September 2009

The EVM Newsletter™
from Management Technologies
In This Issue
AACEI Offers More EVP Exam dates
EVM Tidbit #2, When Customers Lower Your SPI
Apply Now for 2010 EVP Exams
Submit Nominees for EVM Awards
EVM Job Openings
No Schedule, No EVM

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AACEI Offers More Exam Dates! 
Previously AACEI only conducted certification exams, including the EVP, twice a year nationwide (and at their Annual Meeting). However they have announced March, July, and November 2010 dates. Remember to apply at least sixty days prior to the exam date to take the exam.


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US Treasury Requires Simpler EVM for Smaller Projects  
US Treasury has lowered the threshold, but also the expectation for use of EVM Projects under $20M USD must meet only ten of the 32 ANSI 748 Guidelines. The ten (edited) are:
  1. Use a WBS(ANSI #1)
  2. Define and use an OBS (ANSI #2)
  3. Integrate OBS, WBS, scheduling, budgeting, cost collection, work authorization, etc. (ANSI #3)
  4. Schedule the work (ANSI #6) 
  5. Use physical products, milestones, etc. to measure progress (ANSI #7)
  6. Maintain a time-phased budget (ANSI #8)
  7. Record direct costs (ANSI #16)
  8. Compute CV and SV at the control account level (ANSI #22)
  9. Revise EACs on a monthly basis (ANSI #27)
  10. Incorporate authorized changes in the baseline. (ANSI #28)

DoD EVM Ombudsman 
Mr. Dick Ginman, Director, Program Acquisition and Contingency Contracting
has been appointed  as the  DoD Ombudsman for Earned value Management. 

meGreetings..
Well it has NOT been two months since the last Newsletter, but here is another issue! Originally I thought that every two month would be often enough, but I found and received news that I thought you might find interesting. So here is a surprise September issue.
 
One of our articles is about US Treasury's use of EVM for projects under $20M USD. Only ten of the 32 Guidelines must be met. I think this is a great way for the smaller contractors to get started in EVM so that when they win that big job they are at least almost half way to the 32. And, Treasury gets better insight into their smaller projects. What do you think? Email me your thoughts.
 
You can help make this newsletter interesting by contributing news about your activities in EVM, your company, product announcements, or your projects. Send them to me at [email protected]
 
Ray Stratton, PMP,EVP
Editor
EVM Tidbit #2

"Help, my customer is making my SPI go below 1.0!"chart
 
Often the progress we make on our projects is dependent on our customer's meeting their project obligations. For example, to proceed with building a deliverable your customer may have required that they review and approve your design document. You delivered the documents to the customer on time and there it sits. You planned a thirty day review by the customer and its been two months since they received the document and they promise to get to it next week. Your team is stalled
 
Your Control Account has a work package "Develop Design Document".  It contains the effort to perform the design itself, document the design, go through an internal review and revision process, release the document to the customer for review, respond to customer review comments, resubmit the document, and obtain approval. Your work package is stalled. The document now sits in some office at the customer. You have not been able to earn any BCWP (EV) since it left your hands, and your Schedule Variance just grows week by week. Is there a solution?
 
Next time you plan similar work break the work package into multiple work packages that separate the effort by the customer review periods. For example "Release Draft Design Document", is followed by "Respond to Customer Comments" which begins after the planned review period. Once the draft document is sent to the customer that work package is closed with full EV earned. You are on schedule and remain that way until the review comments are due.
 
In the schedule the work package "Respond to Customer Comments" has a predecessor milestone "Customer Comments Received". Obviously responding to customer comments can not start until the comments are known. So if the customer is late the work package can not start and a negative SV will be the result. So when the customer asks you why your SPI is less than 1 you just show them the "Respond to Customer Comments" work package and tell them, "See that milestone? You are!"
 
Next EVP Exam Date is Nov 7, Apply Now for 2010 Exams.
 
EVP PinNovember 7th is the date of the US Nationwide EVP exam. It's too late to apply for this exam, but the 2010 U.S. cut off dates are January 5 and May 11. The application process requires some background material so don't wait until the last minute.   Apply, and then get studying! 
 
More info is at the EVP FAQs and the EVPrep™ workshop website.
  
Go to AACEI's website for the latest information about exam dates.
 
There are two EVPrep™ workshop dates between now and the Nov 7 exam date.
  • October 8-9 in Reston VA (D.C. Area) REGISTRATION CLOSES 9/28
  • October 31 - November 1 in Alexandria VA
    (D.C. Area) (Immediately before IPMC) 

Both these dates are ideal for the upcoming exam date. The workshop can help you find your weaker knowledge areas and leave you time to strengthen these areas before the exam. 

View the EVPrep workshop outline and get the registration form.
 
Workshops are also planned in Phoenix on 11/18-19 and Jacksonville FL on 12/9-10.
 
Workshop  dates for 2010 will be announced shortly.
 
The workshop covers all the topics likely covered in the exam and provides exam-like questions and workshop discussion about each question and the possible answers. This workshop also includes an EVM analysis question to help prepare you for the three page written essay in Part 4.
 
Interested in an on-site workshop? Send an e-mail with your your address and the number of attendees to receive a quote.
Awards for Innovation and leadership in EVM
 
The PMI College of Performance Management has two awardsdownward chart to recognize innovation and leadership in EVM.
 
The Driessnack Distinguished Service Award
recognizes an individual for
  • major contributions to project performance management policy, concepts, and practices, which have national and international implications through one or more of the following:  speaking, teaching/training, research, publications, professional practice, etc.  
  • critical contributions to the evolution of Earned Value Management and project planning and control standards, research, and education
  • a major impact in promoting the exchange of theory, development and application among project management professionals

The new Gary Christle Leadership Excellence Individual Award recognizes an individual for

  • ongoing leadership in his or her community promoting an environment of cooperation whether it is between customer and supplier or within the government or a company
  • significant contributions to the development and/or understanding of earned value management that historically has and will continue to distinguish their work\
  • ability to move forward with solutions that effect change and management acceptance of earned value management as a positive and predictive manager's tool
  • made significant contributions in promotion of the use of earned value management as a management tool, fostering positive working relationships, and effecting meaningful change. 



 

Upcoming EVM Conferences 
 
IPMC (Integrated Project Management Conference)
  • WHO:PMI's College of Performance Management, SCEA, and NDIA
  • WHEN:November 2-4
  • WHERE:Alexandria, VA
  • MORE INFO:www.pmi-cpm.org

The EVPrep workshop will be held just before the event, and EVP exam just after.

EVA Europe (first annual EV conference for continental Europe)

EVM Hands-On Workshop
 
Classroom
The Earned Value Experience™
workshop is taking registrations for Reston's October workshop through Sept 28.  You'll experience creating an earned value management baseline, determining earned value from project status, calculating earned value management indices, and estimating final cost and completion date. This workshop is perfect for team leads, cost account managers, financial and schedule control staff, project and program managers, and chief project officers.
 
Excel EVM Templates may be retained by attendees to implement earned value management in their organization.
 

Reston, VA, Sept 21-22 REGISTRATION CLOSES 9/28
Phoenix, AZ, Nov 16-17
Jacksonville. FL, Dec 7-8
 
Interested in an on-site workshop? Send an e-mail with your your address and the number of attendees to receive a quote.
 
 
14 PDUs
EVM Jobs 
 
Deltek is hiring consultants (several) that
 have the following downward chartskills:
 
�         EVM Experience
�         Deltek product Experience with any of the following:
  • Deltek Open Plan, or
  • Deltek MPM, or
  • Deltek Cobra


Please contact [email protected] or call 714-943-8112

Do you have openings for EVM professionals? Send an email describing the position and location in 25 words or less and a link to a more complete description of the position.
ERP Implementation is Hard, but You Still Gotta Have a Schedule!
 
According to GAO the Navy's  Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project, designed to modernize Navy business systems, is struggling with program management.
 
The GAO report cites a failure to create an effective master schedule for the project and failure adhere to earned value management .

Do you have news to share? Send your news item and we'll review it for posting in a future EVM Newsletter.
 
Sincerely,
 
Ray Stratton
Management Technologies

The EVM Newsletter, EVPrep, The Earned Value Management Maturity Model, EVM3, EzEVM, and The Earned Value Experience are trademarks of Management Technologies.