March 2010

The EVM Newsletter™
from Management Technologies
In This Issue
Important News for PMI CPM Members
Are You LinkedIn - EVM-wise?
EVM Tidbit #8, Chicken or Egg?
Mythology and EVM
Remaining 2010 EVM Workshop Dates
Weekly EVM?

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Important News for College of Performance Management Members
 
PMI College of Performance Management  (CPM) has sent an e-mail and ballot to all members. This ballot allows members to state their preference regarding CPM's future and PMI's Virtual Community initiative.
 
If you are a member of PMI CPM you should have received this e-mail. The e-mail's address domain
is  intelliscaninc.net
, not the usual pmi-cpm.org. Make sure your ballot is not stuck in your spam filter!
 
The voting period ends 30 March 2010. Be sure to express your thoughts through your ballot. 
 
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2010 EVP Exam Dates
exam
AACEI has published their 2010 EVP exam dates. Non-US dates are within a week or two of US dates. Listed are the exam date, the deadline for discounted applications, and the final date for applications.  Exams are generally held nationwide (US). The exam on 6/26 is only held in Georgia, US. 
 
  
Exam: 6/26 (Georgia only)
Early Discount: 4/13
Deadline: 4/27
 
Exam:7/10
Early Discount:4/27
Deadline:5/11
 
Exam: 11/6
Early Discount: 8/23
Deadline: 9/6
 
 
Always check with AACEI for revised dates and application information
 

What's Wrong with EVM?
That's the question Deltek addresses in their white paper on the subject.   

Fourth EVM Group Appears on LinkedIn
Are you LinkedIn? The popular professional networking site now has a fourth EVM focused group.
 
This new group is focused on Earned Schedule and was just created Feb 17.
 
These are the EVM groups we're aware of:
 
  • EVM Group (1,780 members)
  • EVP Exam Study Group (69 members)
  • Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS) Network (212 members)
  • Earned Schedule (43)
 
 

AACEI Makes EVP
 Exam Part 4 Part 2
Beginning with the November 2010 EVP exam, the dreaded written memo part of the exam (Part 4) will be completed before the lunch break.
 
This effectively makes it Part 2.
 
AACEI has listened to examinees who said they were too tired to do well in the memo when it was the last activity of the very long day.
 
Other AACEI certification exams that have a written memo component will also have the memo as a morning activity.
 
TopmeGreetings..
Hey, I think I'm back on schedule for the Newsletter to appear about mid-month. But don't place any bets on the date for future Newsletters.
 
In this issue.. 
 
Tidbit #8 is about putting your scheduling software away for a while and thinking about how to organize your project first.
 
Then there is a short and not too serious article about a mythical god of EVM.
 
The remaining 2010 dates are listed for the "Earned Value Experience" CAM through manager EVM workshop, and the EVPrep workshops.
 
The feature story is about doing EVM on a weekly basis. Are you finding it challenging in your organization to do EVM monthly? Maybe the solution is to do it weekly!
 
PMI CPM members take note of an important announcement in the left panel.
 
For LinkedIn members, we've listed of all known EVM groups you can find there. If you know of any others pass them along.
  
You can help make this newsletter interesting by contributing news about your activities in EVM, your company, product announcements, or your projects. Each month starts with a blank sheet, we don't make this stuff up! Send news to me at [email protected]
 
Ray Stratton, PMP,EVP
Editor
EVM Tidbit #8
The Chicken or the Egg
 WBS
Too often we think software is the solution to a problem, when in fact is can be a source of the problem.
 
In project management some vendors would like you to believe that their software will run a project for you.
One recent product would send e-mails out to the workforce telling them when to begin their project activity based upon someone entering 100% complete in their project plan task data. Good grief. Long ago someone told me "Show me a PM in love with their PM software and I'll show you a dangerous PM".  
 
What does this have to do with EVM? ANSI 748 requires the collection of cost data at the Control Account (CA) level in the WBS and no lower. But rather than design an EVM friendly WBS, then define the work within the WBS, and then do the planning, many projects just jump into the project scheduling software and start listing tasks. The useless feature of this software is the assignment of a WBS number (level) to each identified task, thus backing into WBS. So what?
 
The location of the CAs may not flow nicely from the project Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS). Recall we need to identify only one OBS entity responsible for each CA, while an OBS element can be responsible for more than on CA. And we need our financial system to provide us AC at the CA level.
 
So with our scheduling software derived WBS do we design our OBS around the software created WBS and CAs to meet ANSI 748?
 
Better to (1) decide how to break down the work into manageable size chunks via a WBS, (2) decide how to organize the project workforce (teams, subs, IPTs, departments, etc.) to do the WBS work (3) and then get the right OBS element into a conference room to help plan their WBS work. Now, get out your scheduling software and build a plan using the structures you have in place.
 
Next month Tidbit #9, When Precision Reduces Accuracy
 
 
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Is Janus the Mythical God of EVM?
In Roman mythology, Janus was the god of gates, doorways, beginnings and endings. He is the origin of the name of our firstJanus month, January. He is most often shown with two faces, facing in opposite directions. He was also known as representing time because he could see into the past with one face and into the future with the other. Could it be that Janus sits invisibly on our PMB at the "time-now" line. Looking backward he sees CPI, SPI, and the past performance of our project. Looking forward he sees the work remaining, TCPI, ECD and LRE. If the Romans did practice EVM in their colossal projects, I would not want to be the EVM expert. Trying to get a CPI from MCLXXIV/MCCLIII would be a challenge. (It's 0.94.) But since the decimal point had yet to be discovered the CPI could never be less than ONE!
 
As your project's EVM expert you too have these {once} mythical powers. Not only can you tell your management and customers where the project has been, but can you can help describe how it's likely to end. Powerful stuff. 
 
 
WorkshopsEarned Value Experience™ (CAM workshop) and EVPrep™ Exam Prep Workshop Dates Set Through 2010
Dates and places for the rest of 2010 have been set for the EVPrep and Earned Value Experience (CAM) workshops.
 
Check the updated list of dates below. DC and VA area EVPrep workshops have been planned with the AACEI Exam dates in mind.
 
Earned Value Experience (CAM) Workshop
You'll experience creating an earned value management baseline, determining earned value from project status, Classroomcalculating 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 EzEVM™ Templates may be retained by attendees to implement earned value management in their organization.
The Earned Value Experience (CAM) workshop will be conducted in:
  
  • Denver CO Apr 13-14
  • Costa Mesa CA May 17-18  
  • Seattle WA Aug 10-11
  • Arlington VA Sept 14-15
  • Chicago IL Sept 21-22
 
View the Earned Value Experience (CAM) workshop outline and get the registration form.
 
EVPrep Exam Prep Workshop

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.
 
The EVPrep™ workshop will be conducted in  
  
  • Denver CO Apr 15-16
  • Tampa FL May 4-5
  • Costa Mesa CA May 19-20
  • Reston VA June 14-15
  • Seattle WA Aug 12-13
  • San Jose, CA Aug 19-20
  • Arlington VA Sept 16-17
  • Chicago IL Sept 23-24
  • Reston VA Oct 27-28
 
 Do you have an EVP FAQ
  
Go to AACEI's website for the latest information about exam dates.
View the EVPrep workshop outline and get the registration form.
 
Interested in an on-site workshop? Send an e-mail with your your address and the number of attendees to receive a quote.
 
Upcoming EVM and PM Conferences 
 
DELTEK Users Conference
WHO:Deltek
WHEN: May 17-20
WHERE: Washington DC, USA
 
EVMWorld 2010
WHO:PMI College of Performance Management
WHEN:June 2-4
WHERE: Naples, FL, USA
MORE INFO:www.pmi-cpm.org
 
24th IPMA World Congress
WHO:IPMA 
WHEN: 1 -3 November 2010
WHERE:Istanbul, Turkey 
MORE INFO: http://www.ipma2010.com/congress.php 
 
EVA Europe 2010
WHEN:Nov 24-25
WHERE: Belgium
MORE INFO:
 
 
 
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
 Extended travel to customer sites is required,
-----------------
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.

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Weekly EVM?
 
We Can Barely Do Monthly EVM!
 
calendar
In 2002 I interviewed Raytheon's Dr. Tom Kennedy for an article for Projects @ Work that highlighted using weekly EVM at Raytheon. In the article Dr. Tom Kennedy, now V.P. of the Tactical Airborne Systems business unit of Raytheon's Space and Airborne Systems, explained why and how he performed weekly EVM on his project.
 
His program was burning through a average of $2 million a week. Tom could not wait until the end of the month or longer to learn how the first week of the month went.
 
EV data was collected at the end of the week. By Tuesday Tom had the data for his weekly program performance meeting with his staff. Corrective action plans for significant variances were due to him on Thursday. Friday Tom briefed his customer with the data and planned actions.
 
Tom's weekly (current period) EVM data was used to see emerging problems long before the effects were seen in the cumulative data. If the week's progress and cost was significantly short of plan he needed a plan to make it up. In the article Tom said, "I'd know within a couple of weeks whether my corrective actions were working."
 
To make this EVMS work speedily the formal CPR reporting, detailed written VARS, and like were not done. The data was reviewed, questions asked, answers given, and plans made. Once a month the full EVMS process produced contract required CPRs and Variance Analysis. The rest of the month the EVM was used not for reporting; is was used for management.
 
Are you having trouble getting your EVM to work monthly? Maybe your project just needs practice? How much would your golf game improve if you played every weekend, not just once an month. Doing weekly EVM gives your team 52 (not 12) times a year to practice the process, recall the concepts, and get it done quickly. You will get more timely data for managing the project. And "practice makes perfect"!
 
 
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. The Earned Value Professional and EVP are trademarks of the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering, International. (AACEi�)