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Saturday, December 19, 2009
Wayne Abba delivers keynote presentation on Earned Value at 17th Global Symposium in New Delhi
Mr. Wayne Abba, globally recognized project and program earned value management expert, delivered a keynote address on the topic of earned value at the 17th Global Symposium 2009 - Managing Projects, Programs & Portfolios - which opened on Monday, 14 December 2009 at the Hotel Hyatt Regency in New Delhi, India. The symposium was organized by the Center for Excellence in Project and Project Management Associates (PMA), the Indian national member of the International Project Management Association (IPMA).
Wayne's presentation, delivered on Monday afternoon, was entitled "Earned Value Management: the ultimate answer in arresting time and cost overruns." During his 45-minute presentation, Wayne defined earned value for the audience, described the origins and evolution of earned value management (EVM) from 1966 to the present, presented two interesting case studies, and reviewed current initiatives within the US government to advance the use of EVM for better program management in various agencies.
Photo: Wayne Abba delivering keynote address at 17th Global Symposium in New Delhi on 14 December 2009, photo courtesy of PMForum.
Mr. Abba's discussion of the two case studies was particularly interesting to the audience. He briefly described the cancellation of the US Navy's A-12 Avenger stealth bomber program in 1991, cancelled in large part due to EVM analysis. At US$2.8 billion, this was the largest cancellation of a US defense program in history. According to Wayne, "Contractor management of the A-12 program ignored EVM data that clearly predicted the programs eventual cost and schedule problems. After 18 years of litigation, the US government's cancellation of the program was upheld by the courts, with EVM analysis playing a major role in the government's case. I was an expert witness, so I am very familiar with this case."
In his other case study, Wayne described how EVM systems and information were used effectively on the US Navy's F/A - 18 E/F Super Hornet fighter jet program. According to Wayne, "This program demonstrated the use of EVM as it should be, with extraordinary industry - government cooperation and EVM embraced and used from day one by the Navy's program manager. EVM was coordinated with the business temp, with reporting as a by-product of the process. The program was completed under budget and ahead of schedule, with all parties happy - and especially those flying the planes."
Wayne went on to explain that many of the lessons of these two program were not effectively learned by the US Defense Department. However, the rest of the US government has been moving forward in embracing the use of EVM. He described policy changes and major developments across the civilian agencies over the last decade to require EVM for both planning and reporting progress on major programs and projects funded by the US federal government.
He described policy direction established by the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB), experience at the Federal Aviation Administration, and the recently published Cost Estimating Guide by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). A copy of Wayne Abba's presentation will be available at www.pma-india.org/gs09/default.aspx after 23 December 2009. A two-day workshop on EVM was also conducted at the 17th Global Symposium in New Delhi by Wayne Abba and Mathew Morris from the USA.
Other keynote presentations on day one of the 17th Global Symposium in New Delhi included the following:
The 17th Global Symposium provided an opportunity for Indian government officials, project managers and company executives to come together for presentations and discussions about managing projects & programs in India. The 17th Global Symposium was jointly organized by Project Management Associates (PMA) and the Centre for Excellence in Project Management (CEPM), in association with the International Project Management Association (IPMA). The 17th Global Symposium in New Delhi was organized under the Chair of Mr. B K Chaturvedi, Member, Planning Commission, Government of India, who is also the Chair of the 2009 International Advisory Committee (IAC). The Programme Director was Mr. Adesh Jain, Honorary President of PMA. For information about the symposium or to see copies of presentations, visit http://www.cepm.com/gs09/default.aspx.
Founded in 1993, Project Management Associates (PMA) is a non-profit registered professional body of projects and business managers, aimed at strengthening project management in India. PMA's vision is to be an apex agency for promotion of project thinking in India and worldwide for continuously enhancing delivery potential of programs and projects, thereby providing competitive edge to organizations, and growth to individuals. Based in New Delhi and with branches in Hyderabad, Pune and Ranchi, PMA serves members and stakeholders throughout India. PMA is the Indian national association member of IPMA. The Managing Director of PMA is Mr. Arvind Agarwal; the honorary president is Mr. Adesh Jain. For more information, visit www.pma-india.org. For more information about IPMA, visit
The Centre for Excellence in Project Management (CEPM) is a project and programme management education, training and consulting organization based in Noida, New Delhi, India. The company offers basic and advanced project management courses, on the web, in public seminars and in-house workshops. CEPM's Certificate in Project Management (CIPM) is a high quality, low-cost project management qualification; CEPM also offers certification training in support of both PMI's PMP® certification as well as IPMA's 4-level competence-based certification program. For more information, visit http://www.cepm.com.
Photo: Wayne Abba delivering keynote address at 17th Global Symposium in New Delhi on 14 December 2009, photo courtesy of PMForum.
Mr. Abba's discussion of the two case studies was particularly interesting to the audience. He briefly described the cancellation of the US Navy's A-12 Avenger stealth bomber program in 1991, cancelled in large part due to EVM analysis. At US$2.8 billion, this was the largest cancellation of a US defense program in history. According to Wayne, "Contractor management of the A-12 program ignored EVM data that clearly predicted the programs eventual cost and schedule problems. After 18 years of litigation, the US government's cancellation of the program was upheld by the courts, with EVM analysis playing a major role in the government's case. I was an expert witness, so I am very familiar with this case."
In his other case study, Wayne described how EVM systems and information were used effectively on the US Navy's F/A - 18 E/F Super Hornet fighter jet program. According to Wayne, "This program demonstrated the use of EVM as it should be, with extraordinary industry - government cooperation and EVM embraced and used from day one by the Navy's program manager. EVM was coordinated with the business temp, with reporting as a by-product of the process. The program was completed under budget and ahead of schedule, with all parties happy - and especially those flying the planes."
He described policy direction established by the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB), experience at the Federal Aviation Administration, and the recently published Cost Estimating Guide by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). A copy of Wayne Abba's presentation will be available at www.pma-india.org/gs09/default.aspx after 23 December 2009. A two-day workshop on EVM was also conducted at the 17th Global Symposium in New Delhi by Wayne Abba and Mathew Morris from the USA.
Other keynote presentations on day one of the 17th Global Symposium in New Delhi included the following:
- Inaugural Address - Honorable Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning commission, Government of India
- Challenges in Speedy Execution - panel presentation chaired by Mr. B K Chaturvedi, member of Planning Commission of India; Panelists - Mr. Rakesh Nath, Chairman of the Central Electric Authority; Mr. S K Roongta, Chairman & Managing Director of SAIL; and Dr. Sarita Nagpal, Dy. Director General of CII.
- Why certification of project professionals is growing exponentially - Adesh Jain, Honorary President, PMA, India
- Institutionalising project excellence in management of large portfolios - K Venkataramanan, President, L&T, India
- The 5th Generation of Modern Project Management - David L. Pells, President & Managing Editor, PMForum, Inc. USA
The 17th Global Symposium provided an opportunity for Indian government officials, project managers and company executives to come together for presentations and discussions about managing projects & programs in India. The 17th Global Symposium was jointly organized by Project Management Associates (PMA) and the Centre for Excellence in Project Management (CEPM), in association with the International Project Management Association (IPMA). The 17th Global Symposium in New Delhi was organized under the Chair of Mr. B K Chaturvedi, Member, Planning Commission, Government of India, who is also the Chair of the 2009 International Advisory Committee (IAC). The Programme Director was Mr. Adesh Jain, Honorary President of PMA. For information about the symposium or to see copies of presentations, visit http://www.cepm.com/gs09/default.aspx.
The Centre for Excellence in Project Management (CEPM) is a project and programme management education, training and consulting organization based in Noida, New Delhi, India. The company offers basic and advanced project management courses, on the web, in public seminars and in-house workshops. CEPM's Certificate in Project Management (CIPM) is a high quality, low-cost project management qualification; CEPM also offers certification training in support of both PMI's PMP® certification as well as IPMA's 4-level competence-based certification program. For more information, visit http://www.cepm.com.