Cobra 8.3 Help System

Using the Help Search
Using the Help Search
  • Phrase:Returns all topics that contain the exact phrase in the search criteria. Use quotation marks around the phrase.
    Ex."system administration"
  • And:Returns all topics that contain all the words in the search criteria, in any combination. Insert a plus sign between all words in the search criteria.
    Ex.system + administration
  • Or:Returns all topics with any combination of words in the search criteria. This is the default.
    Ex.system administration
For more information:Searching Online Help

Options Page of the Calculate Forecast Wizard

Use this page to select the options that you want to use when calculating the forecast.

Validate Forecast Dates

Field Description
Stop process if any invalid dates exist - Forecast, Early, or Late. Select this option to instruct Cobra not to run forecast calculations if it finds any invalid forecast dates for the control account/work package.
Slip all invalid dates that are earlier than the status date - Forecast, Early, or Late. Select this option to instruct Cobra to advance any invalid forecast start date to the day following the status date. Cobra also advances the forecast finish date by the same number of days, thereby maintaining the original duration of the control account/work package. Cobra will immediately run forecast calculations after the dates are slipped for the invalid dates.
Skip Control Accounts/Work Packages when dates associated with the classes being calculated are invalid. Select this option to instruct Cobra to calculate the forecast only for control accounts and work packages that have valid forecast dates. Cobra will not calculate the forecast for control accounts/work packages with invalid dates.
Allow negative ETC Select this option to instruct Cobra to calculate all negative ETC (Estimate To Complete) values for statistical forecast methods. Otherwise, Cobra sets all negative ETCs to zero during forecast calculation.

Cobra calculates ETC by subtracting Budget At Complete (BAC) from Earned Value (EV) during forecast calculations. If EV is greater than the BAC because of a negative budget in a control account/work package, the calculated ETC will be negative. This option allows you to specify whether negative ETC should be allowed.

Spread ETC according to Select an option from the drop-down list:
  • Budget: If you select this option, Cobra spreads the forecast according to the budget spread.
  • Existing ETC Spread: If you select this option and a spread curve is assigned to the resource assignment, Cobra uses the assigned spread curve when spreading the forecast. If Manual spread curve is assigned to the resource assignment, or the spread curve specified does not exist, Cobra uses the existing profile of the resource assignment when spreading the forecast.
Scale Retain EAC Select an option from the drop-down list:
  • None: Cobra does not use a scaling method in forecast calculation.
  • Hours: Cobra updates control accounts/work packages that contain labor (hours) resources only during forecast calculation.
  • Currency: Cobra updates control accounts/work packages that contain non-labor (currency) resources only during forecast calculation.
  • Hours and Currency: Cobra updates control account/work packages that contain both labor (hours) and non-labor (currency) resources during forecast calculation.

Selecting the Hours, Currency, or Hours and Currency option instructs Cobra to retain a particular EAC value for manual forecasts that use the forecast method Manual Forecast (Retain EAC).

If you select the Hours, Currency, or Hours and Currency setting for the Scale Retain EAC option, you need to set up the appropriate forecast class that contains the correct classes, cost set, and project forecast options. You also need to make sure that the cost set Forecast contains the forecast class.