This article is only slightly modified from my seminal article on
Earned Schedule (ES) (Lipke, 2003). This republication in Projects & Profits is especially appropriate to this
issue dedicated to "Emerging Trends in Project Management."
Although the knowledge and use of ES has grown immensely over the last
six years, the method unfortunately remains unknown to many. The
article is intended to raise the curiosity and interest of those who are
unaware of the method and further expand the uptake of ES.
From 2003 until the present, much has happened. For
those applying ES, the method is broadly considered to be a
significant advancement to the practice of EVM. ES has propagated across
the world, including the USA, Australia, United Kingdom,
Belgium, Spain, Canada, India, and other countries, as well. It is being
used across all industries applying EVM for all sizes of
projects. Furthermore, the method is being used in research, instructed in
some universities, and is included in recent project management texts
and the newer EVM analysis tools. Presently, ES is being considered
for inclusion in the PMI Practice Standard for EVM.
The measure of ES has provided analysis and
forecasting capability to those using EVM, until now not believed possible.
Parallel to forecasting final cost using EVM measures, ES facilitates a
simple calculation for the forecasting of project completion
dates. Additionally, another measure has been derived from ES,
"Schedule Adherence." This measure, in turn, has provided the capability
to perform detailed analysis, yielding identification of
process constraints and impediments and specific tasks having the
likelihood of future rework. These advancements are not addressed in this
article. However, literature is freely available for your study and
exploration at the ES Website, www.earnedschedule.com.
As you will see in reading the article, the concept of ES is
very straightforward. It is not difficult to grasp. Furthermore, if you
are presently using EVM in your approach to project management,
there is almost insignificant effort required to add and utilize the
capabilities offered by ES. I hope with this preface, you are inspired to read
on.
Within the Software Division (SD) at Tinker AFB, an organization I once managed, EVM has
been applied for several years. It has proven to be a tremendous aid to project planning, tracking,
and decision making. And, the reporting methods of EVM serve as a good tool for communicating
with management and customers, as well. Over the years, the SD has evolved the application of
EVM. Statistical techniques are used to predict project outcomes, and historical data is used for new
project planning. |
