Raytheon NCS, a business segment at Raytheon, spearheaded a project to define a flexible, scalable scheduling environment supporting Enterprise Project Management (EPM) which would provided a framework supporting Raytheon NCS’ need to manage programs of varied size and complexity.  The primary challenges they faced included:

        · Complex Security Roles

· ITAR Compliance

· Data separation

· Ease of Use

· Flexible reporting capabilities, in various formats

· Geographically dispersed user base

· Interfaces to other industry standard COTS scheduling applications

· Management Controls

Raytheon utilized Microsoft Project 2003 for most of its scheduling tasks. Many in-house processes were built around Microsoft Project 2003 and implemented company wide. In general, a resource loaded, fully constrained, time-phased schedule was used to assist the program management team and finance to accurately track and report EVMS.   Raytheon NCS decided to deploy Microsoft Project Server 2007 for large, complex programs.  These programs would reside in the Electronic Collaborative Environment (ECE) which adheres to strict International Traffic in Arms Requirements (ITAR) and Import Export Security regulations.

The iEPM Solution, based on Microsoft Office Project Server 2007 allowed NCS to gain visibility, insight, and control of  its portfolio of programs, as well as assisted NCS with improving productivity, reducing cycle times, decreasing costs, and increasing quality.  This solution provided an infrastructure that strengthens collaboration and accountability among all levels of the organization.

Solution Highlights include:

• Empowered managers and project teams to make timely, informed decisions by giving them Web-based access to real-time business-critical schedule data.
• Enhanced the interface between Planners and Financial Analysts to enable a cohesive team with standardized reports and processes.
• Collaborated and managed on large complex programs across organizations using one master schedule.
• Increased participation in the project management process by enabling Control Account Managers (CAMs) to easily manage, track, and report on their project activities through familiar tools, like the Web and e-mail.
• Helped in gaining higher quality and efficiency by jointly developing and organizing a standard schedule repository with embedded process and procedures.
• Controlled sensitive data by implementing multiple security based roles 

Raytheon NCS gained the advancement of project and schedule management processes and toolsets that improved controlled, enhanced visibility into project performance, and improved resource management across the organization. Some of the key business drivers for the iEPM solution were based on providing continuous improvement for overall program performance, increasing business opportunity, cost/benefit savings and scalability.

In order to achieve a goal a plan has to be established.  The IMS’s first function is to perform as the Projects Roadmap, showing the start and finish of the project and the critical steps/milestones to achieve success. 

The second function that the IMS provides is a Universal Communication tool in which all parties involved understand responsibilities, expectations, goals, current issues, and contingency plans to future events.

The common thread in the first and second functions is the details and the ability for oversight in the IMS.  The IMS flows directly from the Integrated Master Plan (IMP) and supplements it with additional levels of detail. It incorporates all of the IMP’s events, accomplishments, and criteria; to these activities it adds the detailed tasks along with their duration and its relationships with other tasks. This network of integrated tasks, when tied to the start date (for example, contract award), creates the task and calendar-based schedule that is the IMS. The IMS should be defined to the level of detail necessary for day-to-day execution of the program/project.

Centralize the IMS to provide portfolio level visibility of program health across the organization.

·         Seamless cross project linking

·         Standardize schedule management processes leveraging enterprise templates with standard WBS structure and attributes.

·         Generate and display standard schedule metrics

·         Secure environment with role based security allowing for control over baseline data and integrity of the IMS.

While most managers and executives embrace the idea of an Integrated Master Schedule, the full magnitude of its effect on profitability isn’t truly understood.  As identified above the IMS is multifunctional and is not only critical to the projects’ success but the organizations Return on Investment (ROI). 

Awards were presented in a number of categories, with winners chosen from a pool of more than 2,000 entrants worldwide. LMR Solutions was recognized for superior technology and innovation in Information Worker Solutions, Enterprise Project Management. The Information Worker Solutions, Enterprise Project Management Partner of the Year award recognizes exceptional partners that have excelled in offering breakthrough Microsoft Office system solutions. The winning partner’s technology and marketing offerings have increased its customers’ employee productivity and assisted them in connecting with their business partners and customers. The winning partner’s innovative thinking has helped to solve a technical challenge or helped to address its customers’ business needs and empower their people, and has had a unique and positive impact on customers’ business pain points.

We recognize that every organization has projects and each team has unique requirements.  Not all project management tools are a “One size fits all”. Using EPM Workgroup it allows project stakeholders across all levels of the organization to easily get involved and deploy the solution that best fits their needs. From team members, to project managers, project leads and strategic decision makers; EPM Workgroup is designed to meet the needs of project teams and organizations of any size.

Whether you need a straightforward SharePoint EPM Workgroup to bring all your project related information together, or you need to standardized on an Enterprise Project Management solution using Microsoft Office Project Server 2007,  we have the right solution for you.

For more information please contact info@lmrsolutions.com or visit www.lmrsolutions.com

3 Steps to Project Management Success:

1. Plan
   Effective Project Managers start with a roadmap that defines the processes that will accomplish a goal. Microsoft Office Project 2007 is the world’s leading tool to plan and manage the complex interrelationships of people, action items and due dates that need to come together to achieve project success. Projects happen amid real world change and uncertainty, so EPM Workgroup facilitates continued planning and re-planning based on project information throughout the lifecycle of a project.
2. Communicate
   Effective Project Managers share the project plan so that team members understand their responsibilities and roles in a project. They save time and improve coordination using professional tools that assign and update the status of specific action items and deadlines. Efficient teams organize project documents centrally so that the most current documents are accessible to team members who need them. EPM Workgroup extends the capability of Microsoft Office Project 2007 bringing streamlined, real-time communication updates to and from project managers and team members alike.
3. Track and Analyze
   Plans require more than just static one-time communication. During the project implementation unforeseen constraints, changes to resources or shifts in priorities make project managers adjust the plan to keep it on course. To be effective, the status and details of the plan are continually reviewed, sensibly adjusted and quickly re-communicated to the team. EPM Workgroup’s efficient communication methods enable Project Managers to make decisions based on the actual progress of the project and effectively control the interdependencies of people, tasks, and workflows.This cycle of Planning, Communicating, Tracking and Analyzing keeps the team focused on the critical path and drives project success through effective online collaboration. The methodology is simple and straightforward, and EPM Workgroup delivers the tools to make it work for your teams.

What is earned value analysis?

At the root of earned value analysis are three fundamental values calculated for each task (task: An activity that has a beginning and an end. Project plans are made up of tasks.):

• The budgeted cost of tasks as scheduled in the project plan, based on the costs of resources (resources: The people, equipment, and material that are used to complete tasks in a project.) assigned to those tasks, plus any fixed costs (fixed cost: A set cost for a task that remains constant regardless of the task duration or the work performed by a resource.) associated with the tasks. Called “the budgeted cost of work scheduled,” BCWS (BCWS: The earned value field that shows how much of the budget should have been spent, in view of the baseline cost of the task, assignment, or resource. BCWS is calculated as the cumulative timephased baseline costs up to the status date or today’s date.) is the baseline cost (baseline cost: The original project, resource, and assignment cost as shown in the baseline plan. The baseline cost is a snapshot of the cost at the time when the baseline plan was saved.) up to the status date (status date: A date that you set [rather than the current date] for reporting the time, cost, or performance condition of a project.) you choose. For example, the total planned budget for a 4-day task is $100 and it starts on a Monday. If the status date is set to the following Wednesday, the BCWS is $75.
• The actual cost (actual cost: The cost that has actually been incurred to date for a task, resource, or assignment. For example, if the only resource assigned to a task gets paid $20 per hour and has worked for two hours, the actual cost to date for the task is $40.) required to complete all or some portion of the tasks, up to the status date. This is the actual cost of work (work: For tasks, the total labor required to complete a task. For assignments, the amount of work to which a resource is assigned. For resources, the total amount of work to which a resource is assigned for all tasks. Work is different from task duration.) performed (ACWP). For example, if the 4-day task actually incurs a total cost of $35 during each of the first 2 days, the ACWP for this period is $70 (but the BCWS is still $75).
• The value of the work performed by the status date, measured in currency. This is literally the value earned by the work performed and is called the budgeted cost of work performed (BCWP). For example, if after 2 days 60% percent of the work on a task has been completed, you might expect to have spent 60 percent of the total task budget, or $60.

With me, so far? Let’s go on.Earned value analysis is always specific to a status date you choose. You may select the current date, a date in the past, or a date in the future. Most of the time, you’ll set the status date to the date you last updated project progress. For example, if the current day is Tuesday, 9/12, but the project was last updated with progress on Friday, 9/8, you’d set the status date to Friday, 9/8.Here is one example of how to analyze project performance with earned value analysis. Let’s say a task has a budgeted cost (BCWS) of $100, and by the status date it is 40 percent complete. The earned value (BCWP) is $40, but the scheduled value (BCWS) at the status date is $50. This tells you that the task is behind schedule—less value has been earned than was planned. Let’s also say that the task’s actual cost (ACWP) at the status date is $60, perhaps because a more expensive resource was assigned to the task. This tells you that the task is also over budget—more cost has been incurred than was planned. You can see how powerful such an analysis can be. The earlier in a project’s life cycle you identify such discrepancies between ACWP, BCWP and BCWS, the sooner you can take steps to remedy the problem.One common way of visualizing the key values of earned value analysis is to use a chart. Start with a simple chart showing a steady accumulation of cost over the lifetime of a project:The vertical y-axis shows the projected cumulative cost for a project.The horizontal x-axis shows time.The planned budget for this project shows a steady expenditure over the lifetime of the project. This line represents the cumulative baseline cost.After work on the project has begun, a chart of the key values of earned value analysis may look like this:The status date determines the values Project calculates.The actual cost (ACWP) of this project has exceeded the budgeted cost.The earned value (BCWP) reflects the true value of the work performed. In this case, the value of the work performed is less than the amount spent to perform that work.

What else does earned value measure?

In addition to measuring BCWS, ACWP, and BCWP, earned value analysis measures:

• Cost variance (CV) (CV: The difference between the budgeted cost of work performed [BCWP] on a task and the actual cost of work performed [ACWP]. If the CV is positive, the cost is currently under the budgeted amount; if the CV is negative, the task is currently over budget.)—the difference between a task’s estimated cost and its actual cost (the formula CV = BCWP – ACWP). Take our earlier example where the total planned budget for a 4-day task is $100 and it starts on a Monday. When the status date is set to the following Wednesday, the BCWS is $75, the ACWP for this period is $70, and the BCWP is $60. In that case, the task’s CV is -$10.
• Schedule variance (SV) (SV: The difference between the budgeted cost of work performed [BCWP] and the budgeted cost of work scheduled [BCWS]. This is calculated as follows: SV = Budgeted Cost of Work Performed – Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled.)—the difference between the current progress and the scheduled progress of a task, in terms of cost (the formula SV = BCWP – BCWS). In the example above, the task’s SV is -$15.
• The cost performance index (CPI) (CPI: Ratio of budgeted costs of work performed to actual costs of work performed [BCWP/ACWP]. The cumulative CPI [sum of the BCWP for all tasks divided by the sum of the ACWP for all tasks] can be used to predict whether a project will go over budget.)—the ratio of budgeted costs to actual costs (the formula CPI = BCWP / ACWP). In the example above, the task’s CPI is about .86, or 86 percent.
• The schedule performance index (SPI) (SPI: The ratio of the budgeted cost of work performed [BCWP] to the budgeted cost of work scheduled (BCWS), which is often used to estimate the project completion date. This is calculated as follows: SPI = BCWP/BCWS.)—the ratio of work performed to work scheduled (the formula SPI = BCWP / BCWS). In the example above, the task’s SPI is .80, or 80 percent.
• The to complete performance index (TCPI) (TCPI: The ratio of the work remaining to be done to funds remaining to be spent, as of the status date [BAC - BCWP]/[BAC - ACWP]. A TCPI value greater than one indicates a need for increased performance; less than one indicates performance can decrease.)—the ratio of the work remaining to be done to funds remaining to be spent as of the status date, or budget at completion (the formula TCPI = [BAC - BCWP] / [BAC - ACWP]).

How do I interpret earned value?

Earned value indicators that are variances or ratios can help you determine if there is enough money left in the budget and if the project will finish on time.Variances (variance: The difference between baseline and scheduled task or resource information, they usually occur when you set a baseline plan and begin entering actual information into your schedule. Variances can occur in work, costs, and schedule.), such as a cost variance (CV), can be either positive or negative:

• A positive variance indicates that the project is ahead of schedule or under budget. Positive variances might enable you to reallocate money and resources from tasks or projects with positive variances to tasks or projects with negative variances.

• A negative variance indicates that the project is behind schedule or over budget and you need to take action. If a task or project has a negative CV, you might have to increase your budget or accept reduced profit margins.

Ratios, such as the cost performance index (CPI) and the schedule performance index (SPI), can be greater than 1 or less than 1:

• A value that’s greater than 1 indicates that the project is ahead of schedule or under budget.

• A value that’s less than 1 indicates that you’re behind schedule or over budget. For example, an SPI of 1.5 means that you’ve taken only 67 percent of the planned time to complete a portion of a task in a given time period, and a CPI of 0.8 means that you’ve spent 25 percent more time on a task than was planned.

How does % complete versus physical % complete affect earned value?

You can specify whether Project should use each task’s percent complete (percent complete: A field that you use to enter or display how much of a task has been completed. This value is expressed as the percentage of the task duration that has been completed.) value or physical percent complete value for earned value calculations related to BCWP. (Remember, other values are calculated from BCWP, so your decision affects the entire earned value analysis.)

• Percent complete may be calculated by Project or entered directly by you, depending on how you track actual work.

• Physical percent complete is always entered directly by you. Use physical percent complete when percent complete would not be an accurate measure of real work performed or remaining.

Here’s a simple example of how the two values may differ: a project of building a stone wall that consists of 100 stones stacked 5 high. The first row of 20 stones can be laid in 20 minutes, but the second row would take 25 minutes because you have to lift the stones up one row higher, so it takes a little longer. The third row would take 30 minutes, the fourth 35 minutes, and the last row would take 40 minutes to lay—150 minutes total. After laying the first three rows, the project could be said to be 60 percent physically complete (you laid 60 of 100 stones). However, you only spent 75 of 150 minutes; so in terms of duration, the job is only 50 percent complete.Depending on how you get paid for the work—how the value is earned (by the stone or by the hour)—you may choose the percent complete value or the physical percent complete value to properly reflect this in the earned value analysis.

Which earned value quantities can I show or calculate in Project?

With Project, you can show:

• Actual cost of work performed (ACWP) (ACWP: Shows actual costs incurred for work already performed by a resource on a task, up to the project status date or today’s date.) shows actual costs incurred for work already performed by a resource on a task, up to the project status date or today’s date. Normally Project correlates actual costs with actual work. Only if you enter actual costs independent of actual work or change resource pay rates (pay rate: Resource cost per hour. Project includes two types of pay rates: standard rates and overtime rates.) will actual cost be out of step with scheduled cost.
• Budget at completion (BAC) (BAC: An estimate of the total project cost.) shows an estimate of the total project cost.
• Budgeted cost of work performed (BCWP) (BCWP: The earned value field that indicates how much of the task’s budget should have been spent, given the actual duration of the task. Note that Project calculates BCWP at the task level differently than at the assignment level.) shows how much of the budget should have been spent given the actual duration of the task. BCWP is also referred to as “earned value.” Note that Project calculates BCWP at the task level differently than it does at the assignment level. For best results, use the task-level BCWP values, which are the values Project rolls up to summary task (summary task: A task that is made up of subtasks and summarizes those subtasks. Use outlining to create summary tasks. Project automatically determines summary task information [such as duration and cost] by using information from the subtasks.) and the project summary task (project summary task: A task that summarizes the duration, work, and costs of all tasks in a project. The project summary task appears at the top of the project, its ID number is 0, and it presents the project’s timeline from start to finish.) BCWP values. This value is calculated for each individual task but analyzed at an aggregate level (typically at the project level).
• Budgeted cost of work scheduled (BCWS) (BCWS: The earned value field that shows how much of the budget should have been spent, in view of the baseline cost of the task, assignment, or resource. BCWS is calculated as the cumulative timephased baseline costs up to the status date or today’s date.) shows how much of the budget should have been spent in view of the baseline cost of the task, assignment, or resource. BCWS is calculated as the cumulative timephased baseline costs up to the status date or today’s date. (Budgeted cost values are stored in the baseline fields, or if you’ve saved multiple baselines, in fields Baseline1 through Baseline10.)
• Cost variance (CV) (CV: The difference between the budgeted cost of work performed [BCWP] on a task and the actual cost of work performed [ACWP]. If the CV is positive, the cost is currently under the budgeted amount; if the CV is negative, the task is currently over budget.) shows the difference between the budgeted cost of work performed (BCWP) on a task and its actual cost (actual cost of work performed or ACWP). If the CV is positive, the cost is currently under the budgeted (or baseline) amount; if the CV is negative, the task is currently over budget.
• Schedule variance (SV) (SV: The difference between the budgeted cost of work performed [BCWP] and the budgeted cost of work scheduled [BCWS]. This is calculated as follows: SV = Budgeted Cost of Work Performed – Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled.) shows the difference between the budgeted cost of work performed (BCWP) and the budgeted cost of work scheduled (BCWS). If the SV is positive, the project is ahead of schedule in cost terms; if the SV is negative, the project is behind schedule in cost terms.
• Variance at completion (VAC) (VAC: The earned value field that shows the difference between the budget at completion [BAC] and the estimate at completion [EAC]. In Project, the EAC is the Total Cost field, and the BAC is the Baseline Cost field.) shows the difference between the budget at completion (BAC) and the estimate at completion (EAC). In Project, the EAC is the Total Cost field and the BAC is the Baseline Cost field from the associated baseline.
• Cost performance index (CPI) (CPI: Ratio of budgeted costs of work performed to actual costs of work performed [BCWP/ACWP]. The cumulative CPI [sum of the BCWP for all tasks divided by the sum of the ACWP for all tasks] can be used to predict whether a project will go over budget.) is the ratio of budgeted, or baseline, costs of work performed to actual costs of work performed (BCWP/ACWP).
• Cumulative cost performance index (CPI) (CPI: In earned value, the sum of all the budgeted costs of work performed [BCWP] for all tasks divided by the sum of all the actual costs of work performed [ACWP]. CPI is often used to predict whether a project will go over budget, and by how much.) is the sum of the BCWP for all tasks divided by the sum of the actual costs of work performed (ACWP) for all tasks. Cumulative CPI is often used to predict whether a project will go over budget and by how much.
• Schedule performance index (SPI) (SPI: The ratio of the budgeted cost of work performed [BCWP] to the budgeted cost of work scheduled (BCWS), which is often used to estimate the project completion date. This is calculated as follows: SPI = BCWP/BCWS.) is the ratio of work performed to work scheduled (BCWP/BCWS). SPI is often used to estimate the project completion date.
• Estimate at completion (EAC) (EAC: The expected total cost of a task or project, based on performance as of the status date. EAC is calculated as follows: EAC = ACWP + (BAC-BCWP)/CPI.) is the expected total cost of a task or project, based on performance as of the status date. EAC is also called forecast at completion, and is calculated like this: EAC = ACWP + (BAC – BCWP) / CPI.
• To complete performance index (TCPI) (TCPI: The ratio of the work remaining to be done to funds remaining to be spent, as of the status date [BAC - BCWP]/[BAC - ACWP]. A TCPI value greater than one indicates a need for increased performance; less than one indicates performance can decrease.) is the ratio of remaining available budget to be spent to the remaining scheduled cost as of the status date. TCPI is calculated like this: TCPI = (BAC – BCWP) / (BAC – ACWP). A TCPI value greater than 1 indicates good projected performance for remaining work; less than 1 indicates poor projected performance.

Where in Project do I see earned value data?

You can see earned value information in any sheet view by applying the Earned Value table or the Earned Value Cost Indicators table.

• The Earned Value table shows you BCWS, BCWP, ACWP, SV, CV, EAC, BAC, and VAC. Use this table to see consolidated earned value information, including the key variance fields. Use EAC, BAC, and VAC to evaluate the difference between your scheduled and budgeted costs. Compare CV, which shows the difference between your budgeted and actual cost of work, with SV, which shows the difference between the budgeted cost of work and the actual cost of work.
• The Earned Value Cost Indicators table shows you BCWS, BCWP, CV, CV%, CPI, BAC, EAC, VAC, and TCPI. Use this table to analyze cost variances. Check the CPI and TCPI to see how the project is progressing against its budget and how the rate of work compares with the expected rate. If CPI is less than 1, you are getting less work per dollar than planned. The TCPI tells you how much of an increase in performance you’ll need on the remaining tasks in order to keep within budget.

Microsoft’s EPM solution

Microsoft’s Enterprise Project Management (EPM) solution helps align work and people with business priorities to effectively manage work—from ad-hoc projects to complex programs. The latest release of the Microsoft EPM solution includes significant enhancements:

• Integrates new tools to help you optimize your portfolio
• Introduces Project features that improve usability
• Leverages the powerful collaboration and workflow capabilities of the Microsoft SharePoint^® platform 

In addition, Microsoft continues to promote best practices and guidance to help clients apply these technologies to meet diverse program needs and drive business value. The Microsoft EPM solution has been deployed to meet the goals and objectives of a wide variety of applications, programs, and organizations. In some cases, EPM deployments do not meet expectations—typically due to core technology and business process issues common to all EPM deployments. An EPM Health Check allows you to diagnose these issues, apply best practices, and begin achieving maximum value out of your EPM application. 

What is the EPM Health Check?

To help your organization diagnose and remediate its EPM deployment, Microsoft and LMR Solutions have developed the EPM Health Check. This program provides consultation from LMR Solutions Microsoft EPM specialists who have deep EPM expertise that work with you to:

• Analyze your current EPM deployment from business process and technology perspectives
  using a proven data-gathering and analysis methodology
• Use materials designed to prescriptively diagnose the root causes of EPM issues
• Compile a roadmap of recommendations to optimize your EPM deployment to meet your organization’s goals.

 The EPM Health Check takes approximately one week (1-2 days onsite), during which the EPM consultant will:

• Conduct interviews with key stakeholders
• Gather supporting data
• Analyze the interviews and supporting data
• Compile findings and recommendations
• Allow initial review and incorporation of feedback
• Present findings and recommendations The EPM Health Check produces the following deliverables:
  • Final presentation highlighting key findings, uncovered/potential root causes, prioritized recommendations, total cost of ownership and a tailored roadmap for optimizing the value received from your EPM application.

Download the EPM Health Check document and learn more about this valuable workshop.

Next Steps

Contact Tina Ognall at tognall@lmrsolutions.com or info@lmrsolutions.com to set up your EPM Health Check Workshop today. 

Don’t miss out! Register today as seats are limited to the first 50 people and will fill quickly; reserve your spot today!

OMB put forward EVM requirements three years ago and finalized acquisition regulations for their use in mid-2006 (almost a year after the deadline requiring that agencies apply EVM to IT projects).  A chief issue for many agencies is integration, says Rob Spanswick, a Microsoft solutions manager.  Because agencies began applying EVM on a case-by-case basis when OMB’s mandate first took effect, the result for many has been a hodgepodge of systems rather than an enterprise EVM approach, he says.“As agencies start to become more experienced in their use of EVM,” Spanswick says, “you’re starting to see them consolidate around one or two standard systems. This makes their systems more consistent and lets them automate transmission of their earned-value data into various reports, such as their Exhibit 300 business case submissions to OMB.”  Among the chief challenges is gathering the cost, scheduling and performance data to measure earned value. The EVM process can be extremely complex because information often must be gathered from many programs, applications and systems, and then synthesized.   In theory, the data collection process can be done using existing systems, but in reality, gathering and preparing information from systems not originally designed to produce EVM data can be time consuming and confusing, McClure says. “The strength of these EVM software packages is they establish standardized terminology, standardized calculations and standardized data collection.”  But simply forking over cash for software isn’t going to lead to project nirvana. Agencies must also establish procedures and controls to monitor a project and keep it on track, Microsoft’s Spanswick says.  EVM requires an up-front investment: People must be trained, processes put in place, EVM tools developed or purchased, and data collected and analyzed. But Richey contends the benefits are worth expending resources on.

As of the second quarter of fiscal 2007, only 13 of the 26 major agencies had fully implemented the provisions of the 2004 memo.  Gartner attributes slow adoption to the fact that many agencies started from scratch. Some large agencies had experience with EVM, but most small agencies had none, says David McClure, vice president for government research at Gartner. “To some degree, civilian agencies have been playing a catch-up game to understand what EVM is and to get their project managers trained in using it.”

Full article:  http://www.fedtechmagazine.com/article.asp?item_id=351&sv=related

Source: http://www.fedtechmagazine.com