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The EVM Newsletter™ from Management Technologies |
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AACE Offers Certification Renewal Amnesty | |
Have any of your AACE certifications lapsed? Among the changes in AACE's recertification process include an Amnesty period effective 1 August. You have until the end of this year to apply to be recertified.
Check with AACE for other changes to the recertification process.
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Find the Non-Critical Path | |
Here is what might be the longest critical path in the world. Can you find the few non-critical paths?
Four minute video
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EVM Track at PMI North American Congress | |
The PMI North American Congress (22-25 Oct 2011, Dallas TX area) will include a track of eight EVM presentations. The PMI EVM Community of Practice (CoP) is chairing this track which will include an update on the second edition of the PMI EVM Practice Standard plus....
� Understanding the Value of Earned Value
� EVMS "Keeping it Simple and Succeeding"
� Integration of Earned Value and Risk Management Using Contingency Reserves
� Application of EVM to equipment manufacturing
� Advances in Earned Schedule and Earned Value Management
� Truth About Preparedness For EVMS Assessments
� EVM on Service Projects - An Optimized Paradigm
The EVM track will be presented on 24-25 October and is subject to change.
For more information visit PMI.
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 The Earned Value Management Maturity Model�
on
Books 24 x 7 |  |
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Anyone interesting in reviewing the book "Earned Value Management Using Microsoft Office Project: A Guide for Managing Any Size Project Effectively"?
Write about 200 words and your review will be published in The EVM Newsletter with attribution. Contact me if you are interested.
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AACE International's offices new location is 1265 Suncrest Towne Centre, Morgantown, WV 26505-1876
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| 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.
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Greetings..
Welcome to the September EVM Newsletter. 
The idea for this issue's Tidbit came during part 2 of my road trip on Route 66. Part 1 was Santa Monica CA to Joplin MO last Spring. Part 2 was Chicago IL to Joplin. "Looking for Radiator Springs." Everyone should take this trip to see the heartland of America. We met many travelers from Europe, Australia, and South America. If they find it so appealing it should be more so for Americans. Hint: Avoid the Interstate highways at all cost.
A US Coast Guard Request for Proposal makes a definitive statement about EVM experience and the EVP certification.
Registration for the Reston VA EVPrep two-day workshop closes this Friday. Details are below.
AACE has revised their policy on intellectual property from contributors to their programs, committees, and meetings. Basically the author keeps their rights. A refreshing change and far different from other large PM non-profit organizations that ask authors to sign over their rights.
PMI and INCOSE are trying to bridge the gap between engineers and project managers.
There good news and bad news for US DoD contractors.
Our subscriber list is very close to 2,000. If you want to share a story or an idea consider writing 50-100 words on the subject. 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 |
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When We Say EVP, We Mean EVP! | |
 On 8 Sept 2011 the US Coast Guard (USGC) (a part of the US Department of Homeland Security) released an RFP (HSCG23-11-R-ADW308) for Contractor Earned Value Management Documentation Support Services. The RFP defined the Project Manager as a key position.
"1.3.1 Project Manager. The Contractor shall provide a Project Manager who shall be responsible for all Contractor work performed under this procurement.
"1.3.2 Qualified Personnel. .... The project manager shall possess an ... (AACEi) Earned Value Professional (EVP) certification."
A potential bidder asked for relief. "We do not have a project manager who has {an} ... Earned Value Professional (EVP) certification. We have very experienced Earned Value managers, but they do not have the EVP certification. Should we put in for this opportunity or keep looking for a better fit?"
To which the USGC replied: "The ...EVP is a USCG requirement. While many professionals do EVM, EVP certification provides an exam and experience validation that provides us with confidence that the proposed PM meets the desired competency standards."
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| Tidbit # 25, Roadmaps and EVM | |
As I write this I am on a road trip with my wife on Route 66. Everyone should make this trip and follow every little turn and twist this historic road takes. Interstates do not count! It's like travelling internationally. Strange food, interesting accents, different cultures. As we find and lose our way on our guidebook I got to thinking about EVM. (Ok, not a healthy mind here.)
My car has all the metrics I need. Fuel, speed, miles driven, direction of travel, current location. I have a statewide map with very limited local detail. All this is good until the guide book says turn left at Oak Street. The one thing I can't find is where I am on the map. Sure I know from the GPS I'm on Route 66 crossing First Street. But First Street is not on my statewide map. A map does you no good if you don't know where you are.
In EVM we collect metrics. PV, AC, EV. We compute SV, CV, CPI, and SPI. But what these data mean has a lot to do with where we are in the project. Are we at the beginning, middle, end? And where is the current critical path? What tasks are on it? Which tasks are now off the critical path? What work is being done and have all the predecessor tasks really been completed? The EVM data is important but so is knowing where you are on the project roadmap (activity network).
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AACE Clears Up, Revises Authors' IP Rights |
In contrast to some other professional project management organizations AACE has relaxed their IP policy for authors and contibutors, according to recent press release.
"On August Friday, 26, 2011, ...{AACE} International, announced ... that effective immediately, instead of contributors having to sign over their intellectual property to the organization, including the rights to any derivative works, AACE has changed the policy so that now, contributors do NOT have to give up their rights of ownership or the rights to any derivative works, but are merely granting an extensive license to AACE to use the author/contributors IP while leaving ownership with the contributor."
According the AACE's Executive Director, "...the new release does not significantly alter the intent or scope of the previous agreements but provides more explicit language regarding the rights retained by the contributor and reduces the ambiguity regarding the respective rights and responsibilities of the contributor and the Association."
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PMs and Engineers |
Ever have problems communicating with engineers? Good news. PMI and the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) signed an agreement that will improve integration of practices between their professional communities. More info
PMs and System Engineers (SE) share:
- Delivering value and benefit to stakeholders
- Integrating experience, roles, and knowledge
- Function effectively while satisfying poorly defined outcomes and complex systems
There has been a cultural divide. I have noticed no one who attends a PMI event attends an INCOSE event; no one who attends an INCOSE event attends PMI events. Yet the triple constraint requires these communities to work together. Both teams are in the same lifeboat. There is a need to find that shared space, use the right skills where needed, but understand and value the other's skills. Both groups have to view the whole project with a goal of stakeholder satisfaction.
AACE and George Washington University Engineering Management and Systems Engineering program are working together also. They are considering GWU as a neutral site for a US Federal agency forum on best practices and lessons learned in cost engineering and project controls.
Maybe there is hope.
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| Earning Value the Agile Way |
Project managers who want or need to provide Earned Value (EV) metric data on their agile development project must determine how to generate earned value without incurring the planning and execution overhead typical to Earned Value Management (EVM).
In order to do this, managers need to find common ground between the two methodologies and understand the strengths and weaknesses of each. Eric Christoph, PMP, EVP discusses the difference between the EVM and Agile approaches in his paper and describes a method for generating EV metrics on an Agile project without sacrificing the advantages of Agile.
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| Bath Iron Works in Hot Water |
Bath Iron Works (BIW) has been found to be failing 17 of the 32 EVM ANSI 748 Guidelines according to the US Pentagon. BIW COO said "Anybody who says there's a problem at Bath should ask the question: Where in America is there a naval shipyard performing better?"
Sounds to me like grade school. "I know I was 10 minutes tardy, but Jennifer was 20 minutes late."
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| EVPrep™ and EVM Workshops | |
The following workshops are planned for the following locations:
- Reston, VA
- Atlanta, GA
- Dallas, TX
- Columbus ,OH
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.
Interested in an on-site workshop? Send an e-mail with your your address and the number of attendees to receive a quote.
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.
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 | |
PMI North American Congress (w/ EVM track)
WHEN: 22-25 October 2011
WHERE: Dallas, TX
MORE INFO: PMI
23nd Annual Integrated Program Management Conference
WHEN: 7-9 November 2011
WHERE: Washington DC
MORE INFO:
PMI EVM COP (EVP Exam on 10 November)
EVM Europe
EVM World 2012
WHEN: 30 May 2012 - June 2 2012
AACE Annual Meeting 2012
WHEN: 8-11 July 2012
WHERE:Marriott Rivercenter, San Antonio, Texas
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| Good News, Bad News |
 Good News:
USA DoD DCAA Auditors must now furnish more up-front information when conducting audits of contractor systems. Information should include the purpose of the audit, areas under examination, and what documents they will review. Exit interviews with contractors are required and DCAA must provide a draft report.
Bad News:
Contracting officers or administrative contracting officers can review six areas of a contractors business: accounting, estimating, purchasing, material management, property management, and earned value management. Any significant deficiency in performance of any of the six business areas requires the contracting officers or administrative contracting officers to withhold 5 percent of payments. "Significant" is not defined.
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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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Copyright 2011, 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 , EVP, and the AEP logo are marks of the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering, International. (AACE�).
The PMP, PMBOK, PMI, and R.E.P. , and the Registered Education Provider logo are
registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc. |
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