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The EVM Newsletter™ from Management Technologies |
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AACI Announces New Certification |
AACE International's Decision and Risk Management Professional™ (DRMP™) has been created for those who want recognition for their strong skills and knowledge in decision and risk management.
The exam will address both theoretical and practical points of view, with an emphasis on quantitative decision and risk analysis as well as traditional approaches. The exam will undergo beta testing shortly. For the latest news contact AACE directly.
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What Makes a Good Schedule? | |
The GAO (Government Accountability Office) Draft Schedule Assessment Guide is out for review. This 220 page document discusses ten best practices in 150 pages followed by six appendices.
While this is a draft, it's also a great resource until the final edition is out. GAO wants your input, too, so comment away.
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AACE Installs New Board | |
AACE International installed their new board at the 2012 Annual Meeting. Michael Nosbisch moves to Past President while Marlene Hyde becomes the President for 2012-2013. Marlene works for CH2M Hill and is an EVP.
It's nice to have EVM friends in high places.
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EVPrep Workshop Follows IPMC, Nov 1,2 | |
The EVPrep workshop is planned to be conducted on 1, 2 November (Thursday and Friday) immediately following IPMC (Integrated Program Management Conference).
If you plan to take the EVP exam in 2013 this workshop can save you $150 in EVP exam fees by taking the workshop and then submitting your application for a 2013 exam date. Also you will have time to study your weaker areas that are revealed in the workshop.
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Quotable Quote | |
"Know you are done because you see it, not because the money or time is gone."
G. Alleman, IPMC Fall 2011
(On completion criteria)
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Time for Subscripts? | |
To avoid confusion perhaps we should consider a subscript to show what baseline (early or late) was used in computing the variances. Say "e" and "l"; pretty creative huh? So SVe is the SV considering the early baseline and SVl for the late baseline.
If one were to create two PMBs, one for early start/end and one for late start/end dates then one can compute SV (Schedule Variance) and CV (Cost Variance) and conduct full EVM analysis using both curves.
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Welcome to the July EVM Newsletter.
Beginning with this EVM Newsletter we'll spell out at least once all the terms used. EVM (Earned Value Management) is full of gobbledygook. (I'd list the all the EVM terms here but then I'd have to spell them all out to follow this policy and then there would be no room for news!) It's truly a foreign language. So, to those who subscribed to The EVM Newsletter to better understand EVM we acknowledge your interest and want to help make the EVM Newsletter more readable.
Our July Tidbit talks about why we have Work Packages and why cost collection at the WP level is not required, and maybe is not a good idea.
I just attended the AACE International's Annual Meeting in San Antonio. Over 800 people attended the two and half day conference. Presentation topics included "Designing a Tailored EVMS", "Insights into Baseline Execution Index (BEI)", "Aerospace versus Construction Scheduling", "Integrated Cost- Schedule Risk Analysis", and "Leveraging the Power of Schedule Margin." Plus a lot more. And networking!!
Over sixty vendors exhibited their project management, estimating, and project controls products while software showcases provided demonstrations. Skills tracks covered change management, earned value management, and estimating, among other topics. Next year's meeting will be in Washington DC on June 30-July 3. Stick around for the 4th.

AACE leadership introduced their new governing board, announced a a new certification, and talked about changes in how certification exams will be delivered in 2013.
EVM is making inroads in Missoula and Trinidad. How the interest in EVM was created and how it was implemented make two interesting stories.
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.com
Ray Stratton, PMP, EVP
Editor |
| Tidbit #34, Why Work Packages? |
ANSI 748 says that Control Accounts (CA) MAY be broken down into one or more work packages (WP). If that is done then budgets must be assigned to work packages. But ANSI 748 does not require costs be collected at the WP level. So why have work packages?
When we record AC (actual cost) it should be pretty accurate. Other than estimating accrued costs, it is correct. But when we establish the PMB (Performance Measurement Baseline) (PV cum over time) and measure progress against it (EV) it's not so accurate. Some WIP (Work in Process) measures distort measuring actual progress (think 50/50). Some tasks are just hard to measure such as progress in design engineering (estimated percent complete). By having WPs we are forced to plan our CA to a lower level and add refinement to our PV and EV. So PV and EVM are always approximate but made better with detail provided at the WP level.
But collecting AC at the WP level is NOT required and can increase EVM implementation costs. Typically if costs are collected at the WP level then charge numbers are created where they are not needed. More charge numbers just means more chance of a wrong number being used; distorting the data. Also the ability to compute CV (cost variance) at the WP level can lead to variance analysis being performed at the WP level. SV (schedule variance) and CV, and variance analysis, are only required at the CA level in an ANSI 748 EVMS. This just adds cost and effort where its not required.
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| EVPrep™ and EVM Workshops |
The following workshops are planned for the following locations:
- Reston, VA
- Houston, TX
- Las Vegas, NV
- Saint Louis, MO
- Bethesda, MD (IPMC)
Earned Value Experience (CAM) Workshop (14 PDUs)
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.
Locations and Dates
View the Earned Value Experience 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.
EVPrep Exam Prep Workshop (14 PDUs)
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).
Take this workshop and save $150 on the exam. Attendees are given a temporary limited membership in AACE that allows you to take the exam at AACE member rates.
Locations and Dates
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 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.
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| AACE EVP Exams Go Digital |
Starting in January 2013 all AACE certification exam s will be done using local testing centers and computer terminals. No longer will applicants have to wait to find where their exam will be held. Nor will a testing site need to be found or a need to find AACE member-proctors.
Certification exams requiring a written memo will use a text editor tool. This is probably a good move for those like me who cannot write clearly, get hand cramps after an hour of writing, and wish they could rearrange paragraphs to make more sense.
So on your 2013 exam date you may be the only one at the testing center taking an AACE exam. But the exam scheduling opportunities should be about infinite.
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| Upcoming EVM and PM Conferences |
IPMC ((Integrated Program Management Conference)
WHEN: 29-31 Oct 2012
WHERE: Bethesda, MD
MORE INFO: CPM
EVM Europe 2012
WHEN: 28-29 November 2012
WHERE: University of Twente Enschede, The Netherlands
MORE INFO: EVM Europe
(Note: Thanksgiving ({US} is 22 Nov)
AACE Total Cost Management Conference
WHEN: November 14-15, 2012
WHERE: Dubai, UAE
MORE INFO: AACEI
Construction CPM Conference
(CPM as in Critical Path Method, not affiliated with the College of Perf. Mgmt.)
WHEN: January 27-30, 2013
WHERE: New Orleans, LA
MORE INFO: www.ConstructionCPM.com
EVM WORLD 2013
WHEN: 29-31 MAY 2013
WHERE: NAPLES, FL
MORE INFO: CPM
AACE International's Annual Meeting
WHEN: 30 June - 3 July 2013
WHERE: Marriott Wardman Park, Washington DC
MORE INFO: AACE
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| A Tale of Two Cities | In June I found myself providing EVM services first in Missoula, Montana and later in Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago. There is little these two cities have in common except English and the reason for interest in EVM. (They each drive on opposite sides of the road.)
In both cases the small - medium size client companies had been asked to provide EVM data to their customers. One client's customer was a US based top defense contractor; the other British Petroleum (BP).
Neither project involved a government entity. Notably absent was any mention of ANSI 748, IBRs (Integrated Baseline Reviews), or Contract Performance Reports. Their customers had simply become accustom to using EVM on their internal projects and saw value in asking their contractors (our two clients) to provide EVM data. One organization simply stated that "earned value management data should be used in reporting project status."
Neither client had implemented EVM previously and had no tools in place. In Missoula we provided five days of on-site support and left the client with tailored EzEVM™ Excel workbook templates, ten control accounts, and EVM reporting in place. (How we did that will be in the August EVM Newsletter.) Our Trinidad and Tobago client received EVM training and basic EzEVM™ workshop templates to help them get started.
The use of ANSI 748 EVM continues to grow in the US as more and more companies are faced with the US government requirements in their contracts or as a subcontractor. But the real future for the growth of EVM is with all those non-government projects world-wide that see the value in EVM and simply request earned value management data.
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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.
Sincerely,
Ray Stratton, PMP, EVP Management Technologies |
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Copyright 2012, Management Technologies
The EVM Newsletter, EVPrep, The Earned Value Management Maturity Model, EVM3, EzEVM, CAMcert, and The Earned Value Experience are trademarks of Management Technologies.
The Earned Value Professional , EVP, DRMP, and the AEP logo are marks of the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering, International. (AACEŽ).
The PMP, PMBOK, PMI, and R.E.P. , and the Registered Education Provider logo are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
EVM World is a registered trademark of the College of Performance Management, Inc. |
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