Comments on: Earned Value in a Nutshell http://www.agilekiwi.com/earnedvalue/earned-value-in-a-nutshell/ The neglected essentials of software development Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:28:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Apples and Oranges http://www.agilekiwi.com/earnedvalue/earned-value-in-a-nutshell/comment-page-1/#comment-377 Apples and Oranges Fri, 20 May 2011 02:31:34 +0000 http://www.agilekiwi.com/?p=268#comment-377 [...] Value teaches us that the only valid measure is to compare actual cost with actual progress.   This may seem a bit like “comparing [...] [...] Value teaches us that the only valid measure is to compare actual cost with actual progress.   This may seem a bit like “comparing [...]

]]> By: John Rusk http://www.agilekiwi.com/earnedvalue/earned-value-in-a-nutshell/comment-page-1/#comment-299 John Rusk Mon, 29 Nov 2010 07:39:34 +0000 http://www.agilekiwi.com/?p=268#comment-299 Vadali, No, Earned Value does not give cost variance ("are we on budget?") and progress variance ("are we on time?") in a _single_ number. Instead, there are two numbers, one for cost variance and one for schedule variance. My "rule 1" above is really about cost variance. I focussed on cost variance on this page beause that is where Earned Value most out-performs the alternatives. You can find more details on cost and schedule variance in my encylopedia article, which should be on sale here shortly: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a929423176~frm=titlelink (Currently, online purchase is disabled, but they tell me that is just a temporary problem). Vadali,

No, Earned Value does not give cost variance (“are we on budget?”) and progress variance (“are we on time?”) in a _single_ number. Instead, there are two numbers, one for cost variance and one for schedule variance.

My “rule 1″ above is really about cost variance. I focussed on cost variance on this page beause that is where Earned Value most out-performs the alternatives.

You can find more details on cost and schedule variance in my encylopedia article, which should be on sale here shortly: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a929423176~frm=titlelink (Currently, online purchase is disabled, but they tell me that is just a temporary problem).

]]> By: Vadali http://www.agilekiwi.com/earnedvalue/earned-value-in-a-nutshell/comment-page-1/#comment-298 Vadali Sat, 27 Nov 2010 20:35:16 +0000 http://www.agilekiwi.com/?p=268#comment-298 Hi John, Your article gave me good input to start understanding EVM. I want to know is Earned value in single unique number which projects cost variance as well as progress variance.Pl elaborate. vadali Hi John,
Your article gave me good input to start understanding EVM. I want to know is Earned value in single unique number which projects cost variance as well as progress variance.Pl elaborate.

vadali

]]> By: John Rusk http://www.agilekiwi.com/earnedvalue/earned-value-in-a-nutshell/comment-page-1/#comment-29 John Rusk Mon, 31 May 2010 06:12:32 +0000 http://www.agilekiwi.com/?p=268#comment-29 Many thanks Paul. I've re-written much of the rule 2 section, above, to reflect your feedback re the orginal wording being too fatalistic. (I completely agree. It was :-) Your article sounds interesting, I'll check it out. Many thanks Paul. I’ve re-written much of the rule 2 section, above, to reflect your feedback re the orginal wording being too fatalistic. (I completely agree. It was :-)

Your article sounds interesting, I’ll check it out.

]]> By: Dr. Paul D. Giammalvo http://www.agilekiwi.com/earnedvalue/earned-value-in-a-nutshell/comment-page-1/#comment-28 Dr. Paul D. Giammalvo Mon, 31 May 2010 02:01:58 +0000 http://www.agilekiwi.com/?p=268#comment-28 Hi John, Your first rule is as good a summary of EVM as any, but your second rule is somewhat fatalistic sounding. The whole idea behind using EVM as a management tool is to enable us to identify whether our project is headed in the wrong direction early enough to take corrective action to FIX it..... So rule 2 might be better modified to read "Assume whatever happened in the past will continue unless we take action to change the outcome for the better". You may find this article I wrote some years back. Like you, I think Earned Value is made far, far more complicated than it need be (as only Government bureaucrats are able to do) than it need be and have argued for years that each and everyone of us uses the fundamental concepts underlying earned value ("Quantum Meruit") each time we go to the green grocer. http://www.pmforum.org/library/papers/2007/PDFs/Giammalvo-5-07.pdf BR, Dr. PDG, Jakarta http://www.build-project-management-competency.com Hi John,
Your first rule is as good a summary of EVM as any, but your second rule is somewhat fatalistic sounding. The whole idea behind using EVM as a management tool is to enable us to identify whether our project is headed in the wrong direction early enough to take corrective action to FIX it….. So rule 2 might be better modified to read “Assume whatever happened in the past will continue unless we take action to change the outcome for the better”.

You may find this article I wrote some years back. Like you, I think Earned Value is made far, far more complicated than it need be (as only Government bureaucrats are able to do) than it need be and have argued for years that each and everyone of us uses the fundamental concepts underlying earned value (“Quantum Meruit”) each time we go to the green grocer. http://www.pmforum.org/library/papers/2007/PDFs/Giammalvo-5-07.pdf

BR,
Dr. PDG, Jakarta
http://www.build-project-management-competency.com

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