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Progress Techniques

The progress technique selected for a work package determines how earned value is calculated. Earned value is used to measure the work package's performance.

EVMS guidelines provide a number of alternative methods for measuring the earned value of an activity in progress. To measure the performance of activities in progress, you need a system of measurement that includes objective judgments.

Most projects involve at least some work that is regarded as inherently immeasurable, such as work done by a project manager or quality control inspector. This type of task is sometimes referred to as level of effort (LOE). Its earned value is assumed to be the same as the amount budgeted. Basically, as long as the task is performed, the value is earned.

For other work, EVMS guidelines offer earned value methodologies or performance measurement techniques (PMTs). Some common techniques include:
  • 0/100: This is the most common milestone-based method, although it is often seen as harsh, as you get no value at all until the task is complete, regardless of progress.
  • 50/50: This technique recognizes 50% of value when the task is started and 50% when completed. This method is sometimes abused, however, when value is given for starting a project but not necessarily achieving a goal.
  • 25/75: This technique is similar to 50/50, only with a different percentage ratio.
  • % Complete: This technique allows for the measurement of percentage complete. This measurement is subjective unless it is tied to a weighting system.
  • Units: This technique is related to completed units weighting, and results in a percentage complete.

Cobra offers many progress technique options.

Field Description
Level of Effort (A) This progress technique assumes that when a work package starts, its progress will not deviate from the original budget spread. Cobra lets you apply this progress technique to any work package, but it is most suitable for only a small number of work packages whose earned value is, by nature, unmeasurable. The value earned by an open work package using this progress technique is equal to its budget to date. The value earned each period equals the budget. In other words, the work package earns its entire budget up to the status date.

An LOE work package should be set to In-progress before its baseline start date. If the work package is in a status period after the baseline start date, Cobra puts a cumulative-to-date earned value record in the current period. Similarly, if you change the budget in the previous period, Cobra puts a correcting entry in the current period. This ensures that cumulative-to-date earned value is equal to the cumulative-to-date budget.

Note: For the percent complete value, Cobra will only use a positive number between 0 and 100.
Milestones (B) With this progress technique, milestones are defined, and relative weights are assigned to them. At any point, the value earned is the original work package budget multiplied by the combined weight of the completed milestones and divided by the total weight of all milestones. You can apply this method to any work package. It is generally the preferred method for work packages that span more than two fiscal periods.

If the Allow percent complete on milestones option is selected in the Project Preferences tab in the Project Properties dialog box, Cobra uses the percentage complete approach in calculating earned value by weighted steps. Each step can have a portion earned, rather than forcing an all-or-nothing awarding of earned value.

% Complete (C) Use this progress technique if you want to manually enter the completion status of the work package as a percentage each status period. For example, if you enter 20 in the Completed field on the General tab of the Project view, 20% of the work package has been earned.
Units Complete (D) Sometimes referred to as the “discrete” method, this progress technique is applicable to any work package that is made up of a predefined number of similar tasks. The value earned at any point in time is simply the work package budget multiplied by the number of these tasks completed and divided by the total number to be done. Use of this progress technique assumes that budgets are based on the units being measured.
50-50 (E) With this progress technique, 50% of the value is earned as soon as the work package starts, and the rest is earned when it is completed. Use this progress technique only for work packages that span a maximum of two periods, since value cannot be earned in any intervening periods. For example, if you apply the 50-50 progress technique to a work package spanning 4 months, the work package cannot earn any value during the second and third months (assuming it does not finish early).
0-100 (F) If you select this progress technique, no value is earned until the work package is completed, at which point the entire budget is earned.

Use this progress technique only if the work package is scheduled to start and finish in the same period.

100-0 (G) All the value is earned as soon as the work package is started.

Use this method only if the work package is scheduled to start and finish in the same fiscal period.

User Defined (H) This is a variation of the 50-50 progress technique (E). The percentage earned at the start of the work package (1 to 99%) is defined in advance by the user. The remaining percentage is earned when the work package is completed. This method should be used only for work packages whose schedule dates span a maximum of two fiscal periods.
Apportioned (J) With this progress technique, the work package budget is earned in direct proportion to the amount earned on another related work package. You can apply this progress technique to any work package if the referenced work package does not itself use the Apportioned or the Level of Effort progress technique, and if the schedule dates are the same for both work packages.

This progress technique is generally used when the activity itself is difficult to measure, but it is closely related to a more readily measured work package. Quality assurance is a typical example of this type of work package.

Note: The Apportioned progress technique is not supported for the integration process. If you want to use this progress technique for integration, you must manually select it on the General tab of the Project view.
Planning Package (K) When you use this progress technique, Cobra always calculates an earned value of zero for the item.

Use this progress technique if you do not want the work package to earn any of its budget, regardless of its status.

Assignment % Complete (L) This progress technique lets you enter a percent complete for each resource individually. This is useful when you have long work packages and your resources are not spread across the entire work package. This is not a recommended method for work packages that contain apportionment resources because Cobra will be unable to determine the status of the apportioned resources.
Calculated Apportionment (M) This progress technique is associated with an apportioned budget. Cobra allows you to define budget items based on a percentage of other items, such as defining travel as a percentage of engineering. Work packages that use this progress technique can calculate earned value based on the same formula.
Attention: For more information, see Calculate Progress using the Calculated Apportionment Progress Technique.
Steps (N) This progress technique lets you define the steps and weight used in calculating the percent complete of the work package. When you add a step, the work package earns a percentage of the work package's budget. This method is similar to Milestones (B) except that dates are not entered.
Earned As Spent (O) This progress technique calculates the percent complete of a work package based on actual costs, using the formula (Actual Cost/EAC) x 100. This calculated percentage will then be applied to the BAC of the work package. If Actual Cost exceeds the EAC, the earned value will equal the budget. This method is useful for progressing material items to reduce false variances. If the EAC is zero, the Percentage will be set to 100 and all Budget will be earned.
When actual costs are collected at the work package level, the percent complete is calculated using the total earned ((Actuals/EAC) x 100) and BAC values at the work package level. When actual costs are collected at the control account level, the EAC and BAC are calculated using the sum of the work packages and the same percentage complete is applied to all work packages with a status of In-progress.
Note: To enable Cobra to calculate the Earned as Spent progress technique with the formula ACWP/BAC, refer to "KB Article # 52908" in the Knowledge Center of the Deltek Support Center.
% Complete Manual Entry (P) This progress technique calculates earned value using the same method as % Complete. However, Cobra does not update work packages using this method when status is loaded from the schedule.