then confirm the details on each awarding body's official site. The full comparison is in project controls certification: PCL-AI, AACE and PMI, and PMP vs PCL-AI covers a common dilemma.
5. PMP study plan: 8-week checklist
Download: PMP study plan: 8-week checklist (PDF)
What is inside:
- a weekly checklist for eight weeks, from orientation to consolidation;
- a typical weekly routine for people with full-time jobs;
- the four-question method for reviewing practice questions;
- an error log template.
Who it is for: PMP candidates who want a realistic, structured plan.
How to use it: print it, put the mock exam dates in your calendar and tick off each week. The reasoning behind the plan is in our PMP study plan guide, and PMP practice questions explains how to get the most from a question bank.
6. Certification exam day checklist
Download: Certification exam day checklist (PDF)
What is inside:
- checklists for one week before, the night before and the morning of the exam, for online and test-centre candidates;
- a pacing worksheet with space for your checkpoints and your flag-and-move rule;
- a 60-second reset for moments of panic.
Who it is for: candidates for the PMP and most other computer-based professional exams.
How to use it: fill in the pacing worksheet using the official timings for your exam and rehearse it in your final mocks. See our PMP exam day checklist and exam time management guides.
7. Exam readiness scorecard
Download: Exam readiness scorecard (PDF)
What is inside:
- an eight-line readiness scorecard you can fill in weekly;
- a mock exam log to track results by domain and pacing;
- guidance on when to keep your date and when to move it;
- a two-week repair plan.
Who it is for: anyone preparing for a professional exam who wants an evidence-based decision on readiness.
How to use it: score yourself every week from the midpoint of your plan. Read the exam readiness checklist for how to interpret each line.
Printing and using the guides
The PDFs are designed for A4 and US Letter paper and print well in black and white. A few tips:
- Print the checklists, keep the cheat sheets digital too. Tick-box guides work best on paper; reference sheets are handy on a second screen.
- Use one copy per cycle. For the schedule health check and the readiness scorecard, print a fresh copy each month or week so you can compare results over time.
- Share them with your team. The schedule health check and AI playbook are useful as common standards for a controls team; agree any changes to thresholds or review rules together.
- Link rather than re-upload. If you mention a guide in a newsletter, intranet or forum, link to this page so readers always get the latest version.
A note on accuracy
The guides summarise widely used practices and the public information of the bodies concerned at the time of writing. Exam rules, fees and formats change, so always confirm details with the official awarding body — for example PMI for the PMP, and PCI AI (opens in a new tab) for the PCL-AI, PFL-AI and PML-AI. Commonly quoted thresholds, such as those in the schedule health check, may differ from the ones in your contract.
Learn more
The guides work best alongside structured learning. Optimize All's free courses Project Controls with AI and Professional Certification Exam Success cover the methods in depth. For PCI AI's credentials, see our PCI AI partner page; for exam-style practice with an AI Coach across PMP, CPA, CMA, CIA, CISA, CFA, NCLEX and PCI AI's certifications, see our Certuvo partner page or visit Certuvo (opens in a new tab).
Frequently asked questions
Are the PDF guides really free?
Yes. They are free to download, print and share. Please keep the attribution and link back to this page when sharing.
Can I use the templates at work?
Yes. The templates are designed for real reviews and study plans. Adapt thresholds and checklists to your organisation's procedures and contracts.
Do the guides replace official exam materials?
No. They are study and work aids. Official handbooks, exam content outlines and bodies of knowledge remain the authoritative sources.
Will you add more guides?
We plan to add more guides as we publish new articles. Each guide is linked from the related articles on our blog.
Optimize All is the official marketing partner of PCI AI and Certuvo.