Explore Cobra

Familiarize yourself with the Cobra basic layout, including the Cobra Explorer, tabs, shortcut menus, file manager, and project view.

Learn how to save and filter views, view summary data, view direct and indirect resource costs, assign resources, and update your project. Finally, see some of the powerful reporting features that Cobra offers.

Cobra Explorer

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The Cobra Explorer view, in conjunction with the left hand Navigation Pane, allows you to view and access all projects, related ancillary files (calendars, codes, rates, resources), and reports. The view includes summary information for each project. You can right-click on a column heading to add or remove columns to view different data and drag and drop columns to reorder them. You can create and maintain the project components using the links in the Navigation pane and collapse the Navigation pane to increase your viewing area.

Learn more about... Getting Started Cobra Operations How to ... Insert a Column in a view Remove a Column from a View

Tabs	Related Topics
Tabs display commands in a series of icons. Use the Processes tab to perform Cobra processes. Use the Integration tab to import and export to/from Cobra. Use the Reporting tab to create reports and analyze data. Use the Tools tab to manage and validate data and create calculated fields. The Edit tab options change, depending on the view that you are in.	Learn more about... Processes Tab Integration Tab Reporting Tab Tools Tab Calculated Fields Edit Tab of the Project View Edit Tab of the Calendar View Edit Tab of the Code View Edit Tab of the Rate View Edit Tab of the Resource View

Shortcut Menus	Related Topics
Many of the panes and grids have shortcut menus.	Learn more about... Batch Reports Pane Shortcut Menu Calendars Pane Shortcut Menu Codes Pane Shortcut Menu Projects Pane Shortcut Menu Rates Pane Shortcut Menu Reports Pane Shortcut Menu Resources Pane Shortcut Menu

File Manager	Related Topics
The Cobra button provides you with tools for managing your projects and their data.	Learn more about... Cobra Button Cobra Button Keyboard Shortcuts Quick Access Toolbar

Project View

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Double-click the project in the Cobra Explorer view to open it and view the control account, work package, and resource information. Spreadsheet Pane The Spreadsheet pane displays control accounts, work packages, and resources. Click the plus sign to display the work packages and resources associated with each control account. You can see separate lines for Budget, Actual, Earned, and Forecast. The Status Date in the top right corner displays the end of the current period. When you select a control account or work package, the information in the Tabs and Time-phase panes changes to reflect the data for the selected control account or work package. The Time-phase Detail pane is blank until you select a resource in the Spreadsheet pane. Right-click on a column header to add or remove columns, depending on the data that you wish to view. In addition, you can drag and drop the columns to reorder them. Tabbed Pane The Tabbed pane reflects the data for the control account or work package that you select in the Spreadsheet pane. Everything that you see on the General and Codes tabs can be added as a column to the Spreadsheet pane and you can edit the information in either location. Time-phase Pane The Time-phase pane displays the costs associated with the resource assignments. The red line indicates the end of the current period. You specify the length of the periods when you create your calendars. Time-phase Detail Pane When you select a resource in the Spreadsheet pane, the costs associated with that resource display in the Time-phase Detail pane. These cost calculations are set up on the Resources Calculation tab. You can click in a cell and edit the information as needed.

Learn more about... Projects Control Accounts and Work Packages Spreadsheet Pane of the Project View Time-phase Pane of the Project View Tabbed Pane of the Project View Time-phase Detail Pane of the Project View Resources Calculations Tab of the Resource View How to ... Create a New Calendar Adjust Budget Spread Manually Add a New Control Account Add a New Work Package

Manage Views

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Save the View If you customize the view by, for example, adding or reordering columns, you can save the custom view so that the next time you access Cobra, you have everything set up the way you like it. You can have several different views saved. For example, you may want one that only displays the forecast costs, and you may want another that displays budget and actuals. Views are stored on your local drive. Use Manage Views dialog box to share views with others. Filter the View You can filter the view to only display certain types of information, for example, Earned Value. When you filter, only the control accounts/work packages that include that type of information display in the grid. To view all information again, use the filter to select all information types. View Summary Data The costs display at the resource level in the Time-phase pane. To see cost totals at the control account or work package level, click Show Summary. Click to collapse the view to see the cost totals rolled up to the control account level. All of the displayed data is summarized. You can use filters to aggregate data in different ways. View Direct and Indirect Resource Costs Direct (hours, direct dollars) and indirect (burdens) costs are calculated against the resource. You can choose to view and edit different cost units (Results), for example, Total Currency, Hours, or FTE (Full Time Equivalent), in the Time-phase pane. These are based on calculations that you define on the Resources Calculations tab.

Learn more about... Save and Share View Manage Views Dialog Box Filters Data Entry Calculations Tab of the Resource View How to... Manage Views Modify an Existing View Filter by Classes or Cost Sets

Assign Resources	Related Topics
You can assign any of the existing resources to a control account or work package. Click Resources in the Cobra Navigation pane to manage resources.	Learn more about... Resources How to... Add a Resource Assignment

Update your Project

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When you start your project, you enter your initial budget and forecast. At the end of each reporting period there are several steps that you perform in Cobra. Start a New Reporting Period Click Advance Calendar on the Processes tab to close out the current period and move the status date (period end date) to the end of the next period. The status date changes to the last day of the next period and the red line on the Time-phase pane moves to the last day of the next period. Enter a Start Date After the work starts, and before you enter actuals or calculate progress, you must set the status of the work package to in-progress by entering an actual start date that represents when the work began. You do this on the work package in the Spreadsheet pane or in the General tab of the Project view. Enter Actuals Enter actual costs in the Time-phased grid. Enter Progress Update progress for the current period that ends on the status date. For some progress techniques such as Level of Effort (LOE), you do not need to enter anything since Cobra calculates the progress when you run the Calculate Progress process. For progress techniques such as % Complete, you must enter progress for each work package. You can enter progress on the General tab of the Project view. After entering progress for all work packages that have progress, run the Calculate Progress process. Cobra calculates and updates all earned value in the project. Calculate Forecast When you run the Calculate Forecast process, Cobra projects the total cost in future periods and spreads that amount across the remaining periods based on the selected forecast method. After you run the calculation, you can manually modify any forecast amounts in the grid as needed. After calculating forecast, you now have all of the data you need in order to determine if you are completing work as planned, staying within budget, and projecting to complete on time. You can run various reports to analyze data and variances, and to report to internal and external stakeholders.

Learn more about... Statusing General Tab of the Project View Advance Calendar Progress Techniques Calculate Progress How Cobra Calculates Progress to Determine Earned Value Calculate Forecast Wizard Manual Forecasts How to... Advance the Calendar Calculate Progress

Reports

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Cobra features a complete set of standard cost and schedule reports. You can view reports by clicking All Reports in the Navigation pane. To generate a report, run the Report Wizard to select the project, criteria, and other parameters needed for the report. Ancillary reports display information about the ancillary data (calendar, code, rate, and resource) connected to the project and the related access control. Audit reports display project account information and audit transactions. Graphic reports display project information in a graphical format. Column reports display cost sets and results information in columns. Export reports are unformatted reports that contain the contents of the selected ancillary file. The data is displayed in a flat Excel file that can be manipulated and re-imported if desired through the Integration wizard. Cobra provides a format reporting utility that retrieves data from Cobra and formats data related to government standard reports. Planning reports display control account and work package information that you can use to analyze performance. Reports are categorized as time-phased when the data is organized by periods from the selected calendar set (such as monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual). The criteria/cost set is displayed by row and the calendar periods by column. Data is plotted at the intersection of both.

Learn more about... Report Wizard Reporting Ancillary Reports Audit Reports Graphic Reports Column Reports Export Reports Integration Wizard Format Reports Planning Reports Time-phased Reports How to... Display the Report Wizard