January 2011

The EVM Newsletter™
from Management Technologies
In This Issue
Weird News from 2010
EVM World Abstracts Due
News for Raytheon and ThalesRaytheon Readers
CPI and SPI(t) Statistical Forecasting
PMI EVM COP Board Roles
There are FARs and there are FARs
Upcoming Conferences
Book Review - EVM Worldwide

Management Technologies
Services 
 
> EVM Training & Workshops

> EVMS Process Engineering 

>Third Party EVMS Certification

 

>EVP Exam Prep Workshops and Study Guide

More About  Management Technologies

 


Don't miss the next EVM Newsletter

 

.You can opt out at any time. Your e-mail address will not be shared with anyone.

 

(Add www.mgmt-technologies.com to your white list.)

 

Past Newsletters


Forward to a friend 
Did you find this newsletter interesting? Forward it to a friend!
 

2011 EVP Exam Dates
exam
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. 

 
26 March 2011
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

 
 

 


Quotable Quote

quill


"There are two types of employees: Those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is much less competition there."



Some 2010
Weirdness

The state of AZ spent $1.25M (USD) building a rope bridge for Mount Graham squirrels to cross Route 366.  Officials think that they will save five squirrels a year. (I wonder if they applied percent complete as they built the bridge? If it's one long rope is it 0/100%?)

 

 bernie

Two women from Liverpool, Britain were arrested trying to check in a deceased person, as a passenger, for a flight to Germany. The 91 year old "passenger" was wearing sunglasses when his widow and stepdaughter rolled him up to security in a wheel chair. The passenger could not be roused to answer questions from the airline staff and they called police. The women said they thought he was asleep. (I gotta rent "Weekend at Bernie's" again.)

 
 

Ryanair 

Byron Gordon challenged Ryanair to a bet. "I am willing to bet my flat and its contents nobody ever said the words "Ryanair" "marvelous" and "service" in the same sentence. The airline produced several letters with those words and now wants the keys to the flat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


EVM3The Earned Value Management Maturity Model�
on
Books 24 x 7 
EVM3 cover
The Earned Value Management Maturity Model book is now available from Books 24x7, as well as from Management Concepts.

Back to Top


EVM WORLD 2011 Abstracts Due Date EXTENDED
PMI EVM COP has extended the due date to January 28 for abstracts and bio for EVM WORLD 2011 in Naples, FL.  See the list of conferences in this Newsletter for dates and other info.
   

Back to Top


ATTENTION!

Raytheon and ThalesRaytheon Subscribers

Is this the first issue of the EVM Newsletter to reach you? Since last Fall a technical glitch between Raytheon's email processing and Constant Contact caused about 50 e-mails to bounce. So you have may have missed some back issues. Of course if the problem is still unsolved you probably didn't get this Newsletter either, so never mind. 

 


 Back to top

 

 
EVM Schedule Adherence and CPI and SPI (t)Statistical Forecasting

The EzEVM™ workbook has provided projects and firms a low cost solution to performing EVM and refining their EVM processes.

 

The EzEVM MSExcel workbook template now includes "Schedule Adherence" and statistical forecasting of final CPI and SPI(t).

 

EVM data can be entered from any EVM software to provide these valuable analysis products as well as traditional EVM indicators.

 

 

Back to top
TopmeGreetings..
Welcome to the January EVM Newsletter.  

Happy New Year. Let's hope for positive variances in all that we do, in all our hopes, and for our loved ones.

 

Our January Tidbit expands on the December discussion about "consensus" and why it might be harder to obtain consensus now.

 

Registration is open for the March 10-11 EVPrep workshop in Reston, VA. This is an ideal time to attend the workshop, learn where you are weakest, and have study time for any of the Spring or Summer EVP exam dates.

 

The PMI EVM Community of Practice (CoP) was established on 1/1/11. The new roles of their Community Council are mapped to the old PMI CPM Governing Board positions.

 

There is a special notice for our Raytheon and ThalesRaytheon readers about receiving their EVM Newsletters.

 

We draw on two separate collections US Federal FARs to show how one set could benefit the other.

 

We review of "Earned Value Management: A Global and Cross Industry Perspective on Current EVM Practice" This book documents the recently completed PMI study on worldwide use of EVM.

 

And a few others items of interest.

 

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
Tidbit #17, Gaining Consensus

 

Last month I talked about "The 77 Sins of Project Management" and my contribution on "consensus". Sometimes it's a good thing,yes sometimes not. So when you need consensus why is it so hard to get? Consensus means "I can live with this solution". So the final solution must be acceptable to the most conservative, risk averse person involved. So the more people involved the more likely you will include someone 4 or 5 sigma off the "mean".

 

It wasn't always this hard. A long long time ago, before 1950 you only had to get six or so people to agree. Why six? Because if there was any material to review the poor secretary could only type one original and two readable carbon copies. Do that twice and you have six copies. If you had a Ditto or Mimeograph machine you could make more copies but the effort to collate and staple them made that a project itself.  Enter Xerox and machine stapling and could make more copies and invite more people to your consensus meeting. Fast forward to 2011 and we have e-mail with attached PDFs and we can easily send material to dozens of people who can forward them to dozens more. And as you finally approach "consensus" you hear a faint voice from the back of the now crowded meeting room. "I don't think I can live with that!" Back to square one. Where's my carbon paper.

 

Limit involvement to your inner circle of trusted experts. You are the PM, but not the expert in everything on your project. And you are not running a democracy. Listen to your experts, form your solution, sell it to your team. Getting them to agree shows leadership and their willingness to follow you.  

 

Next month we begin a three part Tidbit on handling material in EVM. One of the most confusing and challenging areas of applying EVM.

 

 
 
PMI EVM Community of Practice 

The PMI EVM Community of Practice (CoP) came into existence on 1 Jan 2011. As part of PMI's Virtual Community Project (VCP) theEVM COP former College of Performance (CPM) management is no more. Not to fear, we expect the new PMI EVM CoP to continue to hold its two annual EVM conferences, IPMC and EVMWorld, and support EVM conferences worldwide.

 

If you were a member of CPM you are now a member of the EVM CoP. If you were not a member, now is a good time to join the EVM CoP. PMI's new VCP allows you to join any or all COP's for just one fee. Go to PMI's website for more info.

 

The EVM CoP Community Council provides governance for the EVM CoP. The CPM Governing Board has been retained as the initial EVM CoP Community Council. Here is a mapping of the old CPM Board positions and the new EVM CoP Council positions.

 

  • President  =  Community Manager
  • Executive Vice President = Deputy Community Manager
  • VP Administration = Administrative Lead
  • VP Education = Knowledge Management Lead
  • VP Communications = Communications Lead
  • VP Research and Standards = Research and Standards Lead
  • VP Conference and Events = Service Delivery Lead
  • VP Finance = Finance Lead
  • Past President = Immediate Past Community Manager

 

The PMI CPM office in VA will continue to operate and support the needs of the EVM CoP. 

 

 

 
FARs versus FARs

 

As a pilot, and a consultant to the US government and their contractors I have to be aware of lots of FARs. For piloting a planebooks it's the Federal Air Regulations (FARs) Title 14 CFR. When working with clients it's the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FARs). Once again as I've said before, piloting a project and piloting a plane have more in common than not. However, there is one aviation FAR that has no parallel in project management but maybe it should. Who knows best what is going on with a project (or flight) and who has the most to gain or lose depending on the outcome? The Project Manager (or pilot). The very first aviation regulation under General Operating and Flight Rules is FAR 91.3.

 

FAR � 91.3   Responsibility and authority of the pilot in command.

(a) The pilot in command of an aircraft is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of that aircraft.

(b) In an in-flight emergency requiring immediate action, the pilot in command may deviate from any rule of this part to the extent required to meet that emergency.

 

Of course, exercising option (b) may include some follow up FAA forms and questions, but who's butt was in the air, and who's butt was safely in their desk chair?

 

If there were a FAR (acquisition) equivalent it might read:

(a)    "The project/program manager is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the planning and execution of that project.

(b)   "When immediate action is needed to increase the likelihood of a successful project, the project/program manager may deviate from any bureaucratic rule to the extent required."

 

So you might have explain or defend your action, but it's your project.  You were there when a decision was needed, and you made a decision. They're your stakeholders, and it's your career. How the project ends will be part of your legacy. Sometimes you need to act first, ask later.

   
Workshops EVPrep and EVM Workshops
 
 
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, 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.

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 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's website for the latest information about exam dates.
View the EVPrep workshop outlineand 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 
       
AACE San Francisco Section 2011 Western Winter Workshop
WHEN: 2-6 February 2011
WHERE: Pebble Beach, Monterey CA
NASA PM Challenge
 
NASA PM LogoWHEN: 9-10 February 2011
WHERE: Long Beach CA

EVM World 2011
WHEN: 16-18 May 2011
WHERE: Naples, FL
MORE INFO: PMI EVM CoP  
 
AACE Annual Meeting 2011
WHEN: 19-22 June 2011 
WHERE:June 19-22, Disneyland Resort, Anaheim CA
MORE INFO: AACE, International  

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

 
 


 

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
 

�         Experience with EVM systems, particularly Deltek Cobra

�         BS/BA in Business or Accounting;   CPA/MBA highly preferred.

�         7-10 years experience in cost accounting and cost scheduling

�         Extensive experience in CPR, CFSR, and EVMS

�         Experience with EVMS systems, particularly MPM

�         Knowledge of the FARs

�         Extensive experience with Excel, MS Project

�         Experience with resource loading schedules

�         Excellent communication and report writing skills

�         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


How Do Others Do EVM?
 

Earned Value Management: A Global and Cross Industry Perspective on Current EVM Practice: ISBN: 978-1-935589-06-5, 92 pages, Lingguang Song, Phd,  Project ManagementEVM Study Institute 2010, $35.95.

 

How is the use of EVM similar or different depending on the industry, government, region, or organization? PMI and PMI's College of Performance Management (CPM, now the PMI EVM COP) funded a study to find the answers to these questions. The result is this book authored by the researcher Lingguang Song, PhD, of the University of Houston (Texas, USA). The book is well written and well organized.

 

An international literature review and a survey were used in the study. Over 600 survey responses were received. These were classified by industry sector, EVM motivation (government, customer, internal), organizational role, and geographic location. Sixty-one countries, 36 US States, and 17 industry sectors participated.

 

In order to digest the data Dr. Song defined three comparison matrixes: EVM Usage (who uses EVM, to what degree, how mature); EVM Standards {using what standard(s)}; and EVM Service (software, consulting, training, and certification).

 

The book is seven chapters. The author first describes the problem statement to be addressed, objectives and scope, methodology, survey, and report outline. After a short review of EVM's history and literature he presents his findings. Chapter 4 discusses EVM usage in different countries and industries. The maturity of EVM in each instance is measured using a five step model. His model is derived from The Earned Value Management Maturity Model� (Stratton, 2006, Management Concepts). The Model is modified  in order to eliminate ANSI 748 as a component. Where a country or industry has twenty or more survey responses the author compares EVM maturity. Geographically the highest maturity is in the UK. The leader in industry is the "Military or Defense" (or should I say "defence"?) industry.

 

Chapter 5 addresses the international use of EVM standards and the EVM service market. ANSI 748 is the predominate standard in the USA, but worldwide the PMI Practice Standard on Earned Value Management is most popular. The Practice Standard is also most popular when EVM use is voluntary. This chapter also surveys the use of commercial versus in-house EVM software, although not by specific product.

 

Chapter 6 looks at barriers to adopting EVM. Both defense/government and the private sector respondents listed, in order: expertise, lack of a client requirement, and lack of top management support as the major barriers. Top barriers to improving EVM were the same three for both groups but in different orders. The list of 15 critical success factors (CSF) for EVM implementation was headed by "Top Management Support". Top rankings were also "Project Staff Buy-in", "EVM Training", and "culture and general PM maturity". Use of software tools was number 13 of 15. It's not a lack of EVM tools holding us back.

 

The book's Appendices include the study questionnaire and participating organizations.   

 

If you are a career EVMer, consultant, tool vendor, government EVM office, or project/program manager this short book can give you insight as you move among industries, countries, and cultures.

 

(As of late January 2011 the PMI Bookstore was out of stock but a printing is planned soon.)


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, PMP, EVP
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. (AACE�). The PMP, PMBOK, and R.E.P. are trademarks of the Project Management Institute.