"EAC" sometimes not equal to "Cost"

[German]

Hi there,

I'm managing a project server instance with approx. 50 projects and
about 500 resources.

Today I noticed that for some of the projects the EAC is not equal to
the Cost. For all I know this should be!
The difference shows in the project center views as well as in the
project file itself.

In this projectfile all tasks are completed (% complete = % work
complete = 100%).
No remaining work nor cost.
The Baseline cost = Actual Cost = Cost.
The EAC of 5 tasks (of a total of 250) is 20% larger and sometimes 40%
smaller than the Cost.
There's no fixed cost.


any ideas?

 

[Andrew Lavinsky]

EAC represents a specific Earned Value calculation....in this case, it should
be:

AC+[(BAC-EV)]/CPI]...which can be simplified as BAC/CPI. (where BAC = Budget
At Completion, and CPI = EV/AC.) EAC calculates the forecasted completion
budget of the project based on the current level of performance extrapolated
into the future at a constant rate.

Incidentally, those are the terms as they're most often used by PMI. In
MPP, you will need to substitue these terms w/

EV - BCWP
AC - ACWP
PV - BCWS

Pls let me know if you have any more questions. What are you trying to accomplish
w/ this field?

-A

 

[German]

Andrew, thX for your reaction...

....in the end it's about the VAC, that seems not to be correct for some
tasks, because of an incorrect EAC (I guess).

Example task:
baselinecost: € 81.728,99
actual cost: € 81.728,99
remaining cost: € 0,00
cost: € 81.728,99
.... so the task has been baselined, finished and completed

ACWP: € 17.659,20
I haven't a clue how msp get's these numbers, it should be €
81.728,99 which is the actual cost

BCWP: € 20.111,00
MSP keeps on fantasising, this should also be € 81.728,99

CPI: 1,14
at least this calculation is correct, but based on the wrong numbers...

EAC: € 71.765,13
wrong calculation, according to these numbers it should be 71710,07
of course since the task is already finished it should be the actual
cost (in this case the Baseline x = BCWP, so EAC = ACWP)

VAC: € 9.963,86
should be 0 since the task is finished on baseline budget


Andrew Lavinsky schreef:

EAC represents a specific Earned Value calculation....in this case, it should
be:

AC+[(BAC-EV)]/CPI]...which can be simplified as BAC/CPI. (where BAC = Budget
At Completion, and CPI = EV/AC.) EAC calculates the forecasted completion
budget of the project based on the current level of performance extrapolated
into the future at a constant rate.

Incidentally, those are the terms as they're most often used by PMI. In
MPP, you will need to substitue these terms w/

EV - BCWP
AC - ACWP
PV - BCWS

Pls let me know if you have any more questions. What are you trying to accomplish
w/ this field?

-A

Hi there,

I'm managing a project server instance with approx. 50 projects and
about 500 resources.

Today I noticed that for some of the projects the EAC is not equal to
the Cost. For all I know this should be!
The difference shows in the project center views as well as in the
project file itself.
In this projectfile all tasks are completed (% complete = % work
complete = 100%).
No remaining work nor cost.
The Baseline cost = Actual Cost = Cost.
The EAC of 5 tasks (of a total of 250) is 20% larger and sometimes
40%
smaller than the Cost.
There's no fixed cost.
any ideas?

 

[Andrew Lavinsky]

OK...

Well, the ACWP should equal Actual Cost if the Status Date is correct. (i.e.
the ACWP is a snapshot of your actual costs as of the status date).

Check Project>Project Information, and see what the Status Date is set for.
You may want to push the Status Date to the end of the project, and see
if that corrects the discrepancy between AC and ACWP.

My first guess would be that the project is scheduled to finish in the future,
but that you have all of the work completed already....?

Let me know if that fixes it, or if we need to do a bit more troubleshooting.

-A

Andrew, thX for your reaction...

...in the end it's about the VAC, that seems not to be correct for
some tasks, because of an incorrect EAC (I guess).

Example task:
baselinecost: € 81.728,99
actual cost: € 81.728,99
remaining cost: € 0,00
cost: € 81.728,99
... so the task has been baselined, finished and completed
ACWP: € 17.659,20
I haven't a clue how msp get's these numbers, it should be €
81.728,99 which is the actual cost
BCWP: € 20.111,00
MSP keeps on fantasising, this should also be € 81.728,99
CPI: 1,14
at least this calculation is correct, but based on the wrong
numbers...
EAC: € 71.765,13
wrong calculation, according to these numbers it should be 71710,07
of course since the task is already finished it should be the actual
cost (in this case the Baseline x = BCWP, so EAC = ACWP)
VAC: € 9.963,86
should be 0 since the task is finished on baseline budget
Andrew Lavinsky schreef:

EAC represents a specific Earned Value calculation....in this case,
it sh
ould

be:

AC+[(BAC-EV)]/CPI]...which can be simplified as BAC/CPI. (where BAC
=
Budget

At Completion, and CPI = EV/AC.) EAC calculates the forecasted
complet
ion

budget of the project based on the current level of performance
extrapola
ted

into the future at a constant rate.

Incidentally, those are the terms as they're most often used by PMI.
In MPP, you will need to substitue these terms w/

EV - BCWP
AC - ACWP
PV - BCWS
Pls let me know if you have any more questions. What are you trying
to a
ccomplish

w/ this field?

-A

Hi there,

I'm managing a project server instance with approx. 50 projects and
about 500 resources.

Today I noticed that for some of the projects the EAC is not equal
to
the Cost. For all I know this should be!
The difference shows in the project center views as well as in the
project file itself.
In this projectfile all tasks are completed (% complete = % work
complete = 100%).
No remaining work nor cost.
The Baseline cost = Actual Cost = Cost.
The EAC of 5 tasks (of a total of 250) is 20% larger and sometimes
40%
smaller than the Cost.
There's no fixed cost.
any ideas?

 

[German]

setting the correct status date seems to do the trick...

project finish date 22-6-06
status date was set on 31-1-06

many thX!

Andrew Lavinsky schreef:

OK...

Well, the ACWP should equal Actual Cost if the Status Date is correct. (i..e.
the ACWP is a snapshot of your actual costs as of the status date).

Check Project>Project Information, and see what the Status Date is set for.
You may want to push the Status Date to the end of the project, and see
if that corrects the discrepancy between AC and ACWP.

My first guess would be that the project is scheduled to finish in the future,
but that you have all of the work completed already....?

Let me know if that fixes it, or if we need to do a bit more troubleshooting.

-A

Andrew, thX for your reaction...

...in the end it's about the VAC, that seems not to be correct for
some tasks, because of an incorrect EAC (I guess).

Example task:
baselinecost: € 81.728,99
actual cost: € 81.728,99
remaining cost: € 0,00
cost: € 81.728,99
... so the task has been baselined, finished and completed
ACWP: € 17.659,20
I haven't a clue how msp get's these numbers, it should be €
81.728,99 which is the actual cost
BCWP: € 20.111,00
MSP keeps on fantasising, this should also be € 81.728,99
CPI: 1,14
at least this calculation is correct, but based on the wrong
numbers...
EAC: € 71.765,13
wrong calculation, according to these numbers it should be 71710,07
of course since the task is already finished it should be the actual
cost (in this case the Baseline x = BCWP, so EAC = ACWP)
VAC: € 9.963,86
should be 0 since the task is finished on baseline budget
Andrew Lavinsky schreef:

EAC represents a specific Earned Value calculation....in this case,
it sh
ould

be:

AC+[(BAC-EV)]/CPI]...which can be simplified as BAC/CPI. (where BAC
=
Budget

At Completion, and CPI = EV/AC.) EAC calculates the forecasted
complet
ion

budget of the project based on the current level of performance
extrapola
ted

into the future at a constant rate.

Incidentally, those are the terms as they're most often used by PMI.
In MPP, you will need to substitue these terms w/

EV - BCWP
AC - ACWP
PV - BCWS
Pls let me know if you have any more questions. What are you trying
to a
ccomplish

w/ this field?

-A

Hi there,

I'm managing a project server instance with approx. 50 projects and
about 500 resources.

Today I noticed that for some of the projects the EAC is not equal
to
the Cost. For all I know this should be!
The difference shows in the project center views as well as in the
project file itself.
In this projectfile all tasks are completed (% complete = % work
complete = 100%).
No remaining work nor cost.
The Baseline cost = Actual Cost = Cost.
The EAC of 5 tasks (of a total of 250) is 20% larger and sometimes
40%
smaller than the Cost.
There's no fixed cost.
any ideas?