Practice Symposia

 

Symposium Coordinator:        Ray Stratton, EVP, PMP

                                                                

        

PS 01 Lessons Learned from Bottoms-up Development of ANSI-Compliant EVMS

              Andrea Bach, Parsons

             

PS 02 Baselining & Reporting a Major Program Against the Latest Requirements:

          A Real Life Example

              Paul F. Bolinger, Humphreys & Associates.

PS 03 Earned Value and Budget Integration

              Anita Cukr, Cukr Consulting

PS 04 The Risk Based Estimate at Completion (EAC)

               John J. Pakiz, Performance Management Systems

PS 05 Rearranging Deck Chairs on the Titanic?  How to Improve Project Success

           By Focusing on Near Term Objectives

               Felix Fernandez

PS 06 Air Force Cost & Economic Analysis Issues & Initiatives

               Richard K. (Rich) Hartley

PS 07 Establishing and Earned Value Management Steering Committee

             Tracie H. Thompson, PMP, Honeywell

             

PS 08  Sandi National Laboratories' Lessons Learned in EVM Integration

            and Maintaing the Edge

            Bruce A. Mercer, MBA, PMP, Orion International Technologies, Inc.

PS 09 Earned Value Management on Civilian IT Programs: A Practical Perspective

              Matt Haaga, Mitretek Systems, Inc.

             

PS 10 Integrating Earned Value Management and Risk Management, Part 1

              Wayne Abba, Abba Consulting

              John Driessnack, MCR

              Gay M. Infanti, Northrop Grumman Corporation

              Val Jonas, CEO, Risk Decisions Group

              Patti Tisone, Northrop Grumman Corporation

PS 11 How Earned Value Affects Performance

               Frederick Manzer, Strategy Bridge International

PS 12  The Evolution of Earned Value Management at NASA

                Sandra E. Smalley, NASA - Headquarters

        

 

PS 13 International Project Management - Case Study of

          Multi-Project Schedule

              Rich Grubb, Jr. JAO PMCS Group, The ALMA Project

                           

PS 14 Building a Professional Project Planning and Control Community

              Peter Mill, BAE Systems

             

PS 15 Assessing  EVMS Readiness

              Kelly Gaston, PMP

              Candi Randolph

PS 16 Integrating Earned Value Management and Risk Management, Part 2

              Wayne Abba, Abba Consulting

              John Driessnack, MCR

              Gay M. Infanti, Northrop Grumman Corporation

              Val Jonas, CEO, Risk Decisions Group

              Patti Tisone, Northrop Grumman Corporation

             

PS 17 Budget and Performance Integration through EVM, BSC, and

          6 Sigma at Public Sector

              InKyoung Park, KNDU (Korea National Defense University)

PS18 NASA's System Approach for Linking EVM and Cost Estimating

              Jerald Kerby, MSFC

              Robert James Wasser, Sr.

             

PS 19 The OPM 3 ProductSuite:  Building Project Management Capabilities

              Scott E. Patton, Booz Allen Hamilton

              Larry Bull, Project Management Institute

PS 20 Pre-Award IBRs:  A Practical Approach

              John R. Peterson, The Air Force Cost Analysis Agency

             

PS 21 Selling Project Management & Earned Value

              Carl L. Pritchard, PMP, EVP  Pritchard Management Associates

PS 22 Practitioner based Professional Certification in Earned Value

              Dan Demangos, Booz Allen Hamilton

PS 23 Can you tell the time?

              Mark Higgins

PS 24 NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate – EVM Lead

              “The Challenge of Implementing EVM on a Major Government Program”

              Christopher Stock

PS 25 Adding Value to Earned Value:  A New Perspective

              Kenneth F. Smith, PMP, Project Management Consultant

             

PS 26 Integrated Risk:  A simple illustration

              James A. “Flash” Gordon, Lt. Col, USAF

PS 27 Standards Based XML:  Transforming How Schedule and

              Cost Data are Exchanged

              Joan Ugljesa, Applied Integration Management

PS 28 Successful Contracting for Program Performance Management

             Deborah A. Tomsic, Office of the Secretary of Defense              

           

PS 29 The Chameleon Project – When the Only Constant is Change

              Bill McVeigh, JAO PMCS Group, The ALMA Project

PS 30 Linking Cost, Schedule, Risk & EV Analyses

              John D. Driessnack, MCR

              Neal D. Hulkower, Ph.D., MCR

PS 31 RDM – Relationship Diagramming Method

              Fredric L. Plotnick, Esq., P.E.

PS 32 Best Practice in Interfacing EVM and Risk Management Processes

              Val Jonas, CEO, Risk Decisions Group

              Edwina Hayward, BEng (Aero End), AMAPM, AMInstLM-BMT Sigma Ltd.

 

PS 33 Software Performance Measurement

              Daniel D. Galorath, Galorath, Inc.

PS 34 Earned Value Management in Performance Based Acquisitions

              Glen Phillips, Acquisition Solutions

              Mark Buchholz, Acquisition Solutions

PS 35 An Innovative Approach to Executing an Integrated Baseline Review (IBR)

              On an ACAT I Program

              Mark Andersen, Tecolote Research

PS 36  GAO’s Cost Assessment Guide and EVM

               Karen Richey

 

Abstracts & Bios

PS 01 - Lessons Learned from Bottoms-up Development of

ANSI-Compliant EVMS

 

Parsons is required to implement an ANSI compliant Earned Value Measurement System for a $350M design, build, commission, and operation project with a nine year duration.  While similar systems have been deployed within Parsons, this one is being designed from the ground up with new software applications and must be consistent with the company's Integrated Control System description.

Many challenges exist in the implementation of this system including incorporation of baseline data which has been priced with different rate tables, inclusion of different Parsons entities as well as integration of the teaming partner subcontracts.  The cost system must maintain the baseline, integrate with the accounting system and scheduling system, and be capable of generating DCAA compliant cost proposals for changes.

This presentation will talk about lessons learned and recommended approaches based on those lessons learned.  Anyone who has is going through the frustrations of developing a compliant EVMS should attend to get some advice on what not to do when starting out as well as several things that need to be looked into and developed early in the process.

 

Andrea Bach – Parsons – Oak Ridge, TN

Voice: (865) 220-4514  Fax: (865) 482-1780    E-Mail: andrea.bach@parsons.com

With almost 20 years of experience in Project Controls, Ms. Bach is currently Parsons Division Project Controls Lead for the I&E Division.  Ms. Bach is also acting as the Earned Value Management System (EVMS) Lead for PIT.  In this role she is the focal point for all EVMS implementations and certifications/ validations.  She works closely with the projects and the government agencies which perform the system reviews to have successful implementations and to guide those projects through the certification/ validation process.

Ms. Bach was previously the Project Controls Manager and EVMS Implementation Lead on the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Savannah River Site.  Ms. Bach was previously the EVMS Implementation Lead on the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site.  Ms. Bach is in the process of implementing an earned value management system that is compliant with DOE Order 413.3 and ANSI/EIA-748, Earned Value Management.  This system will be certified by DOE and DCMA.  She has successfully prepared and issued all the initial project control procedures for the SWPF and conducted the initial round of Control Account Manager Training.   

Her previous job experiences have been at various DOE sites around the country as well as a couple of Department of Defense Chemical Demilitarization projects.  She started when EVMS was known as CSCSC and CS2 and has continued working in the field through the different DOE Orders and DOD Specifications up to the present ANSI Standard for EV.

 

PS 02 - Baselining & Reporting a Major Program Against the Latest Requirements: A Real Life Example

This presentation recaps a 2006 real life example of Performance Measurement Baseline establishment and first-month progress measurements all within a 7 week period. Meeting the recently increased demands of a full set of program management requirements includes: integration of Risk Management into EVMS, Establishment of the Integrated Master Plan within the IMS, Critical Path Management, monthly Schedule Risk Analysis, establishing Schedule Margin/Reserve, measuring current plan-to-baseline schedule variances, and generating the five formats of the Contract Performance Report including risk-based best-case/worst-case/most-likely Estimates-at-Complete.

The session covers the initial efforts of moving from a proposal to an executable plan while generating the first rolling-wave of 9000 resource loaded network activities with Earned Value techniques embedded. The process described also includes how-to tips on establishing the IMP Events, Accomplishments, and Criteria in the network, extracting a Management Reserve at the resource level, extracting a schedule margin/reserve, defining network activity codes to drive the Earned Value plan, analyzing the critical path, defining Schedule Risk durations, integrating Risk Management items and plans into the network, and more.

This session is for individuals who are interested in how a full set of IMP, IMS, and EVMS requirements can be met in a short time with the latest available tools. The presentation contains many ‘lessons learned’ and ‘helpful hints’ for more experienced individuals or teams.

 

Paul F. Bolinger, Humphreys & Associates

Voice: (509) 951-2459                                         E-Mail: bolinger.p@comcast.net

Paul Bolinger worked on his first major Department of Defense program in 1972 as a U.S. Navy Lieutenant and engineer. He has been involved in large and small programs for Army, Air Force, Navy, NASA , Homeland Security, and commercial customers since then. Paul has developed and executed many program plans based on network schedules with full Earned Value Management Systems requirements using various tools such as Primavera, MS Project, ARTEMIS Views, MPM, Millennium, and SAP. As an Engagement Director, Paul has trained thousands of government and contractor personnel including many sessions teaching Basic Earned Value to commercial project managers from around the world at Program Management Institute (PMI) gatherings.

Along the way he took an 11 year beak from the contracting arena to serve as Vice President of a Silicon Valley semi-conductor design and manufacturing company. The short time-to-market and high intensity product definition and development projects of that industry provided Paul with a unique perspective on the startup and execution of multiple parallel competing projects.

Presently he is directing a 12 person consulting team providing the hands-on day-to-day development and operation of a major DoD program with IMP, IMS, EVMS, and Risk requirements.

PS 03 - Earned Value and Budget Integration

An effective organizational capital budgeting process uses earned value management information as part of the investment decision-making process.  There are organizational barriers that may hinder an effective use of earned value management data in the capital budgeting process.  The presenter will discuss some of these barriers, and explore how one organization developed an analysis that facilitates the integration of earned value management data with the budget process.  This topic is very timely as there is much interest within the United States Government in the topic of integrating performance and budget information. The presenter will discuss the President’s Management Agenda Budget and Performance Integration Initiative and discuss how the organization she supports has made significant steps toward integrating performance and budget.

Anita Cukr, Cukr Consulting – Alexandria, Virginia

Voice: (571) 214 2406   Fax: (703) 836 3130   E-Mail: cukr@evmsconsultants.com

Ms Cukr is an independent consultant specializing in the implementation and use of earned value management (EVM).  Her EVM experience is mainly with the Department of Defense, but she has also recently consulted with the Internal Revenue Service, and the Office of Personnel Management.  Her EVM experience includes the full spectrum of EVM activities, from implementation of EVM systems (through demonstration reviews and surveillance) to program specific activities such as Integrated Baseline Reviews and analysis of EVM data.  She also has broader financial management, from budget to cost estimating to EVM.  Her EVM credentials include a tour with the Boeing Company Air Force Plant Representative Office in Seattle as an EVMS consultant, and three years as professor of financial management at the Defense Systems Management College, where she taught EVM in the Program Manager’s Course and was course director of the Contractor Performance Measurement Course.  She has over 24 years of experience in government program and financial management. 

Ms Cukr is also an expert user of Microsoft Office products, specializing in tailored EVM applications using Microsoft Excel Visual Basic for Applications.  She can help you tailor and automate the production of your briefings and analyses using Microsoft Office products.  You can view her website at www.evmsconsultants.com.

Ms Cukr has also actively supported her professional community through involvement with the Project Management Insititute’s College of Performance Management (PMI-CPM).  She is a former Vice President of Communication with the Project Management Institute’s College of Performance Management.  She is a Project Management Institute (PMI) certified Project Management Professional (PMP), a published author and has made many presentations on the subject of EVM.  Through her consulting firm, Ms Cukr worked for PMI-CPM as the Managing Editor of the Measurable News.

 

PS 04 - The Risk Based Estimate at Completion (EAC)

 

The Risk Based EAC is one of Ten Targets of Opportunity brought forward in The EVMS Light Book I, authored by John J Pakiz. It is the perhaps most important since the EAC is sometimes called the bottom line of EVMS. This presentation highlights the principal attributes and benefits of the Risk Based EAC process which the author believes is evolving into a Best Practice.

An EAC is driven by “Risk and Opportunities.” which change as work proceeds. The EAC cycle needs to be dynamic and target “Risk and Opportunities.” The latest EAC needs to be compared with the prior EAC to have accountability and meaningful results. An EAC cycle driven by “Risk and Opportunities” gives the Engineer/Manager the best tools and methods for containing costs. The prime contractor and major subcontractors need to do Quarterly Risk Based EAC cycle in an integrated fashion to achieve best results. Experience has shown that a Quarterly Risk Based EAC cycle provides a balance that is practical and works well with the Monthly Control Account EAC updates, from variance analysis. By introducing “Risk and Opportunities” at a higher level it enables establishing a realistic Most Likely EAC at the earliest practical time.

This presentation highlights the steps and methods for achieving this most effective EAC process for Program Management.

John J Pakiz Performance Management Systems

 

Voice: (562) 431 – 7007                               Email: johnjpakiz@charter.net

John J Pakiz is a member of the NDIA Program Management Systems Committee (PMSC) that developed the ANSI/EIA – 748 EVMS Standard, and received The David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award presented to the Integrated Program Management Initiative Joint Team for this achievement in 1998, the Defense Department’s highest acquisition award. He is past chairman of the PMSC and was a charter member of what is now called the College of Performance Management of PMI. He was instrumental in establishing this International Conference on Performance Management held annually in Washington DC since 1989.

John brings 45 years of experience in Douglas Aircraft/McDonnell Douglas/Boeing to the table. Most of it directly related to DOD, NASA, DOE, Commercial and European Programs involving both Program Control Systems and Performance Measurement Systems. Prior to joining Douglas Aircraft, John attended UCLA on a Navy scholarship, receiving a Bachelors of Science Degree in Engineering and served three years on active duty as an Officer in the US Navy.

Retired from Boeing, John is authoring several books on Earned Value Management Systems. John resides in Long Beach, California and commutes to Washington DC.

 

PS 05 - REARRANGING DECK CHAIRS ON THE TITANIC?

How to Improve Project Success By Focusing on Near Term Objectives

If the crew of the Titanic had focused on what was directly in front of them instead of their destination, they might have made the timely decisions necessary to reach their destination.  Likewise, projects succeed better when they focus on near term key events and accomplishments, rather than distant milestones.

Unfortunately, traditional project plans have focused on end of contract (EOC) milestones scheduled years after the authorization to proceed (ATP). All critical paths are determined and measured against these milestones. Since no one project team owns and is accountable for EOC or any other milestone, management fails to focus on near term key events.

A better approach helps project team members focus on the things that matter and brings back a much needed emphasis on schedule quality.  This requires a simple and logical way to consistently enable vertical schedule traceability.  One effective way is to first define a milestone hierarchy that defines the project’s contractual and management guide posts by identifying the timing of the sequence of key events and related accomplishment criteria.

The WBS provides the work scope details needed to define the activities in the detail schedules that tie to the milestone hierarchy.  We can then identify the critical path(s) driving key events because key event milestones are embedded in the project schedule. Suddenly, project teams are focused on near term key events, rather than milestones three to five years away.  This simple goal orientated approach helps everyone see and appreciate their contribution to the overall end result.

Felix F. Fernandez, PMP, AIM Corporation

Voice: (949) 609-2999                             Fax: (949) 609-2990

E-Mail: ffernandez@aimcorp.biz

Felix Fernandez has over 30 years of project planning, scheduling, and budgeting experience.  He has extensive knowledge and proven successes working in DOD, DOE, NASA, National Science Foundation (NSF), academic, and commercial project environments covering all project phases from the initial proposal phase through final product delivery.  He is a specialist in developing and maintaining complex integrated schedule and cost databases as well as developing, implementing, and maintaining earned value based project management control systems.  He has an intrinsic knowledge of what works and what doesn't in a variety of project management environments.

 

PS 06 - Air Force Cost and Economic Analysis Issues and Initiatives

 

Mr. Richard Hartley, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Cost and Economics), will discuss current issues and initiatives in Air Force cost and economic analysis.  This session will address current cost estimating performance in DoD, requirements for achieving cost realism on major acquisition programs, current Air Force cost analysis capability, data collection and methods development plans and projects, and Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Financial Management and Comptroller) transformation.  The transformation discussion will focus on the primary Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary (Cost and Economics) transformation initiative, analytical capability transformation (ACT).  This initiative encompasses Air Force efforts to improve acquisition cost capability and establish the financial management Center of Expertise (COE).  Additionally, there will be an open forum question and answer period. 

 

Richard K. (Rich) Hartley

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cost and Economics Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller, Richard.Hartley@pentagon.af.milSAF/FMC
(703) 697-5311, DSN 227-5311

Richard K. Hartley, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cost and Economics, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller, Washington, D.C. Mr. Hartley is responsible for directing the Air Force cost and economic analysis programs.  He is Executive Director of the Air Force Cost Analysis Agency, Chairman of the Air Force Cost Analysis Improvement Group, and Chairman of the Air Force Services Organization Board of Directors.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Hartley served in the Senior Intelligence Service as Director, National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Cost Group.  In this capacity, he was responsible for conducting independent life cycle cost estimates for all major NRO programs.  He also managed the production of cost estimates supporting cost/effectiveness analysis, affordability assessments, long range planning, program budget builds, major acquisition program source selections, and program estimates at completion.  Additionally, he administered the NRO’s principal program cost and technical database, developed and enhanced NRO cost analysis methods, and chaired the NRO’s government/industry cost

 

PS 07 - Establishing an Earned Value Management Steering Committee

 

One of the challenges of maintaining an effective and current Earned Value Management System is in having appropriate staff available to support updates, training and surveillance. Additionally, companies must provide a vehicle for employees to address their earned value questions and issues. At Honeywell Defense and Space Systems we have established an Earned Value Management Steering Committee to handle these and other issues. This presentation will review the steps taken to establish this steering committee, the committee charter, the work breakdown structure for the committee and the communication plan. Additionally, the outputs of this committee will also be discussed.

 

Tracie H. Thompson, PMP, Honeywell – Clearwater, Florida

Office: 727-539-4161  Cell: 727-252-6753  E-Mail:tracie.h.thompson@honeywell.com

Tracie Thompson is the Earned Value Manager for Honeywell Aerospace’s Defense & Space organization. She has over 20 years of experience in project management, with a focus on Earned Value Management. Tracie’s Honeywell experience has included working as the Earned Value focal point, as well as providing extensive Earned Value Management training within Honeywell. She is also the focal point for internal and joint surveillance and has coordinated Earned Value Management System Description updates and reviews. Past experiences include serving as the Business Management supervisor and lead on various programs. In addition to Tracie’s Honeywell experience, she was also employed by Raytheon and served as a cost analyst, internal surveillance focal point for earned value, and provided earned value training. Tracie holds a BS in Business from Marymount College in New York and a Master of Public Health from the University of South Florida. She is a past president of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Performance Management Association (now PMI-CPM Tampa bay) and is a current PMI member with PMP certification. Tracie is also Six Sigma Green Belt certified.

 

PS 08 - Sandia National Laboratories’ Lessons Learned in EVM Integration and Maintaining the Edge

 

Following the euphoria with earning the right to be called an EVMS Certified site or program there is a tendency to rest on your laurels.   Why not take it easy?  You worked so hard for this and now it’s time for a rest, right?  No, not really.  Resting may not only get you into trouble but may also risk revocation of that certification for which you worked so hard.  What Now?  Is creating an Earned Value Council a wise move for you?  How will you handle surveillance?  Is self-evaluation effective?  Sandia National Laboratories shares its lessons learned in establishing ongoing and proactive measures to ensure consistent site EVMS Implementation and to continually maintain the edge.

 

 

Bruce A. Mercer, MBA, PMP, Orion International Technologies, Inc.,

Albuquerque, NM

 

                        Voice : (505) 844-5154                Fax : (505) 844-7475                     

Email : bmercer@sandia.gov

 

 

Bruce is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and Defense Acquisition University (DAU) Graduate.  He is a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI), obtaining his PMP certification in 1993 and August 2005, received his Graduate Certificate in Earned Value Management from PMI’s College of Performance Management. 

Bruce was a contractor for the Department of Energy and served as a Project Management Consultant for various organizations, such as; USAA Insurance and Banking, Roy F. Weston in Albuquerque and Carlsbad, NM, and Motorola Corporation World Headquarters in Schaumburg, IL.  He currently works in the Projects Office at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). 

Bruce served as Team Lead for the Sandia Corporate Projects’ Earned Value Management System (EVMS), chaired the Project Performance Management Team, and successfully guided SNL through the first ever Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) EVMS evaluation and certification of a DOE site.  He is Chairman of the Sandia Earned Value Council and serves on the Lockheed Martin Earned Value Council.  Bruce coordinates the Sandia National Laboratories EVM Surveillance Program.  He was awarded the Sandia National Laboratories President’s Quality Award (Gold), the Employee Recognition Award, and along with the EVM Team, the NOVA Award, Lockheed

Martin Corporation’s highest recognition. 

Additionally, Bruce is an EVM implementation consultant for the SNL Navy Program, Sandia’s Lead Laboratory Yucca Mountain Project, and the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in the United Kingdom.  

 

PS 09 - Earned Value Management on Civilian IT Program:

A Practical Perspective

 

Project Management practices, including Earned Value Management, are now institutionalized in both the FAR and OMB policy as required performance monitoring tools, hence adherence to these practices are in effect de jure required for Federal IT investments.  While the adoption of EVM in Government policy is an encouraging movement toward greater accountability, there is a large gap between language mandating usage and successful implementation.  Government Project Managers, particularly in civil agencies, are faced with the problem of how to meet these new requirements—“with the EVMS they have, not the EVMS they want”.  

Other practice symposia handle the science of Earned Value management, in which the Estimate at Completion is a matter of clean division, calculated to the third decimal.  This symposium will focus on the issues encountered in the “Real World” of Earned Value Management, lessons learned on the ground level of implementation.  Particular emphasis is placed on the Civil Agency project manager, for whom Earned Value (and its issues) is often a less familiar new acquaintance.   We will discuss issues encountered, lessons learned and potential solutions. 

Several topic areas covered:

• Earned Value, Contracts and Contractors
• Breaking the Bad News: Communicating the Impact of Earned Value Requirements
• Stakeholders and Obtaining “Buy-in”
• Clash of the Titans: Balancing CFO and CIO Priorities
• Adjusting to the Reality : Identifying and Resolving Data Issues

 

Matt Haaga,  Mitretek Systems, Inc.

Voice: (703) 610-2799           Fax: (703) 610 2984                 

E-Mail: Matthew.Haaga@mitretek.org

 

Matt has extensive experience in planning and executing Project Management process improvements for a list of clients including DOI, DOC, GSA, and HHS.  As a lead engineer for Mitretek, Matt’s primary role is to assist clients reform their Project Management processes to comply with OMB, FAR and ANSI-748A requirements.  Most recently, Matt has led several projects including Integrated Baseline Reviews, GWAC EVM policy development, and design of an effective Earned Value reporting process in conjunction with client Executive Officers.

 

PS 10 & 16 - Integrating Earned Value Management

and Risk Management

In 2002, the NDIA Program Management Systems Committee (PMSC) chartered a joint Industry/Government working group to investigate the integration of risk management and earned value management.  From September 2003 through June 2004, this group conducted a survey to gather information about EVMS and Risk Management, determine the perceived value of process integration, discover integrating methods in use, identify barriers to integration, and locate best practices.  In January 2005, the working group published it findings in a paper that included recommendations for further action necessary to promulgate the integration of risk management and EVM.

Since then, the working group has been implementing its recommended actions and recently developed high-level process integration guidance for publication by NDIA PMSC.  In addition, the working group has sponsored a series of workshops and practice symposia to foster integrated program management and share related experiences, best practices and lessons learned. 

This year, the PMSC RM working group is continuing its popular series by sponsoring four presentations on various aspects of RM and EVM integration.  Following a brief introduction, two presentations will be given in each of two back-to-back practice symposia time slots by practitioners who will share their process integration approaches.  Facilitated discussion following each presentation will allow the audience to ask questions and provide feedback on each presentation.  This approach has proven highly beneficial to the advancement of integrated program management and provided the working group with valuable insight into the types of guidance and training that are required to successfully integrate program management processes.  

Wayne Abba, Abba Consulting

Voice (703) 658-1815                                              email: abbaconsulting@cox.net

Mr. Wayne F. Abba is an independent management consultant.  He has more than thirty years experience in contract and project management, acquired during more than 35 years of public service.  Before establishing his consulting business, Mr. Abba was Vice President for Integrated Management Services with Dekker, Ltd., a leading supplier of Project Portfolio Management Solutions.

For seventeen years before retiring in 1999, Mr. Abba was the senior program analyst for contract performance management in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition & Technology).  He was awarded three Secretary of Defense Medals for Meritorious Civilian Service for his leadership in the acceptance of effectively integrated technical, schedule and cost performance management principles throughout the Department of Defense, the federal government, commercial enterprise, and in the governments and industries of friendly foreign countries.

Mr. Abba holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of the State of New York and a Master of Public Administration degree from The American University in Washington, D.C.  He is a member of the Project Management Institute, the National Contract Management Association and the Society of Cost Estimating and Analysis and holds a Professional Designation in Contract Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology and NCMA.  In 1999 his contributions to the advancement of project management in the public and private sectors were recognized by PMI’s Distinguished Contribution Award and also by the Government of Canada.  He is a past president of the PMI College of Performance Management and serves on the National Defense Industrial Association’s Program Management Systems Committee.

John Driessnack, MCR, Arlington, VA

Voice: (703) 416-9500 ext 265          Fax: (703) 416-9570

E-Mail: jdriessnack@mcri.com

John Driessnack is Director, Program and Technical Assessment at MCR.  He consults and runs various workshops for Industry, Federal Agencies, including DoD and Intel program teams, working to improve their integrated program management processes.   He continues to lecture during executive courses at Defense Acquisition University (DAU) on Risk Management as well as write and facilitate cases.  An editor on the DAU Risk Management Community of Practice (CoP), he edited the Acquisition Review Quarterly special editions on Risk Management, Spring 2003.  He currently is co-chairperson of the NDIA PMSC’s joint Industry/Government Risk Management Working Group and lead for the process sub-group.

Prior to joining MCR, John had over 20 years experience in DoD leadership positions on various joint programs, including V-22 Osprey, Air Borne Self-Protection Jammer, and various other AF programs.  His last program position was senior program manager for the GBS, were he led the rebaselining of the ACAT1D program while accelerating deliveries to support operations in Europe.   He retired as a professor at DAU lecturing in various courses.  He has presented papers or lectured at various economics, Society for Cost Estimation and Analysis (SCEA), and Program Management-related conferences, as well as at Lockheed and Raytheon.

John holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Pennsylvania University, a MS in Economics from Wright State University, and is completing a dissertation for a PhD in Economics from George Mason University.   He obtained certificates from SCEA for Cost Estimating in 1997 and PMI for Program Management Professional in 1998. 

Gay M. Infanti, Northrop Grumman Corporation

Voice: (714) 840-6078           Fax: (714) 840-6078                               

E-Mail: gay.infanti@ngc.com

 

Ms. Gay M. Infanti is Director of Business Process Integration for the Northrop Grumman Information Technology sector.  She has over 25 years of experience in financial, program and contract management in the government and commercial sectors.  Ms. Infanti is responsible for business process development, improvement and integration, as well as process training, with primary focus on contracting and program management processes. 

Ms. Infanti participates on numerous Northrop Grumman process councils including Earned Value Management, Risk Management, and Knowledge Management, and Program Management.  In addition, she is engaged in requirements development and migration planning for a new ERP.  Ms. Infanti also serves as the IT Sector’s EVMS Focal Point and chairperson of the Northrop Grumman IT EVM Council.   

Ms. Infanti holds a B.A. from the University of California Los Angeles.  She is an Officer at Large of the NDIA Program Management Systems Committee and chairperson of the PMSC’s joint Industry/Government Risk Management Working Group.  Ms. Infanti is also a charter member of PMI’s College of Performance Management.

PS 11 - How Earned Value Affects Performance

Earned value is often referred to as a “performance management” tool.  It is used to evaluate how well individuals or projects perform and becomes the basis of many decisions.  After thirty years in the earned value business I am convinced of the impact that earned value has on individual and project performance.  It provides a powerful and effective tool for measuring planned versus actual performance from the task through the project level. My observation, however, is that the effects on performance include both the intended and unintended consequences.  The measurement of performance can either increase or decrease the real performance based on how the information is used as a management tool.  Most discussions focus on the intended consequences – the reduction of variances.  This session examines the unintended consequences that arise based on the decisions made using earned value information.

This session is for individuals interested in how an earned value implementation will affect the organization.

Frederick Manzer, Strategy Bridge International

Voice: (540) 845-0309         Fax: (703) 832-0292           

  E-Mail: fmanzer@strategybridgeintl.com

A dynamic and skilled trainer requested by customers for their training events.  Mr. Fred Manzer combines practical experience with his extensive knowledge of theory to address customer learning needs in their environment and using their terminology.  As a government employee and commercial consultant he provided training and project management support for major US defense contractors and US Government agencies acquiring major systems. As a nationally recognized expert in project planning and earned value Mr. Manzer frequently speaks on these subjects at conferences and professional symposia.  His systems engineering approach to project management facilitates acceptance by the engineering community and promotes successful implementation of recommended practices.  As Director of Project Management at Strategy Bridge International, Inc. he develops and presents training and provides consulting support to commercial companies and government organizations.  Mr. Manzer has fifteen years as a professional trainer in commercial and government organizations.  Prior to that he was a project manager in the defense industry and implemented earned value systems in defense corporations.

PS 12 - The Evolution of Earned Value Management at NASA

In an environment with constrained budgets, competing priorities, and enhanced oversight, NASA is constantly seeking methods to improve it’s processes for estimating, planning and managing projects.   Implementation of Earned Value Management (EVM) is key to facilitating NASA’s realization of these improvements.   This session will explain why NASA is implementing EVM, describe how it has evolved, summarize how it supports enhanced cost estimating, outline the approach for implementation across the agency, and discuss some of the challenges associated with applying EVM to a government organization.  

Sandra E. Smalley, NASA - Headquarters

Voice: (202) 358-4731           Fax: (202) 358-3296                

  E-Mail: ssmalley@hq.nasa.gov

Ms. Smalley is the NASA lead for Earned Value Management (EVM).  In this role, Ms. Smalley is responsible for agency EVM policy, process, and competency development.  Ms. Smalley also serves as the Business Integration Lead and is responsible for identifying and facilitating agency-wide solutions for project management business issues.  She has membership on various agency-wide teams chartered to streamline and standardize process and systems throughout NASA.

Prior to her present position, Ms Smalley served as the Culture Change Lead for an agency-wide business modernization effort to implement an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system for NASA.  During that time, she established policy, standards and coordinated program, project and center level implementation activities. 

Ms. Smalley has over twenty years experience as a project manager, systems engineer, science manager and business manager for various US Navy and NASA aerospace projects.

                       PS 13 - International Project Mangement -

                           Case Study of Multi-Project Schedule

The Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) is a billion dollar science instrument being constructed through contractual partnerships by 3 International Funding/Management groups:  the European Southern Observatory manages the participation of 13 European countries,  the National Radio Astronomy Observatory manages the US and Canadian participation,  and Japan manages the Japan and Taiwanese participation.  Twelve Project Schedules are integrated into an Open Plan (13,500 activity - 16,400 relationships) Multi-Project Master Schedule (IPS).  Triad Project Management Services has led the ALMA Project Management Control System team of Planner/Cost Control people on 4 continents from inception to maturity.  The IPS is statused twice a month and is integrated into Cobra’s EVMS update once a month.  This presentation will include discussion of the many challenges and creative solutions to develop cost estimates and schedules across this multi-national project.  These include cultural, geographic, value-balancing, and executive reporting issues.  The ALMA project is a Large Millimeter- Sub Millimeter Radio Telescope Array.  The parts and systems are being designed and produced all over the world.  The final assembly and installation is located in Northern Chile on the Atacama Desert at an elevation of 15,000 ft.  The construction phase of this project started in 2003 and is scheduled to be completed in the last half of 2012.

                                  Rich Grubb Jr. Senior Cost/Schedule Analyst

                                    JAO PMCS Group, The ALMA Project - USA

                                           email:  rgrubbofi@comcast.net

Mr. Grubb is a senior analyst with extensive background in Critical Path Scheduling and EVMS support, training, and years of practical application in earned value concepts. Mr. Grubb has provided Critical Path Method training to his clients’ personnel.  Mr. Grubb has experience with instructor-led training, on site consulting and consulting support through web based tools.  As a Project Manager for a very successful complex steel fabrication company, Mr. Grubb has extensive experience with Government Contracting.

Mr. Grubb was involved in building bridges, nuclear spent fuel storage casks and canisters, navy boats, missile silos, dam spillway gates, dam locks, and dam temperature control devices.

Since being with Triad Project Management Mr. Grubb has been the Master Scheduler for the National Science Foundation’s $700M ALMA project. Mr. Grubb performed a key role as a Senior Cost/Schedule Analyst.  He was responsible for project schedule performance.  He was integral in cost estimating and re-baselining the $700M project budget and implemented all the procedures for the scheduling processes utilized throughout the execution of this project.

His presentation skills and 20 years of experience in complex project implementation enable him to produce a repeatable success in every engagement.

                        PS 14 - Building a Professional Project Planning

                                     and Control Community

A common problem raised by senior programme and project managers is the shortage of skilled, professional Project Planning and Control staff; these include project schedulers, project control staff, and those skilled in the use of earned value management. For many reasons, companies are struggling to recruit people with the right balance of skills and experience. They are in short supply, both within BAE Systems and nationally. One of the reasons this position has arisen is that historically, this particular skill discipline has not been well recognised and there is often no clear mechanism for professional and career development.

In response, BAE Systems have launched a significant change programme to build a Professional Project Planning and Control community; it covers a number of strands including career structure, professional training/development, process development, and cross company benchmarking.

This presentation will describe the key elements of the change program, including development of a career path, and associated competence frameworks; the creation of a structured training and development framework; and the establishment of policy, standards and guidelines.

This session is for individuals who are part of the Project Planning & Control community, or for individuals who need to develop such a community within their organisation.

 

Peter Mill, BAE SYSTEMS – Warton, UK

Voice: +44 (0) 1772 854380    E-Mail: pete.mill@baesystems.com

Pete Mill is the Project Control Manager for the Air Systems Operating Group (OG) within BAE Systems. In this capacity, Pete has the responsibility for the deployment and governance of EVM within Air Systems. This requires the generation of enablers to EVM deployment including policy and strategy documentation, training materials, guidelines and best practice. Pete has been involved in EVM since the mid 90’s and has had experience in overseeing the implementation of EVM systems over that time on a number of major programs, which currently includes working towards an Advance Agreement for the Air Systems OG based on the implementation on JSF F-35.

He is currently the Project Manager for the BAE SYSTEMS Corporate Planning, Monitoring & Control Group, which is working to improve professionalism and core capability in this area across BAE SYSTEMS.

Pete is the BAE SYSTEMS representative for Earned Value on the joint industry/UK MoD working group (DEVMIG), and was closely involved in the development of the UK Guide for Integrated Baseline Reviews.

Pete is also an active member of the APM Specific Interest Group on Earned Value, and was instrumental in the development of the APM UK Guideline for Earned Value Management.

 

PS 15 - Assessing EVMS Readiness

On March 7, 2005, the Under Secretary of Defense revised the DoD Earned Value Management Policy by lowering the cost threshold for contracts that require compliance with ANSI/EIA-748-A Standard for Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS). This change has forced many defense contractors to evaluate their current project management maturity and readiness to implement an EVMS.  During this session, a methodology will be presented that can be used to accurately assess an organization’s “EVMS Readiness”.

The EVMS Readiness Assessment utilizes the thirty-two (32) guidelines of the ANSI/EIA-748-A Standard for Earned Value Management Systems by grouping the questions into five process areas: Organization, Planning and Budgeting, Accounting, Analysis, Revisions and Access to Data. The assessment includes questions concerning people, processes, organizational structure, tools, technology, and culture.  The assessment results are shown as a scorecard that graphically depicts the organization’s EVMS readiness and project management maturity. 

Kelly Gaston, PMP

Voice: 256-755-0449                      Fax: 256-461-8774          

Email: kelly_gaston@hotmail.com

 

Kelly Gaston, PMP, has over 17 years of project and program management experience in the defense industry.  Her experience includes developing and tracking performance metrics, developing project estimates and schedules, establishing milestones, and tracking and reporting progress while managing life-cycle application development, systems integration, and world-wide deployment projects.  Kelly currently provides support to a DoD contractor on the Army’s Future Combat System (FCS) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) program.  She led the development and implementation of an Earned Value Management System (EVMS) for the company.  Kelly received her MBA from Auburn University and Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Candi Randolph

Voice: 317-223-3044                      Fax: 256-461-8774          

Email: candi.randolph@gmail.com

Candi Randolph has over 20 years of project management and EVMS implementation experience. Candi began her career in the aerospace and defense industry where she was chief engineer for the design, development and implementation of a custom designed automated EVMS and project reporting system used by Lockheed’s major aerospace and defense programs. For the past ten years she has been engaged at the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in Indianapolis and is currently a portfolio manager for the agency’s eCommerce, Enterprise and Technology Transformation Initiatives. Candi holds a B.S. degree in Computer Science and has completed coursework towards a Master of Science in Management.

 

PS 17 - Budget and Performance Integration

 through EVM, BSC, and 6 Sigma at Public Sector

While Performance Management (PM) storms across the management world, EVMS (Earned Value Management System) is an evolving practice at Government, University, and Industries in Republic of KOREA(ROK). This paper will suggest the proper budget allocation from budget and performance integration (BPI) using the hybrid of EVM, BSC (Balanced Scorecard), and 6 Sigma. In general this suggesting application will enhance existing John Mercer’s CASCADE Performance Budgeting using proper management practice such as EVM, BSC, and 6 Sigma. Therefore the advantage of hybrid model is to harmonize the static measurement of BSC Key Performance Indicator, dynamic estimation and control of EVM metrics, and organization’s learning and planning of  6 Sigma process. This presentation will also include the progress status of EVM applications at ROK. The goal of this EVM approach is to show the strategic and practical application of budget allocation and effective resource management at Public Sector.

 

InKyoung  Park, KNDU(Korea National Defense University)

    Voice:82-2-300-2167       Fax:82-2-309-6233        E-Mail:parkaegis@yahoo.com

InKyoung Park is a Professor of Operations Research at the Korea National Defense University (KNDU) and Director of Training and Consulting for KEVMA (Korea Earned Value Management Association). His main teaching courses are Systems Engineering, Software Project Cost Analysis, EVMS, and Simulation. In addition to teaching, Dr. Park has provided EVM training and consulting service through Industries and Government such as MPB (Ministry of Planning and Budget) like U.S. OMB and pioneer role for establishing EVM society and expanding EVM application and experience for R.O.Korea. Now Dr. Park conducts research in-depth on budget allocation based on performance measurement such as EVM, BSC, and 6 Sigma.

Prior to his present position Capt Park was the Program Manager of KDX-III Aegis Destroyer Combat System at NAVSEA Washington D.C. for ROK NAVY, and also was Assistant Program Manager of KSS-II Korea Submarine Project at Korea NAVSEA. Capt Park has been involved in the program planning functions of scheduling and budgeting, as well as the design and operation of naval combat systems. Especially he is an expert of software cost analysis and ship building project management.

Dr. Park did his graduate work for Master Degree of Operations Research at U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and Ph.D. of Industrial Engineering at Lehigh University.

PS 18 - NASA's System Approach for Linking EVM and Cost Estimating

NASA has developed and implemented an EVM database at the NASA Data Center (NDC).  This site is where the Agency’s EVM Cost Performance Reports (CPR) are kept and used for analysis, reporting and data mining.  This database provides NASA with a web based venue for Project Managers, EVM Analyst, Cost Estimators, etc.  This web based system allows personnel to access their data from anywhere at anytime from the internet.  This presentation will focus on the architecture of the NDC and the process used in setting up an Agency system.  Other discussion topics will be the day-to-day maintenance, and the advantages and disadvantages of having an Agency system.  One major benefit of this system is that it provides NASA with the capability to data mine historical data when putting together cost estimates.  By using historical EVM data, NASA cost estimators will have more information that will lead to better cost estimates in the future

 

Jerald Kerby,  MSFC

         Voice: 256-544-3243                                                                 email: jerald.g.kerby@nasa.gov

For the past 15 years, Jerald has worked for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama.  Currently, he is the NASA EVM Focal Point.  In this role, Jerald serves on the NASA Focal Point Council where he supports the implementation of EVM throughout NASA, along with the development of EVM policy within the Agency.  As a member of this Council he led in the development of an Agency-wide EVM Training Curriculum.  He led the efforts to implement an Agency-wide data analysis tool to support NASA projects with their EVM analysis and create an Agency database which currently has EVM data from over 60 contracts.  This database provides the cost estimating community with the current and historical data to support better cost estimates and the Project Management community the ability to create reports at an enterprise, program, and project level.  He also is responsible for providing both classroom and hands-on EVM and data analysis training to the project management community at NASA/MSFC.

 

Robert James Wasser, Sr.

504 Brenda Drive

Madison, Al 35758

256-656-7600

 

PS 19 - The OPM3 ProductSuite:

Building Project Management Capabilities

The Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3) is a standard developed by the Project Management Institute (PMI), based on industry best practices, that helps organizations understand and improve their project management capabilities, and align their strategic goals to the successful completion of projects.  PMI recently introduced the OPM3 ProductSuite – a tool and assessment methodology for measuring an organization’s project management maturity.  The OPM3 ProductSuite allows for the base lining of an organization’s project management capabilities and the development of plans of action to increase organizational project management maturity and improve business performance.

The OPM3 ProductSuite is based on over 600 best practices and over 3000 supporting capabilities aligned with the PMI PMBOK process groups and knowledge areas.  This allows an organization to identify the strengths and weaknesses in key project management practices) and to address immediate project management needs while building a foundation, over time, that supports the development of project management capabilities (processes, skills, and tools). The value of OPM3 ProductSuite can be seen in the delivery of projects that meet organizational goals and the institutionalization of project management as part of an organization’s culture.

At this session, an overview of organizational project management, PMI’s OPM3 standard, and the OPM3 ProductSuite will be provided.  Examples of practical applications using the OPM3 ProductSuite will be discussed, including cases where specific project management practices (e.g., project planning, risk management and earned value management) were addressed. 

 

Scott E. Patton, Booz Allen Hamilton

Voice: (703) 917-2304      Fax: (703) 902-3292         E-Mail: patton_scott@bah.com

Mr. Patton has over 20 years of extensive experience in technical project management and risk management. At Booz Allen Hamilton, he is providing consultation to federal government agencies on the execution and delivery of information technology initiatives.  His work is currently focused on managing the risks associated with the acquisition and development of information systems, and the development of management processes and controls for information technology portfolios.  His teams provide services focused on developing and implementing project management processes; capital asset and IT portfolio investment assessments; the design and implementation of PMOs; and the development and implementation of process improvement solutions and management strategies to promote program effectiveness and efficiency. 

Mr. Patton recently supported the development of the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) OPM3 ProductSuite tool and certification courses. Mr. Patton was one of the first group to be certified by PMI as an OPM3 ProductSuite Assessor and Consultant. He has conducted two pilot OPM3 ProductSuite assessments for PMI - the Washington Savannah River Corporation and the Department of State.

Larry Bull, Project Management Institute

Voice: (610) 356-4600 x 5006       Fax: (610) 355-1699        

E-Mail: larry.bull@pmi.org

Mr. Bull joined the Project Management Institute (PMI) in 2004 to lead the development and operation of OPM3 ProductSuite. First, as a consultant to PMI, Mr. Bull shaped the business plan that gained approval for the program and the strategic alliance with Det Norske Veritas (DNV) to develop and operate OPM3 ProductSuite.  Following approval of the OPM3 ProductSuite development program, Larry was recruited by PMI to join its GOC staff as Manager, OPM3® ProductSuite directing all development activities until handing over the business operation of ProductSuite to DNV at its market debut in London on June 12, 2006. 

Mr. Bull is an Industrial Engineer whose corporate career includes senior leadership roles as Director of Information Services and Chief Financial Planning Officer for CSX Transportation, a national rail transportation company, and Chief Financial Planning Officer for NovaCare, a national healthcare provider.

PS 20 - Pre-Award IBRs: A Practical Approach

The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) was updated in July 2006 to include several new clauses.  These clauses allow pre-contract award Integrated Baseline Reviews (IBRs) that are fully reimbursable to bidding contractors.  The Office of Management & Budget pushed for this new FAR language to allow the government to evaluate a contractor’s ability to execute and manage a contract prior to award.  A well executed pre-award IBR by a contractor can bolster the government’s confidence in a contractor’s proposal, not only in cost, but in the government’s assessment of risk and schedule.

What is the practical approach to conducting pre-award IBRs?  This session will address some of the complex issues associated with implementing pre-award IBRs from both the government and contractor perspectives.  It will highlight potential shortfalls in the policy and future challenges for Earned Value Management (EVM) experts and analysts.

This briefing is for individuals who write request for proposals (RFPs) requiring pre-award IBRs, participate in pre-award IBRs, evaluate proposals, or want to further their understanding of the implications, impacts and implementation of these new FAR clauses.

 

John R. Peterson, The Air Force Cost Analysis Agency – D.C.

                          Work (703) 604-0393         Fax (703) 604-0422                

                             Email:  John.Peterson@pentagon.af.mil

John Peterson has over 17 years of financial management experience with the Air Force and Navy.  He has supported several significant contract negotiations and awards, both competitive and sole-source, for a variety of government officials.  Because of his contract and cost expertise, he has often been called upon to provide key analyses to source-selection authorities.  Mr. Peterson’s expertise in contract pricing has enabled him to coordinate and train government technical evaluation teams on various proposal evaluation methods.  He is an EVM System (EVMS) expert and cost estimator who started in the old C/SCS days analyzing contractor performance data, as well conducting and participating in IBRs, Compliance Reviews, Surveillance Reviews, EAC reviews, etc. 

Presently, Mr. Peterson serves as a senior cost analyst in the Aircraft and Weapons Division at the Air Force Cost Analysis Agency (AFCAA).  He supports Independent Cost Estimates (ICEs), Nunn-McCurdy reviews and program risk analyses for AFCAA.  In this capacity, Mr. Peterson has worked on numerous multi-billion dollar programs that have experienced contract cost over-runs, as well as under-runs.  These experiences have provided him insight into major DoD contractor EVM systems. As an AFCAA representative, Mr. Peterson also actively participates in an Air Force EVM Integrated Process Team (IPT).

              PS 21 - Selling Project Management & Earned Value

 

Project management is a cornerstone practice in many organizations, and yet, even in organizations where it is entrenched, there are those who want to skirt the processes in hopes of a quicker fix or a shorter schedule.  The challenge for many is getting others to recognize the value of project management, and more specifically, the value of investing in the administration associated with Earned Value Management Systems.  Project managers need to develop cogent, powerful arguments on why best practice project management adds value to the organization and how individuals and organization can optimize that value if they are willing to become allies and participants in the processes involved.  

In many instances, project managers know the value of the management practices they use, but are challenged in communicating those benefits to others.  This workshop provides concrete selling points to build buy-in, support and a shared vision of how project management practices make project life richer and how all parties in the process get true, measurable benefits when the practices are implemented well. 

This session is for individuals who must convince customers, management and/or team members of the value and rationale behind implementing project management and EVMS.  

 

Carl L. Pritchard, PMP®, EVP     Pritchard Management Associates

Voice: (301) 606-6519           Fax: (413) 431-1249                 

E-Mail: carl@carlpritchard.com

Carl Pritchard, PMP, EVP, is the principal of Pritchard Management Associates and a recognized author and lecturer in project management.  He is the author of “The Project Management Communications Toolkit” (Artech House, 2004, Norwood, MA), “Risk Management: Concepts & Guidance 3rd Edition” (ESI International, 2005, Arlington, VA), and co-produced “The Portable PMP Prep: Conversations on Passing the PMP Exam.”  He is the U.S. Correspondent for the British project management publication “Project Manager Today”.  A regular speaker on the project management circuit, he has presented workshops and/or papers at each of the last twelve national Project Management Institute® National Symposia/Congresses in the U.S   He has written over 100 articles for newsletters, magazines, journals and e-zines around the world.  He consults to clients ranging from heavy construction industries to information technologies.  He is a certified Project Management Professional as certified by the Project Management Institute.  He is a certified Earned Value Professional as certified by the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering. He is a judge in PMI’s annual “Project of the Year” selection process and in the 2006 Federal Highways Administration Biennial Project Awards.

 

PS 22 - Practitioner based Professional Certification in Earned Value

Did you know that there are professionals taking an Earned Value Professional Certification at this conference? It is called the Earned Value Professional (EVP) certification through AACE.

As government and industry continue to realize the value of good project management, the need for highly skilled earned value professionals has grown.  While many professionals do earned value management, until now there was no way to effectively measure their capabilities – except through real-life performance.  AACE International, the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineers, new Earned Value Professional (EVP) certification provides an exam and experience validation that lets government and industry consumers identify those who meet the program’s competency standards.  There are Project Management certifications that verify one has a solid foundation of PM knowledge, but they don’t verify the “depth” or “practitioner” level expertise – the EVP does just that. 

This presentation will provide you with the understanding of why this certification was created, the structure (based on ASNI-748-A), qualifications to sit for exam, comparison to other professional certifications and sample test questions.

 

Dan Demangos, Booz Allen Hamilton

Voice: (703) 902-6986 E-mail: demangos_dan@bah.com

Mr. Demangos, an Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton, has over 12 years of professional experience in Project Management, Earned Value Management, Schedule/Cost Integration, and Project Management Office implementations.  Mr. Demangos’ clients include the Department of Defense, Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.  Prior to coming to Booz Allen, Mr. Demangos lead the Project Controls effort for a telecommunications provider, implemented schedule/cost integration efforts for a Project Management software vendor and helped to manage remediation sites for the Department of Energy.

 

 

PS 24 - NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate – EVM Lead

The Challenge of Implementing EVM on a Major Government Program

Earned Value Management is not a new concept but has gained an increasing amount of interest in recent years as pressure for Government accountability has increased and federal budgets have tightened. Historically, EVM has been something that industry has done as a Government requirement for major acquisitions. NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate has recently embarked on implementing EVM on a multi-billion dollar program, Constellation, which plays a key role in the President’s Vision for Space Exploration. Constellation is comprised of projects that will be performed by a mix of large contractors, government civil servants and support contractors. A significant factor in implementing this solution is the fact that the program and projects are de-centralized across 10 Centers located throughout the United States. Each of the Centers has their own unique scheduling, cost and management methodologies.

A key piece of a successful EVMS implementation is following a specific approach that focuses on the disciplined process of project management as discussed in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) and is aligned with ANSI EIA 748A. One of the main benefits of moving to an EVM structure is the detail and rigor involved in project planning and tracking, which facilitates providing stronger basis of estimates for cost estimating. Also, by tracking high risk items, identified in the original cost estimate, in more detail we are able to see where our major cost drivers originate and whether they have changed so that risk rankings can be continually updated. EVM analysis and assessment will play a key role in tracking current and identifying new high and medium risk items. 

This presentation will focus on the ESMD EVM implementation which commenced in January 2006 and where it’s headed in the future.

Christopher Stock

       Voice: (202) 358-2371                              E-Mail: christopher.d.stock@nasa.gov

Mr. Chris Stock graduated from the Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. He was selected by General Motors (GM) to participate in an executive intern leadership program where he worked in the Materials Management Department. His jobs at General Motors spanned a broad range of duties with a focus on logistics process improvement. Additionally, Mr. Stock served in the Michigan State Senate as a legislative assistant. More recently, he has worked for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in procurement at Johnson Space Center (JSC), Langley Research Center (LaRC) and NASA Headquarters (HQ). Mr. Stock managed two major acquisitions at LaRC and HASA HQ. Mr. Stock is currently at NASA Headquarters serving as the Earned Value Management Lead for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate managing the implementation of Earned Value Management across the Directorate.

PS 25 - Adding Value to Earned Value : A New Perspective

Since the 1960’s, the concept of Earned Value has been evolving as a systematic approach to improving management of the “Triple Threat” — i.e. time, cost and technical performance — to where it is now acknowledged as an international “best practice” by the Project Management Institute (PMI).  Nevertheless despite recognition by PMI, promotion by PMI’s College of Performance Management (CPM), and adoption by many organizations — either voluntary, or reluctantly (as an imposed external requirement) — Earned Value Management (EVM) is still perceived as a complex system and approached by many with some trepidation.  Consequently, even when acquired, many project managers fail to comprehend the capabilities of EVM and utilize them for maximum benefit.

To overcome this constraint and simplify EVM understanding, I derived an integrated “Project Performance Index (PPI)” — based on the relationship between three key earned value indicators — that presents the status of project implementation performance on a 13 point scale, in terms of the Triple Threat.  This index is then linked with several innovative graphics to present earned value data analysis in a new easy-to-understand format, and a brief executive summary.  The indices and graphics will be presented and discussed during the Practice Symposia. 

This session is for individuals with some prior exposure to — even if not mastery of — traditional earned value concepts, tools and applications, who would like to learn about a quick-and-easy EVM enhancement to facilitate their (&/or their management’s) ability to monitor, analyze and present EV results.

 

Kenneth F. Smith PMP, Project Management Consultant

 

Voice: (703) 978-1876                    Fax: (703) 978-4008                      

E-Mail: Kenfsmith@aol.com

Ken Smith is an independent project management consultant specializing in planning, monitoring and evaluating economic and social development programs and projects — primarily for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Headquartered in Manila, Philippines — as an individual specialist, team member, leader &/or trainer on a wide variety of sector programs and projects.  He is also an adjunct faculty member of the Ateneo de Manila, Philippines Graduate School of Business — where he teaches modules of their Global Project Manager Diploma Program — and the Mekong Institute, Thailand, where he conducts project design and evaluation workshops.

 

Formal management systems and procedures training and on-the-job experience was gained with the U.S. Navy Department’s Special Projects Office and Navy Management Office as a management intern and analyst on various aspects of weapons system development, production, and fleet support management; and later as a Department of the Air Force management systems specialist instructor/consultant for the Defense Department's inter-agency PERT Orientation & Training Center.  Subsequently he was a management systems advisor, general development officer and project manager with the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID) where he applied systematic management techniques to economic and social development projects in various sectors. 

Ken is a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) Washington D.C. Chapter and the college of performance management, and also works closely with PMI’s Philippine Chapter.

 

PS 26 - Integrated Risk:  A simple Illustration

Completing projects on schedule and on budget continues to be a significant challenge both in the Government and private industry.  Tools to model these risks have existed for many years, but one of the fundamental weaknesses of this approach is determining the appropriate ranges of input variables.  In some cases, the range is derived from the dispersion of data used to generate parametric estimating relationships.  In many cases, technical personnel are asked to “estimate” the best and worst cases for various elements.  The former approach may be too broad to a apply to specific situations.  The latter asks engineers and managers to provide an input that his outside their area of expertise, resulting in responses based on personal experience and biases.  A better approach would be to use a model of risk that calibrates dispersion data to a consistent set of descriptive scales in terms readily understood by the technical staff.  Such a model was developed in 1998 for the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization by S. Gupta, R. Coleman and J. Summerville relating specific risk drivers to ranges of possible cost.  This paper illustrates an application of the BMDO method to translate a parametric estimate into a contract specific reference and how that reference relates to Probable Cost analysis leading to an achievable baseline.

James A. “Flash” Gordon, Lt Col, USAF

Voice: (703) 961-6959  Fax: (703) 961-6902 E-Mail: jamesgordon@westfields.net

 

Colonel Gordon has over 18 years of Engineering and Project Management experience with the United States Air Force.  During that time he has been involved in the program planning functions of estimating and budgeting, as well as surveillance of the operation of automated business management systems.  He is currently the Director of Cost Analysis Support, Acquisition Center of Excellence, National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), Chantilly, VA and previously served as the Earned Value Management focal point for the NRO, responsible for acceptance and surveillance of EVM Systems applied to NRO contracts.

Prior to his present position he was the Deputy Comptroller for Signals Intelligence Systems Acquisitions and Operations responsible for all aspects of financial management, budget formulation, and management control of major NRO space systems and associated ground elements.  Previously, he also served as the Chief of Plans and Programs for the National Polar-orbiting Operational Satellite System (NPOESS) Integrated Program Office; where, most notably he was responsible for developing the Program Office Estimate of the NPOESS lifecycle costs.  He has published several papers on cost growth and baseline stability as well as management practices and risk analysis.

 

 

PS 27 - Standards Based XML:
Transforming How Schedule and Cost Data Are Exchanged

 

Being able to capture current schedule status and cost performance data is vital for any program or project manager to make timely and informed decisions.  The problem in industry today is that we often make it very hard to capture and access the data we need – particularly when there are many tiers of suppliers, teaming partners, and other stakeholders in the mix.  There are too many data formats as well as means and methods to share the data that end up hindering our ability to use the data or to get it in a timely fashion. 

This poor data flow and lack of access is driving industry and government to change their approach.  This presentation will discuss what is currently going on with industry and government joint efforts to use web services and standards-based XML schemas to streamline how schedule and cost data are shared between stakeholders to create a more collaborative and real-time environment.  The Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) is functioning as the lead for joint industry and government international standards development work (UN/CEFACT XML schemas) in collaboration with the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Program Management Systems Committee (PMSC).  In parallel with the standards development work, DCMA, Boeing, and NAVAIR have been collaborating on implementing a web based business process to exchange project related schedule and cost data.  The design methodology used to develop the XML data standard provides a common data model that supports the implementation of a single registry and repository of project performance data. 

This presentation will also discuss what’s the impact of a creating a more collaborative data exchange environment.  DCMA, Boeing, and NAVAIR are not alone in their desire to improve their data flow with better access to more real-time data.  This is a fundamental change in approach where the customer (whether another contractor or a government customer) has the ability to use targeted data queries and responses instead of a paper based form or structured report that is provided to them.  The impact is that everyone in the information food chain needs to provide timely, accurate, and useful data to other project stakeholders.  Are your processes and procedures up to the task?  Do you need to streamline how you collect and produce data for consumption by others?  Are projects providing quality schedule status and cost performance data on a timely basis?  Now is the time to assess where you are and take action! 

 

Joan Ugljesa, Applied Integration Management

 

(949) 609-2999                                 Fax: (949) 609-2990                       e-mail: JUgljesa@aimcorp.biz

Joan Ugljesa has over 25 years of project management experience in technology, aerospace and defense, and engineering and construction.  She is a specialist in integrated cost/schedule earned value management systems, electronic data interchange, business systems integration, implementing software tools to support earned value management, and technical communications.  As an independent consultant, she worked with the Office of the Secretary of Defense Program Analysis and Evaluation (OSD PA&E), the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology (OUSD A&T) as well as the Navy, Air Force, and Army to implement electronic data interchange (EDI) for program management reporting.  She is the author of national (ANSI X12) and international (UN/EDIFACT) standards for exchanging cost and schedule data electronically as well as the related U.S. federal government implementation conventions (ICs).  She is currently the lead for the NDIA PMSC XML Working Group. 

PS 28 - Successful Contracting for Program Performance Management

 

This practice symposium session, which is targeted to government and industry program management and contracting professionals, will provide useful information on how to contract more successfully for a key program management process used widely across the government and in industry—earned value management (EVM).  The session will focus on several major issues affecting how the Department of Defense contracts for EVM, to include practical ideas on how to resolve and properly execute the requirements associated with these issues.  In addition, the session will emphasize the importance of close coordination and cooperation between EVM and contracting personnel.

The topics to be discussed include:

 

• Office of Management and Budget and Department of Defense policy, to include the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement clauses,
• Application of EVM to various contract types,
• Implementation of EVM on applicable contracts, and
• Other EVM-related contracting issues and recommendations.

 

This session will also provide an opportunity for participants to dialogue with the presenters and other attendees on a variety of contemporary program performance management topics.

Deborah A. Tomsic, Office of the Secretary of Defense

(Acquisition, Technology and Logistics)

Voice:  (703) 695-0707      Fax:  (703) 693-7043       

E-Mail:  deborah.tomsic@osd.mil

Deborah (Debbie) Tomsic is a senior program analyst in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics), Acquisition Resources and Analysis, Acquisition Management.  She is responsible for oversight of several major defense acquisition programs and is the Office of the Secretary of Defense focal point for earned value management.

In her previous position, Ms. Tomsic was the senior strategic planner for the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA).  In this capacity, she was responsible for all aspects of strategic planning and performance measurement for the Agency.  Prior to joining DCMA in 1993, Ms. Tomsic served in several assignments with the Department of the Army in the United States and overseas, where she was responsible for human capital and financial management.

Ms. Tomsic holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Management from the University of Maryland and a Master of Science degree in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.  She is also a graduate of the National Defense University’s Senior Acquisition Course.  Ms. Tomsic is a certified acquisition professional in the program management career field.

 

PS 29 - The Chameleon Project - When the