November 2010

The EVM Newsletter™
from Management Technologies
In This Issue
FAI Approves EVM Workshops
Free On-Line Presentation on EVM in Civil Agencies
Is Gov't Driving Bad EVMS?
Where Did the Unpriced Work Funds GO?
EVM Jobs
Update to the EVM Practice Standard
CPM moves toward PMI COP

Management Technologies
Services 
 
> EVM Training & Workshops

> EVMS Process Engineering 

>Third Party EVMS Certification

 

>EVP Exam Prep Workshops and Study Guide
 

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2011 EVP Exam Dates
exam
Listed below are the exam date, the deadline for discounted applications, and the final date for applications.  Exams are generally held nationwide (US) and selected international locations. 
Check future newsletters for other 2011 dates as they are announced. 

5 March 2011
Early discount: 19 Dec
Deadline: 3 Jan

10 March 2011
Early discount: 19 Dec
Deadline: 3 Jan

26 March 2011
Early discount: 10 Jan
Deadline: 25 Jan

18 June 2011
Early discount: 20 March
Deadline: 4 April
(Anaheim, CA)

7 July 2011 (Saudia Arabia)
Early discount: 26 April
Deadline: 10 May 


Always check with AACE
 for revised dates and application information

 

 


Quotable Quote

quill


"You humans.... Sometimes it's hard to imagine how you've made it this far.",
Prot - visitor from planet 
K-PAX.


FAI Approves Management Technologies' EVM Workshops for Entry and Expert Certification

The Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI)
has reviewed and approved Management Technologies' EVM workshops as part of their Program and Project Management certification program.  The Earned Value Experience is part of their entry/apprentice level certification, and the EVPrep Exam Prep Workshop is part of their senior/expert level certification.



 

Free One Hour Webinar on EVM and Contracting
A free one hour presentation on EVM basics and how to include EVM in agency contracts is available. Originally conducted Government Educator, it's now available to everyone, no registration or login, just view it!  

The Earned Value Management Maturity Model(R)
on
Books 24 x 7 
The Earned Value Management Maturity Model book is now available from Books 24x7, as well as from Management Concepts.

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Stuck in the 80's 
When I first read "Augustines Law's" it was in the mid 80's. I was entering project management at Hughes Aircraft. I found the book a fascinating work on the challenges and craziness of trying to field warfighting equipment. I am reading it again, with the perspective of 30 years, and sadly little has changed.  It's 45 "laws" are sadly true today. He introduces the his "laws" as we track the trials of a aircraft development from proposal through ....?

Law V:
"One tenth of the participants produce over one-third of output. Increasing the number of participants merely reduces the average output." 

   

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TopmeGreetings..
Welcome to the November EVM Newsletter.  

You may notice some changes in The EVM Newsletter fonts and colors. Hope you like it. I received comments that some sections were difficult to read.

The Integrated Program Management Conference (IPMC) just ended last week. Over 650 people attended and it provided some newsworthy news about the revised PMI EVM Practice Standard, PMI CPM's movement into the PMI Virtual Community, and challenges faced by contractors in following their approved EVMS.

EVM in civilian agency contracting was the subject of a one hour Webinar on October 5 from Government Educator titled "Improving Project Management: Streamline your Projects, Cut Risks & Errors" (OK, not the best title.) A link to that free webinar is in the left panel.
  
EVM Tidbit #15 discusses the often confusing term Unpriced Work, otherwise known as Authorized Unpriced Work (AUW).  Where do these funds go?

A new job opening is posted, and updates to the conference calendar appear below. 

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
Report on the IPMC (Conference) 

Over 650 people attended the Integrated Program Management Conference (IPMC) that is jointly produced by SCEA, PMI-CPM, and NDIA. Six workshops on emerging EVM issues, thirty-six training sessions, thirty-six practice symposiums, and ten tools tracks filled the two and a half day event. An exhibit center provided a place for attendees to meet vendors and see the latest in their products and services.

 

Gene Dodaro, Acting Comptroller General of the US and nominated by President Obama to serve as Comptroller General addressed the attendees and a General Session. He outlined eight trends, below, that impact the future of the US and its place in the world. GAO will be addressing these in its Strategic Plan 2010-2015.

         Security Threats

         Fiscal Sustainability

         Economic Recovery and Growth

         Global Interdependence

         Science and Technology

         Network and Visualization

         Shifting Roles of Government

         Demographic and Societal Changes

 
Is the Government Driving Bad Behavior? 

This was the topic of a well attended IPMC workshop. A recentscolding study found "more examples of contractors being forced {by the government} to do things that are non-compliant or against their own {EVMS} system."

 

Some examples include:

         Contractor not being permitting to do internal replanning

         Control Account underruns being placing in UB for new tasks

         Required agency approval to use MR

         PMB being used as a spend plan

         Requiring reporting at the CA level beyond contract requirements

 

The good news is that DCMA is aware of government impediments to contractors' ability to follow ANSI 748 and their approved System. On 26 Aug 2010 Dave Kester, DCMA's EVM Center Director said, "In almost every case of contractors EVMS non compliance, the government program office is implicated."

 
Pack_RatsEVM Tidbit #15
Where did the funds for Unpriced Work go?

Authorized Unpriced Work (AUW) is a common area ofmoney confusion. It appears as a field in CPR Format 1 (5.c) and Format 3 (5.d). ANSI 748 calls it Undefinitized Work - "Authorized work for which a firm contract value has not been negotiated or otherwise determined." It is part of the Program Target Cost or "cost objective based on the negotiated contract target cost, or the management goal value of the authorized work, plus the estimated cost of authorized unpriced work."

 

So where does the value of AUW appear as funds? Undistributed Budget? CAM's Control Account Plans? Planning Packages? Summary Level Planning Packages? Management Reserve?

 

The not so definitive answer about Undefinitized Work is "any or all of the above."  While we might not know the exact value (cost) of the new work, we might need to get it underway to avoid cost and risk later. So AUW funds might go toward CAM Work Authorization budgets and plans. But some might go toward MR for risks associated with the new scope. If the new scope is downstream work it might be found in Planning Packages, Summary Level Planning Packages, or Undistributed Budget. So the answer is AUW funds can be found anyplace we find "priced" funds. We just want to see AUW negotiated ASAP so we all are clear on what the new scope really should cost.

 
Workshops 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, 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 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.

Upcoming EVM and PM Conferences 
     
EVA Europe 2010
WHEN:24-25 November 2010
WHERE: Belgium
 
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: 18-20 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
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

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EVM Jobs 

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 [email protected].
 
 
  EVM Practice Standard- Update on the Update

The 2nd Edition of the Practice Standard for EVM is abEVM PS out to be released for public comment. A team of 12 has been working through 2010 lead by J. Greg Smith. It's now out for SME review by an international team of experts and authors in EVM. Once that is complete the resulting version will be released by PMI as a public exposure draft. Look for this announcement in early 2011. This is your opportunity to make your thoughts and comments to the Practice Standard team. Each comment will be reviewed and the reviewer provided a response.

 

According to research ("Earned Value Management, A Global and Cross-Industry Perspective on Current EVM Practice") the PMI EVM PS is the most commonly used EVM standard throughout the world so your inputs are valuable. (Yes, it beats out ANSI 748.) The new Standard addresses EVM process engineering within the context of the PMI PMBOK Process Groups. If all goes according to plan the EVM community will have a new and much improved Practice Standard by fall of 2011.

  
PMI CPM Moves Toward PMI EVM COP 
 

Members of PMI College of Performance Management (CPM) have known for several years that PMI's Virtual Community Project (VCP) would encompass CPM unless CPM separated from PMI. After much discussion the CPM Governing Board recommended, and the members agreed, to remain with PMI. At the IPMC the CPM members present and others by proxy vote agreed to transfer the financial assets of CPM to PMI as part of the transition process. PMI will stand-up the Earned Value Management Community of Practice (EVM COP) on 1 January 2011. All current CPM members will be carried forward into the COP. Beginning next year individuals wishing to join the EVM COP (and any or all other COPs) will have to pay just one additional fee on top of PMI basic membership. CPM will no longer accept members after 31 Dec 2010 and will disincorporate after all current memberships have expired.

 

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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

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�)