Earned Value Project Monitoring

Earned Value Overview

Earned value management (EVM) is a project management technique for measuring project performance and progress in an objective manner. EVM has the ability to combine measurements of scope, schedule, and cost in a single integrated system. Earned Value Management is notable for its ability to provide accurate forecasts of project performance problems. Early EVM research showed that the areas of planning and control are significantly impacted by its use; and similarly, using the methodology improves both scope definition as well as the analysis of overall project performance. More recent research studies have shown that the principles of EVM are positive predictors of project success.

Project tracking with EVM

The project can use Function Points as means of quantifying the work completed. Industry figures, (ISBSG) indicate the % of total project budgeted effort that would be consumed to get a function point to a particular project stage.E.g. in order to complete the build phase for a function 78% of the budgeted project effort is typically consumed. I.e. 78% of the function point total should have been completed.

ISBSG publishes this data and SCOPE has set up a Template Numerical attributes for Earned value using these Percentages.

Worked example:

Total budgeted effort = 1000 hours (from your project plan)

Total project size = 100 fps (measured in SCOPE)

Project delivery rate = 10 hours / fp (calculated)

Current Project Status

• 50 fps in the project have finished Design phase = 35% *50 = 17.5 fps completed
• 50 fps in the project have finished Build phase = 78% *50 = 39 fps completed

Total FPs completed = 57 of the planned 100 only 57% completed

• Actual effort consumed to date is 900 hours or 90% of the budgeted effort

Effort consumed indicates that the project is 90% complete but the FP completed figure indicates 57% complete.

57 function points should have only consumed 570 hours.

Actual effort of 900 hours would predict 90 fps completed . Slippage = (900 - 570)= 330 hours. Project is 330 hours behind schedule or 36% slippage.

SCOPE reports the Function Points completed and the % completed of the total number of function points to be delivered. To determine the % slippage, use the SCOPE reported completed function points, project team effort consumed recorded in your time sheets, and the planned Project PDR .

SCOPE enables you to regularly report your project status using the Earned Value method. Set up the "Earned Value Effort (FPs Completed of Total FPs to be delivered) " Numerical Attribute category and follow instructions below for assigning the relevant status attributes and reporting Earned Value project status.

Customising Earned Value Attributes

NOTE: If you want to customise the Earned Value Category and names and values for the Attributes, then make your changes and SCOPE Reporting will dynamically accept all changes. To transfer your 'customised' Earned Value Numerical Category to other counts either:

• 'cut and paste' the branch
• under Options - set up a standard Numerical Attribute Template which can be reused for all your counts and will become part of the standard available template set.

Assigning Earned Value Status

1. Select the Count Session you want to report. If you want to report for the whole Release and all its count Sessions. Select "No Session" in the Count Session drop down list at the bottom of the screen. Click the Calculate FP Size online reporting to "Release Reworked"
2. Position your cursor at the top of the Attribute Tree on the LHS screen. Right click and select "Insert Template Category". From the Select Template drop down list select "Earned Value Effort (FPs Completed of Total FPs to be delivered) "
3. SCOPE will load this Attributes representing project stage and the budgeted effort (Not Started, Planning, Analysis, Design, Build , Test, Implemented) and the % budgeted effort Value= 0% to 100% for that Stage. E.g. Testing Completed :Value =94%)
4. Position your cursor at the top of the flag) all processes that are impacted by this Release for all Counts.
5. Link the relevant Stage Completed Attribute to each impacted process based on its current status. E.g.link the Build Completed Attribute to all processes that have completed coding and unit testing. Continue until all processes and data impacted for the Release have a link to a Stage completed.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the Data Tree.
7. SCOPE will multiply the function points for the Processes and the Databy Budgeted Effort to calculate and report the number of actually completed Function Points. The number of function points that should have been delivered at this point in timeis the Effort actually consumed divided by the Productivity rate (hours/fp)
8. Locate your cursor on the top of the Function Tree/Data Tree to View the number of actually completed Function Points for both Processes and Data separately on the screen or run the Numerical Attribute - FP Size Report (Select - then Attribute FP Size Profiles) to combine both transaction and data results.
9. Example report below: Check the report has "100%" linked FPs (circled value below). This is indicating that 100% of all the impacted process and data groups within the Release have Status completed attribute assigned to them.The linked processes and data groups have 89 IFPUG function points attributed to them and of these 62 fps have been completed or 70% of functionality is completed. The project is on track if 70% or less of the planned effort for the project has been consumed.