3 Challenges When Preparing for an EVMS Review – and How to Avoid Them

Preparing for an Earned Value Management (EVM) System Surveillance Review can be an overwhelming task. Multiple stakeholders need to pull together a multitude of information to present, and the review process can feel nerve-wracking. Understanding the common challenges that arise when preparing for a review can assuage worries and keep the process moving efficiently. The top three challenges we often see when getting ready for an EVMS review are Management Support/Cost Account Manager (CAM) training, data integrity and reviewer understanding.

Management Support and CAM training – know your role and how to explain it

CAMs must be experts knowledgeable in the technical portion of their project and in using EVM as a tool to manage the project. If a CAM is new in the field, he or she may not have previous experience with EVM. Training in these procedures does take time and can require a shift in workplace culture and mindset, therefore, buy in from top management is a must in order to enforce EVM!  Without the proper support from management, EVM processes will be difficult to implement and maintain. The need for training, and the time investment involved, shouldn’t be underestimated, and training should begin well in advance of a review. A training class is a great start, but to truly understand EVM, it’s best  to see it in action.  

Communication skills are also important for CAMs. Each participant in the review process will need to explain their answers and show their knowledge in language that the review panel can understand. CAMs can use mock interviews and drill-down sessions into specific topics to prepare to answer review questions.

Data integrity – avoid last-minute checks and enforce a high standard

Large, complex projects often face a last-minute scramble to finalize data sets to meet posting deadlines for surveillance reviews. Teams are working overtime, rushing to finish and incorporate final changes. While understandable given the amount of work and stakeholders involved, this leads to errors and inconsistent data – which reviewers will find.

Project managers must enforce deadlines and cut-offs for changes to data to ensure there is enough time for integrity checks. Preparing for an EVMS review is hard work, and rushed reports that raise questions about the quality of the data and the project can undermine its success

Reviewer understanding

Panel members will likely be unfamiliar with the project under review. They won’t be immersed in the day-to-day experience the way the internal team is. Reviewers will only know what the team presents, and the team needs to be able to anticipate (and clarify) any  potential misunderstandings.

All material for the review should be concise, with data easily traceable. Reviewers will be sorting through a lot of information in a short period of time, and participating team members should be prepared to answer questions and guide reviewers through the reports. It can be frustrating and cumbersome for reviewers to discover that a posted document doesn’t reconcile fully, creating a need to track down multiple pieces to cross-check it. Ensure that team members turn in clean, accurate reports, consider all questions reviewers may ask and are ready to speak about the data.

Addressing these three challenges in your preparation process will set the team up for success and a smooth review process. An EVMs review is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the team’s hard work and dedication, and preparing in advance will ensure a positive outcome.