Chapter 4: Metrics to Identify Project Improvement Opportunities In the last chapter we discussed Kiviatt Charts and Box & Whisker Plots. These are two tools that can be used to display PD and PP data in our search for process-wide and practice-wide improvement opportunities. This would typically be the starting point for identifying major areas where improvement opportunities should be focused. In this chapter we will peel back the onion and introduce three additional tools that can be used at the individual project level to identify individual projects whose performance suggests that there is a potential improvement opportunity, first in the performance. | 4 Metrics to Identify Project Improvement Opportunities In the last chapter we discussed Kiviatt Charts and Box Whisker Plots. These are two tools that can be used to display PD and PP data in our search for process-wide and practice-wide improvement opportunities. This would typically be the starting point for identifying major areas where improvement opportunities should be focused. In this chapter we will peel back the onion and introduce three additional tools that can be used at the individual project level to identify individual projects whose performance suggests that there is a potential improvement opportunity first in the performance of the project itself and second in the way the project is using project management processes. Project Level The three tools introduced in this section apply to individual projects. The first two tools cost schedule control and milestone trend charts provide high level summary data on the cumulative progress of the project against its plan. Projects whose performance is at variance with its plan are projects that should be further investigated to identify and correct the aberrant performance. The third tool project reviews consist of status presentations by the project manager to a panel of experts. The purpose of these reviews is to understand the status of the project and review the project manager s corrective action plans or suggest corrective action plans to the project manager. 97 98 Project Management Process Improvement Cost Schedule Control Cost schedule control C SC which is also referred to as earned value analysis EVA was originally developed by the Department of Defense in 1963 as a tool to monitor the general health of government contracts. The expenditure of money over time compared against the progress over time of the project is combined to provide that monitoring tool. All projects could be reduced to a common measure and therefore the status of a portfolio of projects such as a program could also
