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Control Account Versus Work Package Level

When you create a project, Cobra allows you to indicate whether you want to enter actual costs at the control account or the work package level. Cobra then defines the default actual cost class (AC) and forecast cost class (F1) to function at the appropriate level.

Typically, if actual costs are collected at the control account level, you would also generate the forecasts at the control account level.

Collecting actual costs at the control account level is the method adopted by most project managers. This is the preferred method for managing work that is performed within your organization. When you are managing work that is performed outside of your organization, the terms of the contract frequently determine how costs are collected.

While detailed planning is important for accurate earned value, it is possible to overdo a good thing. If you were to collect costs at the work package level, you would require a different charge number for each work package, adding a level of complexity that would deter people from creating a detailed plan. The goal in a proper implementation is to provide an environment that is easy to maintain while yielding the information that is required to properly manage the project. In most cases, this goal is met by collecting actual costs at the control account level.

It is important to note that collecting actual costs at the control account level does not preclude you from reporting to the customer at a higher level. An implementation that stores the actual costs at the control account level usually uses three control account key fields. The first two fields are WBS and OBS, and the third key field is the charge number.

This allows you to report to the customer in either of the following ways:

  • Define the customer reporting level as a specific level of the WBS
  • Add a code on the control account to represent the customer reporting level