Posted by Recognizing Earned Value Management (EVM) Gaming
Earned Value Management/Schedule Track
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Abstract:
Why would a contractor or project manager intentionally reduce an Estimate-To-Complete or activity duration? What are the implications of your contractor keeping two sets of Earned Value Management “books,” and how would you even know about it? Under what circumstances would a contractor manipulate schedule logic? What is a “rubber baseline?” These questions and others like it raise serious concerns that all project teams using Earned Value Management should recognize. This presentation examines some common and not-so-common gaming, abuse, and data manipulation techniques that some projects or contracts may employ. At best, these techniques are errors or misunderstandings on the part of the contractor, at worst they are outright fraud and could place the entire project outcome in jeopardy.
Author(s):
Walt Majerowicz
Mr. Majerowicz is the Deputy Program Manager for the Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) Program Analysis and Control (PAAC) II subcontract at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. He is responsible for the planning & scheduling discipline on PAAC and also supports Goddard’s Advanced Concepts and Formulation Office. Mr. Majerowicz is co-chair of the annual NASA Project Management Challenge conference and is an instructor with the NASA Academy of Program, Project & Engineering Leadership (APPEL) in the areas of earned value management and project scheduling.
Previously, he was the Planning & Schedule Manager on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), a major in-house NASA project, and the Polar Operational Environmental Satellites
(POES) Program, a major out-of-house effort. Prior to joining CSC, Mr. Majerowicz held numerous positions in program planning and control at The Boeing Company and the Martin Marietta Corporation.
Mr. Majerowicz holds an M.B.A. from the University of Baltimore and a Certificate in Technology Management from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with the Project Management Institute (PMI). He is also a member of PMI’s College of Scheduling (COS) and College of Performance Management (CPM) where he is a member of the training faculty. Mr. Majerowicz is a frequent speaker at project management conferences
Recent award honors include the NASA Goddard Outstanding Mentor Award, the CSC Science and Information Services Business Area Excellence Award in Program/Project Management, the NASA Public Service Medal, and the PMI Distinguished Contribution Award.
Dorothy Tiffany
Dorothy Tiffany is the NASA EVM Program Executive and the PM Challenge Conference Project Manager in NASA’s Office of Chief Engineer. She also holds the position of Deputy Chief of the Advanced Concepts and Formulation Office for Business Management at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Ms. Tiffany is responsible for leading the Agency’s implementation of Earned Value Management and for developing stronger project teams. She is also a NASA training instructor in the fields of project management, earned value management, budgeting and effective communications.
She previously managed the business operations of numerous large satellite development projects, including Calipso, POES, TRMM, and TDRS. She also directed GSFC’s Financial Management Division and Accounting Branch, instituting major information system reforms with the voucher examination and payment process.
Ms. Tiffany was awarded two NASA Exceptional Achievement Medals and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal for her work in finance and project management and has been recognized for her efforts in mentoring and diversity. She was also awarded the Distinguished Contribution Award by the Project Management Institute (PMI).
Ms. Tiffany holds an M.S. in Project Management from Boston University, a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Maryland and a Certificate in Technology Management from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with the PMI and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Ms. Tiffany is a member of PMI, CPM, the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.