% Complete vs % Work Complete in Earned Value calculations

[David Oliver]

It seems MSP uses % complete rather than % work complete
to compute earned value from planned value for a task or
project. This doesn't make sense to me given that
planned value is work X resource rate and %complete is
really a measure of duration rather than work. It's like
comparing apples and oranges. Using %complete instead of
%work complete also really skews the earned value on
partially completed tasks that have been split during
schedule statusing (Tools/Tracking/Update
Project/Reschedule uncompleted work to start after...)

So I am wondering if MSP provides a configuration option
that allows you to use %work complete to compute earned
value (BCWP), and consequently spi and cpi? Can anyone
help with that?

 

[Mark Durrenberger]

If you are correct in your assessment of how MSP is calculating the EV, then
you are right MSP is wrong. The calc should be based on %work complete.

Here's a thought, try "done/not done" and then it won't matter what the
%complete is. It's either 0% (not done) or 100% (Done)

I've only had limited success with the default implementation of EV in MSP
so no longer use it (I wrote my own add-in to work around it.)

Mark


--
_________________________________________________________
Mark Durrenberger, PMP
Principal, Oak Associates, Inc, www.oakinc.com
"Advancing the Theory and Practice of Project Management"
________________________________________________________

The nicest thing about NOT planning is that failure
comes as a complete surprise and is not preceded by
a period of worry and depression.

- Sir John Harvey-Jones