MILESTONE DELAY ATTRIBUTION AUDIT Project: Atlas Brand Packaging Audit Reference: MDA-101 Audit Period: October 9–20, 2026 Calendar: Monday–Friday, excluding no additional holidays Final Verdict: VERIFIED IMPACT 1. EXECUTIVE AUDIT SUMMARY The audit confirms a three-business-day delay to the final packaging delivery milestone. The delay resulted from documented late client approval of the final design proof. Evidence demonstrates that the approval activity controlled the subsequent production-preparation task, with no available schedule float. Key Findings: - Original milestone: October 15, 2026. - Actual completion: October 20, 2026. - Verified milestone delay: 3 business days. - Identified delay event: D-101. - Double-counted impact: None. - Unsupported additional delay claims: None. 2. BASELINE AND EVIDENCE VALIDATION The approved project baseline establishes: Activity| Planned Date Final design proof completed| October 9 Client approval| October 12 Production preparation| October 13–15 Final delivery| October 15 Production preparation requires three consecutive business days following approval. The documented baseline provides no float between approval, production preparation, and final delivery. Evidence Reviewed: - BL-101: Approved baseline schedule. - EM-101: Client approval received October 15. - WL-101: Production-preparation work log. - DL-101: Delivery confirmation dated October 20. The supplied records contain no authorized baseline revision. 3. DELAY EVENT VERIFICATION TABLE Event ID| Activity| Claimed Duration| Evidence Status| Verified Duration| Finding D-101| Client approval| 3 business days| VERIFIED| 3 business days| Approval received October 15 rather than October 12 The approval record supports the reported delay duration. No independent secondary delay event was documented. 4. DEPENDENCY AND MILESTONE IMPACT ANALYSIS The controlling sequence is: Design proof → Client approval → Production preparation → Final delivery. Production preparation could not begin before the documented client approval. Original Schedule: - Approval: October 12. - Production: October 13–15. - Delivery: October 15. Actual Schedule: - Approval: October 15. - Production: October 16, 19, and 20. - Delivery: October 20. The actual schedule shifted the controlling task sequence by three business days. Verified available float: 0 days. Verified milestone impact: 3 business days. 5. OVERLAP AND ATTRIBUTION RECONCILIATION Only one delay event was identified. The approval delay is directly linked to the postponed production-preparation start. No overlapping delay claims, concurrent disruptions, or documented mitigation activities were identified. The available evidence supports attributing the three-day schedule movement to D-101. This finding establishes schedule causation, not contractual liability. 6. EXCEPTIONS AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS Exception E-101 — Late Approval Priority: HIGH Finding: Required client approval was received three business days after its planned date. Evidence: BL-101 and EM-101. Recommended actions: 1. Establish written approval deadlines. 2. Record approval dependencies in the project schedule. 3. Issue escalation notices before critical approval deadlines. 4. Maintain dated approval and delivery records. 5. Evaluate schedule exposure when critical approvals are delayed. 7. FINAL AUDIT VERDICT VERIFIED IMPACT The documented approval delay caused a verified three-business-day movement of the final delivery milestone. - Claimed impact: 3 business days. - Verified impact: 3 business days. - Unsupported impact: 0 days. - Overlap adjustment: 0 days. The conclusion is supported by the approved baseline, approval correspondence, production work log, and delivery confirmation. Final Assessment: The full claimed milestone delay is substantiated by the supplied project evidence.