EVM is showing up on Android platforms. One such application  is "Smart Rodent: Earned Value".

"Smart Rodent: Earned Value" (SR: EV) is a free app for Android devices. Being free, expect some two line ads with links to appear at the top. Otherwise there are no popups or other ads.

SR: EV allows you to record EVM data in "Reports" for one or more individual "Projects". This data is plotted as S-curves (PMB) and can be exported.

When you first start SR: EV you click on "New Project" and "Project 1" is created. ("Project 1" might exist on first launch too.) Click on "Project 1" and "New Report" and "Report 1" are offered as choices. Select "Report 1" and you are provided a screen to enter "AC","PV","EV", and "BAC". Enter the data and hit "DONE" and "REPORT" and SV, CV, EAC, ETC, SPI, CPI, TCPI(BAC), and TCPI (EAC) are calculated. (The reports are labeled "Week 1", etc. The assumption is that each report is done weekly). All values entered must be cumulative to-date. Below the EVM analysis is text explaining what the analysis means. For example, if the CV is negative there is an explanation about negative CV, if CV is positive; then an explanation about positive CV is provided.

"Return" gets you back to the Project 1 screen where the PMB is drawn from the start of the project to the present reporting period.

It's a cool little app but it has some problems. If you are familiar with PMB charts you will be frustrated that the PMB only goes to the point of the last report. It is not possible to enter all the future PV values to create a PMB to the end of the project. I tried entering just PV and was told "Enter all values." The vertical axis is sufficient to only show the maximum value of EV, PV, or AC. BAC is not shown. I am guessing it's only entered to compute the TCPI(BAC).

Also, with each "New Report" the data from the last report pre-populates the data fields. Thus each field must be selected and cleared to enter the correct data. The BAC is the only field that should be pre-populated.

The app does offer an "Export Data" to Bluetooth, Dropbox, Email, or Gmail. I did not try that feature.

Summary. It's cute and does compute the common analysis products for each reporting period. So if someone says "Quick, what is the TCPI(BAC) for my project, here's my data...." this app might help you out. But if the question is "What is my CPI?" , you should know the formula and just use your cell phone's calculator. The chart is pretty useless.

Sometimes free items are worth what you pay for them.

Next month: A review of "EVM Anywhere."

ISO 21500 is reported to have been released in final form. This ISO standard on PM is intended as an international standard.  There were 31 countries involved in this work. Dr. Jim Gordon, (United Kingdom) was the chairman of the group, the secretariat was hosted by USA ANSI (which adopted PMI PMBoK® Guide as national standard for project management in 1999).

Dr. Stanisław Gasik, Ph. D., compares ISO 21500 to the PMBOK. He was a contributor to the PMI Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) 3rd edition. He had the following observations in his ten page paper comparing the two standards.  

• There is one new subject in ISO 21500: "Stakeholders", which is a part of project communication management area in the PMBoK® Guide.
• There are 39 processes in ISO 21500 and 42 processes in PMBoK® Guide.
• 32 processes of ISO 21500 have direct equivalents in PMBoK® Guide
• 4 processes have been moved between subjects
• 4 pairs of PMBoK® Guide processes have been merged to 4 single processes in ISO 21500.
• 2 PMBoK® Guide processes have not been placed in ISO 21500.

Four new processes have been introduced to ISO 21500. They are:

* Collect Lessons Learned,

* Define Project Organization

* Control Resources,

* Manage Communication

Back to top

Is there anything new in EVM after 60 years of use? Apparently so. Here is a list of recent concepts being discussed in formal  research, presentations, and white papers from EVM World, EVM Europe, AACE's Annual Meeting and other sources. If your favorite is not listed I apologize.

• Unified theory of EVM and ES
• How an early start followed by being on-schedule condition can forecast slips
• How network topology effects EVM effectiveness
• The influence of an OTB (over target baseline) on CPI (cost performance index)
• Integral Earned Schedule
• Applying Technical Performance Measures to adjust EV appropriately
• Using a Rebaseline Index to trigger rebaselining
• Statistical forecasting of final CPI and SPI (schedule performance index)
• Baseline Execution Index and its relationship to SPI
• Using TCPI (to-complete performance index) to trigger rebaselining

Back to top