What Has Your Earned Value Software Done For You Lately?

Have you ever cursed your Earned Value management software for not easily giving you the data you want? Perhaps it does not provide certain reports, thus necessitating the use of additional software just to get the data out in a palatable format.  Or maybe you are always pushing the data into another software just so you can analyze the problems with this month’s performance. As sad as it sounds, it is rather common to use one software to generate data, and yet another to report or analyze it.  For example, raise your hand if your Earned Value software can generate ready-to-publish CPRs or IPMRs without using another software program or add-on.  It’s unlikely you raised your hand.  Now I want you to ask your EVM software, “What have you done for me lately?”  Perhaps when Eddie Murphy and Janet Jackson made those words famous, they weren't referring to EVM software.  However, it doesn't mean you can’t apply the concept to it!  

Why are we doing this to ourselves? Well, in simple terms, it’s because we haven’t had much choice.  EVM software typically comes with a few canned reports, and most are clunky when it comes to drilling down into your 
data or slicing and dicing it.  Sometimes a user must look at more than one screen in the software to put all the pieces together to find a problem.  Let’s be honest; drilling down and finding exactly the activity/resource that caused the funky variance should not require three monitors so you can find the problem.  It’s time consuming and costly—especially if you’re forced to trace the issue through multiple software programs.  Don’t forget to add in the headaches associated with buying added software, creating the interfaces, “massaging” the data to load it into the next software, oh, and the added manual steps that are just begging for a mistake!  This isn't exactly the automation dream you were looking for, is it?  

EV software is supposed to make your life easier, by highlighting areas of concern early enough to make positive changes for the project.  The valuable EV data within the system absolutely must be easy to access, otherwise one of two things can occur: you risk having a “surface level” EV solution that won’t be used for real analysis and control of the project.  Or, you may be spending too much time getting the data out of your EVM software for reporting and analyzing—which, let’s face it, is wasteful.  Your time would be better spent actually trying to correct the problems on the project, not fight with your EVM software.

Setting up your structure or data inputs with the end goal in mind can help make the canned reports more meaningful and useful.  But if you’re already underway and changing the inputs would be too difficult, then what recourse do you have?  You’re forced to change the outputs.  That usually means added software, whether it be wInsight, Empower, MS Excel, MS Access, or sometimes a combination of several software programs.  And don’t forget what happens when a new manager comes in and they want to see the data sliced in a different way.  Might as well attempt to pull a rabbit out of your hat.  So do your research and choose an EVM software that really can save you time and money while giving you the data you need.  Software that integrates cost and schedule can be pricey, so of course, being prudent that you’re getting the biggest bang for your buck only makes sense. A good EVM application will have ready-to-publish reporting capabilities with solid drill-down functions as standard features.   Limitations in any software is a given, but if you do your research, you CAN find an EV software that will generate the data in a format you can actually use, without forcing you to buy additional software.  

To aid you in your quest for better earned value management software, below are some things a serious earned value management system ought to be able to easily perform or address:

• Generating pre-formatted and ready to publish CPR/IPMRs, SPA and CPI/SPI graphs, cost element pie charts, Control Account Plans, dashboards, etc., at various levels in the WBS and filter to exclude overheads, G&A, etc.  You shouldn’t need another software program to generate the necessary reports.
• Drill-down capabilities, such as clicking on a control account and automatically drill-down into the work packages, control account plans, variances, or cost elements.
• Definable variance thresholds at any level of the WBS and automatic flagging when a threshold is exceeded, along with a screen to enter the variance analysis and corrective actions to produce your variance reports (CPR/IPMR Format 5).
• Generating pivot tables within the software, instead of having to export it to MS Excel or MS Access.
• Speaking of exporting, your EV software should be able to export data, easily.  Only one or two clicks should be needed to get the data out of the software.
• If you do need to push the data into another program, your EV software should at least have open integration with other software.  It should be capable of utilizing simple interfaces.

Is there anything else you would add to this list?  How do you feel about your EVM software? What do you WISH it could do?  Please share your input in the comments.

Our next post looks at avoiding the political storm caused by weak schedule variance analysis. 

- Melissa Duncan (About Melissa)

Read the previous posting Earned Value Exposed: Obtaining EVMS Compliance When Management Can't Even Spell EVM.  

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