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The EVM Newsletter™ from Management Technologies |
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| 2011 EVP Exam Dates |  | |
Listed below are the exam date, the deadline for discounted applications, and the final date for applications. Exams are held worldwide so all dates listed may not be right for you.
4, 5, 10, 12 March 2011
Early discount: 19 Dec
Deadline: 3 Jan 26 March 2011
Early discount: 10 Jan
Deadline: 25 Jan
13, 14 May 2011
Early discount: 28 Feb Deadline: 15 March 3, 18 June 2011
Early discount: 20 March
Deadline: 4 April
7, 9 July 2011
Early discount: 26 April
Deadline: 10 May
16 Sept 2011
Early discount: 3 July
Deadline: 18 July 12, 17 Nov 2011
Early discount: 29 Aug
Deadline: 13 Sept
9, 10 Dec 2011
Early discount: 25 Sept
Deadline: 10 Oct
Always check with AACE
for revised dates and application information
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Quotable Quote | |
""Giving someone a hammer does make a carpenter, and giving someone scheduling software does not make a project manager."
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AACE International Increases Dues | |
AACE International regular membership dues for 2011 will be $143. This is a ten percent increase from 2010. This will be the first AACE dues increase in nearly a decade.
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| The Earned Value Management Maturity Model(R)
on
Books 24 x 7 | |
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EVM WORLD 2011 Abstracts Due Now | |
January 21st is the latest date to get your abstracts and bio in to PMI CPM (PMI EVM COP) to be considered for EVM WORLD 2011 in Naples, FL. See the list of conferences in this Newsletter for dates and other info.
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| PMI Considers EVM Certification | |
PMI is currently conducting a study to determine if PMI wants to offer an EVM credential (certification) similar to the PMI PMP certification. The EVM certificate approach being discussed would be structured to support the (U.S.)Federal Acquisition Certification FAC requirements. PMI has formed a EVM Advisory Committee .
The EVM Advisory Committee and PMI research is expected to be complete by 2010 and turn over their findings to a vendor to develop the EVM credential program.
The EVM Advisory Committee EVM subject matter experts include:
Joe Houser - K&M Systems Group
Kerry Braaflat - Boeing
Sean Alexander - VitalThought
Chris Wilson - Deloitte
Karen Urschel - U.S. Department Of Energy
Dave Ross - Northrop Grumman
Kevin Ryan - BAE Systems
Greg Smith - L-3
Communications
Neil Albert - MCR
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| US DoD Relaxs Penalites for Fault Business Systems | |
According to Government Executive the US Defense Department has revised a controversial rule issued early this year on withholding payments from contractors that fail to maintain adequate controls against waste, fraud and abuse.
The rule -- the Pentagon's second crack at developing industry standards for business systems (Ed: including EVMS)-- also lowers the amount of money contracting officials can withhold when documented problems are not corrected.
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| PMI Revises PDU Categories | |
PMI PMPs should have received an e-mail outlining the new PDU categories. Gone are the 1,2,3,4, replaced with Categories A through F. You still need 36 PDUs every three years.
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  Greetings..
Welcome to the December EVM Newsletter.
Happy holidays. Regardless where you are in the world this is a special time for virtually all people. Religions celebrate significant events and we turn to a new year. May your holiday events be all you hope and let's all work to have a great 2011.
Speaking of religion, there is a story in this month's EVM Newsletter that links EVM to a religious belief that one should not hold payments to laborers (and thus subcontractors.)
There is an article about the importance of preventative maintenance on cars, planes, and EVM.
A reader writes on two subjects from the November Newsletter. (1) The dates for the EVM WORLD 2011 conference were incorrect. They have been corrected. (2) The Tidbit discussion on AUW (Authorized Unpriced Work) used the terms "funds". The reader cautions that "There is a persistent problem in the community, especially among the contractors and the government "budget" (read appropriations and funding) people that confuse "funds" with performance measurement budget. While your discussion of AUW is good, I am afraid that the use of the word "funds" will only reinforce the confusion in the non-EVM community." So maybe I should have used "budget". But I suspect someone might have written that I should have used "funds" since not all AUW will be in the PMB BAC. Remember EVM is project management, non funds management.
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 evinfo@mgmt-technologies.comRay Stratton, PMP,EVP Editor |
 | Tidbit #16, Empowering CAMs | |
When I was a young Lieutenant in the Navy I was sent to a two week leadership class. (Probably clearly needed it.) There I learned about  something called a RAAP Box. RAAP stands for Responsibility, Accountability, Authority, and Power. The point of the lecture was that these four elements need to be in balance for a leader to be effective. The "box" was made of four equal sides to illustrate the point. If one or more sides are the wrong length you don't get a box, and you can't be a good leader.
Now as a young Lieutenant I did not not have much Responsibility, though more than my civilian peers at the same age thanks to the military. But, as long as my "box" was square, albeit small, I could be held Accountable. I had Authority and Power consistent with my Responsibility and Accountability.
What is Authority? I define it as the right to provide guidance and direction.
What is Power? The ability to reward or punish those who you provide the guidance and direction to. Without Power there is no reason to respect your Authority.
The only difference between my RAAP box, those of my superior officers, and the Secretary of the Navy was the size of our RAAP Boxes.
Ask any CAM (Control Account Manager) or PM (Project Manager) how hard it was to get Responsibility and Accountability for completing their scope of work on time and on budget and they'll likely say, 'It just happened." Ask them if they feel they have the Authority and Power consistent with their Responsibility and Accountability. They'll probably say they don't have enough, or any.
CAMs and PMs should have a square RAAP box if they are going to be effective. If you are a PM or CAM and don't feel your RAAP box is square tallk to your management. Surveys show management often wishes their staff would take on more authority and power to get their jobs done. You may find you have teh Power and Authority you need, you just didn't know it!
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| Proceedings from the EVA EUROPE 2010 Conference | |
The second annual EVA EUROPE conference was held in Belgium in late November. Presentations included topics on The Cost of EVM, EVM and Agile Development, Risk and Global Competition, Developing a Large Project Deliverables Focused EVM, Integral Earned Schedule, and many others.
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| How Many Sins in Project Management are There? |
Apparently Seventy-Seven.
I was privileged to be asked to contribute to "The 77 Deadly Sins of Project Management", published by Management Concepts. These project management "sins" were offered to a group of experienced program managers and authors. Each sin is defined by one word and they are in the book in alphabetical order. Each author was allowed to pick a sin and discuss it.
I selected "consensus" and wrote about it. Consensus is a good thing.... sometimes, and bad thing.... sometimes. Margaret Thatcher said "To me, consensus seems to be the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values, and polices. So it is something in which no one believes in and to which no one objects." I have been known to say that consensus, used at the wrong time is the process managers use to avoid making a decision and being accountable. Leaders on the other hand, avoid consensus when necessary and just make decisions and are therefore solely responsible for the outcome.
The book got a great review in the March PMI's PM Journal. Here what they said: "This is not the first book of its kind, but it may be the best. Its organized approach, breadth of content, and application focus make it a tool for use, while others just tell stories. Everyone will take something away from the book ... something that will make their projects just a little better."
Next month: comments on why it's so hard to get consensus, it wasn't always this way!
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| EVPrep Workshop Planned for Bahrain | |
For our readers in the Middle East a session of the EVPrep Exam Prep workshop is being planned for late January in Bahrain. Check the public event schedule for updates.
Earned Value Experience (CAM) Workshop
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, control 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.
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 II (was part IV).
This is twelve hours of mock EVP exam and discussions of correct and incorrect answers. Do you have an EVP FAQ? Go to AACE'swebsite for the latest information about exam dates.
Interested in an on-site workshop? Send an e-mail with your your address and the number of attendees to receive a quote.
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| Upcoming EVM and PM Conferences |
AACE San Francisco Section 2011 Western Winter Workshop
WHEN: 2-6 February 2011
WHERE: Pebble Beach, Monterey CA
NASA PM Challenge
 WHEN: 9-10 February 2011
WHERE: Long Beach CA
EVM World 2011
WHEN: 16-18 May 2011 WHERE: Naples, FL MORE INFO: PMI College of Performance Management
AACE Annual Meeting 2011
WHEN: 19-22 June 2011
WHERE:June 19-22, Disneyland Resort, Anaheim CA
Australasian Integrated Performance Management Symposium
(AIPMS)
WHEN: July 2011
WHERE: Canberra
MORE INFO: later
23nd Annual Integrated Program Management Conference
WHEN: November 2011
WHERE: Washington DC
MORE INFO: later
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EVM Jobs | |
Emergent Biosolutions
Rockville, MD
Senior Manager, Project Manager - EVMS
The EVMS / Business Project Manager will be a part of the senior management teams for 2 large government contracts and will lead cost and control activities. This position will be responsible for cost/schedule preparation, reporting (CPR/CFSR/EVMS) and analysis of variances, as well as preparation of risk analysis, monthly project business management reviews, and data and cost trends analysis. The Business Project Manager will be supported by a Project Scheduler and a Project Cost Analyst and will work with the Project Managers, CAMS, Program Head, Vendors, Contractors and to collect, verify, and integrate work scope and cost information into a total project plan, financial management system and EVMS. Emergent BioSolutions
ˇ Experience with EVM systems, particularly Deltek Cobra ˇ BS/BA in Business or Accounting; CPA/MBA highly preferred. ˇ 7-10 years experience in cost accounting and cost scheduling ˇ Extensive experience in CPR, CFSR, and EVMS ˇ Experience with EVMS systems, particularly MPM ˇ Knowledge of the FARs ˇ Extensive experience with Excel, MS Project ˇ Experience with resource loading schedules ˇ Excellent communication and report writing skills ˇ Prior experience in Biotech/Pharmaceutical Industry highly desired Contact: G Saini
HRIS Analyst MS(MIS), PMP
Emergent BioSolutions
Cell: 925.708.9059
Office: 301.795.1826
Arlington, VA
Herren Associates is in search of a Senior EVM Analyst who will be responsible for collaborating with program management, business management, scheduling, earned value and technical team members to develop, monitor, and analyze the Integrated Master Plan (IMP) and Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) to report schedule and cost performance. This position performs weekly/monthly detailed analysis for major Program Events, as well as key intermediate milestones, in order to provide program status updates. The position requires mastery of EVM tools such as Primavera Project Manager, Cost Manager, wInsight, and MS Excel. This person will attend weekly/daily/monthly meetings within the program, share information with RMs & CAMs, and brief executive-level management with the use of CPRs and variance analyses. Interested candidates should send resumes to Sung.Kim@jlha.com. |
| EVM, MORALS, and RELIGION |  Sukuk' is an investment instrument based upon Islamic Syariah law.
A sacred text of Islam (an Al-Quran) and Prophet Muhammad traditions (a Hadits) reveals on how Muslims believe in a prohibition of "Riba'" or charging interest. There is a quote from the prophet of Muhammad, "Promptly pay your labor/employee worker salary before his sweat is getting dry, and told them how much their will paid while they are working". The prompt payment to contractors for work completed will minimize the contractor interest rate in their proposal because they have less risk of losing money due to late payments.
A recent paper on the subject links Sukuk and EVM as a means to provide prompt payment; thus reducing time delays, the need for accounts receivable financing for payroll, and reducing contractor/subcontractor financial risk.
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| Cars, Planes, and EVMS |
 Cars require maintenance or you can expect sudden breakdowns and interrupted trips. Planes require annual FAA mandated inspections (or progressive inspections) to avoid catastrophic results. So does EVMS. When periodic inspections and maintenance is not performed on EVMS it may fail to provide timely, accurate, actionable info. Worse case the EVMS may be decertified, as Lockheed Martin learned on the F-35 stealth fighter program (see incredible "transformer" video). Sadly, the F-35 program is an aircraft program and while LM was likely developing the progressive inspection programs for F-35 they forgot to inspect their EVMS.
The sad side effect of this decertification is the impression it leaves behind about EVMS implementation and maintenance. Organizations, agencies, and companies who are just beginning to use EVM, or contemplating EVM, may draw a false conclusion about the difficulty in implementing ANSI 748 EVMS. This will just discourage its use. If LM, who has enormous resources and been doing EVM for decades can't meet ANSI 748, how can a little company, small project, or agency do EVM? Simple, you just have to use your EVMS surveillance plan ("owner's manual") of recommended checks and maintenance actions, otherwise just when you need it your EVMS might breakdown.
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Do you have news to share? Send your news item and we'll review it for posting in a future EVM Newsletter. Ray Stratton, PMP, EVP
Management Technologies |
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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. (AACEŽ). The PMP, PMBOK, and R.E.P. are trademarks of the Project Management Institute. |
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