Cost Analysis View

The Cost Analysis view displays control accounts and work packages in read-only mode. You can access the Cost Analysis view from other PM Compass forms or dialog boxes by clicking the appropriate control account or work package hyperlink. For example, clicking a control account or work package hyperlink on the Explanation of Variance form for a Progress entry displays the Cost Analysis view in a new window so the control account manager (CAM) can easily see all Earned Value metrics that are color coded to highlight variances, while completing the Explanation of Variance.

Use the Cost Analysis view to perform the following tasks:

The view can be accessed in two ways:

In the Navigation menu, click Projects » Projects, select a project and click Cost Analysis. This view displays the information about the project's primary control accounts/work packages (parent control accounts/work packages) in a hierarchical view. When you click the + sign, the child work packages display. Since the child work packages are only displayed on demand, this is the most efficient way to display a large project and only retrieve the desired data.

In the Navigation menu, click Projects » My Schedule Analysis. This view displays data for the selected master project (or project) to which you have rights and provides an easy way for you to analyze control accounts/work packages assigned to you based on the assignment mapping hierarchy. When you access the view for the first time, the grid is blank and you must use the Search feature to select control accounts. The next time you access the view, PM Compass remembers your selection.

When you are in the Master Projects view of the Projects List View (that is, you clicked Show Master Projects), you can only use the My Cost Analysis link on the Navigation menu to navigate. You cannot use the Cost Analysis option on the Projects View toolbar. For more information, see Master Projects.

Cost Analysis Color Banding

PM Compass uses color banding to indicate how metrics in cost analysis, cost progress, and the project list views should be colored to ascertain whether a project or control account is doing well or having a problem. The color codes are defined on the Thresholds tab of the Projects form by selecting the Use Color Banding check box and defining the color bands in the Cost Analysis Color Banding Ranges group box.

If needed, you can click Select Columns to add columns, such as CV, from the Cost tab to see color banding.

For more information, see Thresholds Tab of the Projects Form and Thresholds and Color Banding Explained.

Record Limit

The Progress and Analysis Record Limit on the System Settings General tab allows you to set the maximum number of records returned in this view. This improves performance when you have thousands of records in a database.

When you open this view and there are more records than the number set in the Progress and Analysis Record Limit field, a message displays letting you know that the selection exceeds the maximum number of records that can be returned. At this point, you can choose to select a filter to reduce the number of records. If you choose not to select a filter, the following message displays: "Your selection exceeds the maximum number of records returned. Only the first <max num> rows will display."

Cost Analysis View Toolbar

The Cost Analysis view toolbar allows you to perform tasks such as searching for a control account or work package, or entering progress.

Cost Analysis View Barchart

The Cost Analysis view barchart pane displays control account and work package information in a graphical form by drawing bars between pairs of dates (for example, the baseline bar is drawn between the baseline start and finish dates). For more information, see Cost Analysis Barchart Overview.

Cost Analysis View Tabs

The Cost Analysis view has the following tabs:

General — This tab contains general information about the control account or work package.
Resource — This tab display resource assignment time phased data for the control account or work package.
Milestones/Steps — This tab displays milestones or steps under the work package.
Activities — This tab displays the activities related to a work package.
Codes — This tab contains the code labels CODE 1 to CODE 9, which are the code fields 1 to 9 specified on the Fields tab of the Projects form.
User Fields — This tab displays the user fields defined on the Source Fields tab of the User-Defined Data form for Cost.
Notes — This tab displays the Note field defined in the Cost Note Category field on the Progress tab of the System Settings form.
Links — This tab allows you to view, enter, or modify a list of links associated with control accounts.

Cost Analysis Grid

This grid displays the control accounts and work packages for the selected project in a non-hierarchical view. If you select a control account or work package in the grid, the tabs at the bottom of the Cost Analysis view display information about the selected control account or work package.

The control accounts and work packages use color codes so that you can easily find records that are not progressing as planned and require immediate actions.

PM Compass saves up to six digits to the right of the decimal when entering time-phased data in this grid.

Grid Toolbar

Option	Description
Select Columns	Click this button to display the Select Columns dialog box, where you can select the columns that you want to add to the grid.

Grid Columns

These are the default columns for the Cost Analysis view grid. You can add or remove columns by using the Select Columns dialog box. The entries in these columns are in read-only mode.

To view a complete list of control account and work package fields with descriptions, see Control Account and Work Package Field Descriptions.
To view a list of the terms and formulas for the schedule and cost variance and performance indicators used in PM Compass, see Calculated Field Formulas and Descriptions.

Thresholds

The variance columns use color banding to indicate whether a particular control account is doing well or having a problem. See Thresholds Explained for more information.

Field Name	Description
WBS	This column displays the work breakdown structure (WBS) code of the control account or work package.
WP	This column displays the work package ID.
Description	This column displays a description of each control account and work package.
Manager	This column displays the control account manager (CAM) for the control account or work package.
Budget to Date Hours	This column displays the number of budgeted hours to date.
Hours Earned	This column displays the time in standard hours credited as a result of the completion of a given task or a group of tasks for the control account or work package.
Actual Hours	This column displays the actual hours incurred for the completion of a given task or a group of tasks for the control account or work package.
Budget Hours	This column displays the budgeted hours until the completion of the control account or work package.
Forecast Hours	This column displays the estimated hours needed to complete the control account or work package.
Baseline Start	This column displays the baseline start date for the control account or work package as specified in the cost system. You cannot modify this date.
Baseline Finish	This column displays the baseline finish date for the control account or work package as specified in the cost system. You cannot modify this date.
Forecast Start	This column displays the best estimate of when the work will start. Use this column to update the forecast start date for the activity. For more information, see Forecast Start/Finish.
Forecast Finish	This column displays the best estimate of when the work will finish. Use this column to update the forecast finish date for the activity. For more information, see Forecast Start/Finish. You can modify the date in this column if there is no date specified in the Actual Finish column for the control account or work package.
Note	This column contains a link to the note on the Notes tab of the Cost Analysis view.
CV	This column displays the Cost Variance which indicates how much over or under budget the project is. This column uses color codes to indicate whether it is progressing as planned or not. For more information, see Thresholds and Color Banding Explained.
SV	This column displays the Schedule Variance (SV), which is the difference between the budgeted cost of work performed and the budgeted cost of work scheduled at any point in time for the control account or work package. This column uses color codes to indicate whether it is progressing as planned or not. For more information, see Thresholds and Color Banding Explained.
CPI	This column displays the Cost Performance Indicator (CPI), an index showing the efficiency of the utilization of the resources on the project. This column uses color codes to indicate whether it is progressing as planned or not. For more information, see Thresholds and Color Banding Explained.
SPI hours	This column displays the Schedule Performance Indicator Hours (SPI hours), an index showing the efficiency of the time utilized on the project in terms of hours.
Code Fields	These are the code fields that were defined on the User-Defined Data form. For more information, see Codes Tab of the Enter Schedule Progress Form.
User Fields	These are the user fields that were defined on the User-Defined Data form. For more information, see User Fields Tab of the Enter Schedule Progress Form.

What do you want to do?

Search for a Control Account in the "My Cost Analysis"/Cost Analysis View

Find control accounts or work packages that are not progressing according to plan

Add a source field to the Cost Analysis view

Delete a source field from the Cost Analysis view

View explanation of variance for a control account or work package

View time phased resource data for a control account or work package

Enter cost progress

Set up project-level thresholds

View location

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