KEY CONCEPTS FOR PROJECT COST MANAGEMENT
Project Cost Management is primarily concerned with the cost of the resources needed to complete project activities. Project Cost Management should consider the effect of project decisions on the subsequent recurring cost of using, maintaining, and supporting the product, service, or result of the project. For example, limiting the number of design reviews can reduce the cost of the project but could increase the resulting product’s operating costs.
Another aspect of cost management is recognizing that different stakeholders measure project costs in different ways and at different times. For example, the cost of an acquired item may be measured when the acquisition decision is made or committed, the order is placed, the item is delivered, or the actual cost is incurred or recorded for project accounting purposes. In many organizations, predicting and analyzing the prospective financial performance of the project’s product is performed outside of the project. In others, such as a capital facilities project, Project Cost Management can include this work. When such predictions and analyses are included, Project Cost Management may address additional processes and numerous general financial management techniques such as return on investment, discounted cash flow, and investment payback analysis.
TRENDS AND EMERGING PRACTICES IN PROJECT COST MANAGEMENT
Within the practice of Project Cost Management, trends include the expansion of earned value management (EVM) to include the concept of earned schedule (ES).
ES is an extension to the theory and practice of EVM. Earned schedule theory replaces the schedule variance measures used in traditional EVM (earned value − planned value) with ES and actual time (AT). Using the alternate equation for calculating schedule variance ES − AT, if the amount of earned schedule is greater than 0, then the project is considered ahead of schedule. In other words, the project earned more than planned at a given point in time. The schedule performance index (SPI) using earned schedule metrics is ES/AT. This indicates the efficiency with which work is being accomplished. Earned schedule theory also provides formulas for forecasting the project completion date, using earned schedule, actual time, and estimated duration.
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