Workflows
The CAM’s role is like that of a junior project manager. They are responsible and authorized to manage a single or group of control accounts of the program. According to EVM-educator Gary Humphreys from Humphreys & Associates,*
“Control account management responsibilities include schedule planning and status, actual cost collection, variance analysis and resultant corrective action, and estimating costs at completion.
It is the point where technical scope, schedule, and budget are integrated.”
*Gary Humphreys, EVMS Education Center, Control Account Manager (CAM) “https://www.humphreys-assoc.com/evms/control-account-manager-ta-a-143.html, accessed March 5, 2024
ProboData Group’s unique area of finance and EVM expertise, translates into evData Pro’s CAM planning sandbox and the workflow processes:
Variance Analysis
Variance Analysis reporting in evData Pro enables CAMs and finance managers to document explanations about cost and schedule variances for current, cumulative and at completion periods. Managers gain control over editing, adding and tracking comments. CAMs are required to document explanations for the violations and must address:
- Reason for Variance
- Impact to Program and
- Corrective Action Required
An additional section auto-generates informational messages, apprising the user of rate and EVT issues for the selected accounts.
From evData Pro’s Dashboard, users can quickly identify accounts that violate contract thresholds. These variances must be addressed with the specificity of who, what, why, and when to take corrective actions to mitigate risks to the program’s budget. In evData Pro, variance analysis can be taken at the OBS, WBS, work package or control account level. Criteria can be set by earned value technique, elements of cost [EOC] or EVT Group.
A VAR checklist ensures comments are well thought out narratives, written in compliance with the ANSI/EIA-748 standards.
A VAR approvals checklist in evData Pro allows managers to quickly see approvals not yet completed. Emails can be automatically sent to managers reminding them to complete their VARs.
A VARx report shows managers the control account and work package breakout within the same report.
Action Item Tracking
Automating the Action Required gives CAMS and finance managers visibility in to the history of every action taken via corrective action logs. evData Pro gives the users the flexibility to turn the tracking on or off. If the VAR account requires an EAC Justification, CAMs can easily navigate to that workflow. A notification email is sent automatically to managers assigned to the Actions.
Baseline Change Request (BCR)
Budget Planning is easy with evData Pro and begins with the BCR. The BCR report in evData Pro enables users to edit budget changes, description details, and the accounts tied to the budget changes. These changes can then be assigned to a budget planning and tracking process (BTC or budget planning) that will instantly price and cost these changes. Once priced, a final WAD can be generated that identifies the changes made and the total budget.
BCR Overview
The BCR Overview allows users to see all budget changes by account type, contract, CLIN, and month-end. You can also email the managers and BCR Assignees directly from the reports.
Estimate At Completion (EAC) Justification
The EAC Justification workflow tracks how much the EAC has changed from month to month. Accounts that require an EAC Justification violate certain thresholds, for example: Rule 12 and 13. These rules are for EACs that change by a small amount, Rule 12 (fewer approvals required), or EACs that change by a larger amount, Rule 13 (more approvals needed).
Work Authorization Documents (WAD)
Work Authorization Documents track budget changes and management assignment changes over the life of the contract. This workflow identifies all the approvals needed each month.
The Sandbox
The sandbox allows users to edit or import their future labor and non-labor plans without impacting existing estimates. Get Estimate to Completion, Budget to Completion and Consolidated Estimate at Completion as part of the Sandbox. Planning can be done in heads, hours, or dollars. The totals of which generate a new EAC, BAC, or CEAC.
Budget Planning (budget to completion) allows users to modify their budgets inside the sandbox without impacting any existing budgets. These changes to the BTCs can be priced instantly to determine the total budget at completion (BAC). Users have the flexibility to plan in multiple views with different account types.
- Plan by control account, OBS, WBS, or other commonly used breakdown structures.
- Plan in hours or heads
- Plan by change ID
