Pinnacle Insights

Let’s talk about that now infamous “September 14^th Memo” from the Deputy Secretary of War. The one titled “Fostering One Strong Industrial Base.” If you haven’t seen it yet, you can read it here. There is a lot in the memo, and I’m not going to cover all of it, but there are some big things to unpack. I will do my best to cover those that are most relevant to our customers.

The memo itself appears to take aim at the fundamental business system compliance requirements outlined in Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS)

On September 30, 2026, Microsoft retired Project Online. If your organization ran its project portfolio there, you may have already completed a Project Online migration. You may have arranged extra time with Microsoft. Or you may be holding a backup of your projects and wondering what to do with it.

The Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) has released DECM v8.0, marking one of the most significant structural updates to the Earned Value Management System (EVMS) Compliance Metrics in recent years. This version of the DECM introduces a fundamentally new approach to surveillance through metric prioritization. For program leaders, EVMS practitioners, and contractors preparing for surveillance or certification, the impact is substantial.

One of the major responsibilities of the CAM is to be ready for the Integrated Baseline Review (IBR). 

Pinnacle successfully completed an EVMS implementation for the Sierra Nevada Region of the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) located in Folsom, California.

Benefits Realization Management is at the heart of Program Management - or should be.  But what is it - and how can it help deliver successful Programs?

Please note that since the date this blog was published, the DFARS has been updated, effective October 1, 2025. Current DFARS EVMS language, with new thresholds, is available here: https://www.acquisition.gov/dfars/252.234-7002-earned-value-management-system.


2025 is shaping up to be a year of big changes for Earned Value Management (EVM) within federal acquisition. While there has been a lot of speculation and uncertainty around these changes, we are beginning to see some clarity. Here are three big changes that will impact EVM on federal contracts this year.

This article was originally published on the Deltek website on 09/11/2024. It has been re-published with permission.

Earned Value Management (EVM) is a powerful project management technique that integrates project scope, time and cost data to assess project performance and progress. One of the critical components of EVM is the establishment of earned value reporting thresholds, which serve as indicators for when corrective measures are necessary. This blog will delve into the concept of earned value reporting thresholds, explore how they are established and highlight the importance of considering both the time dimension and the significance of project activities.