The Scheduling Engine in an Earned Value Management System (EVMS) holds and is used to maintain the baseline and current schedule for the project. The project schedule is often used as the basis for estimating and forecasting the resources required for the project.
A scheduling engine needs to have good integration with a cost engine.
The most common EVMS scheduling engines that we see are:
Primavera P6 is a robust scheduler with all the bells and whistles that commonly appear in requirements checklists. It is multi-user and has sophisticated multi-project capabilities. P6 has a client/server component for sophisticated project scheduling and web-based access for team members. The P6 scheduling engine is part of a suite of tools for Enterprise Project Management with timesheets and project portfolio management capabilities. All the leading cost engines have interfaces to Primavera P6 as well as Primavera’s own cost engine called Cost Manager.
Deltek Open Plan is also a mature robust scheduling engine with many similar capabilities to Primavera. Open Plan has a sophisticated risk management capability based on Monte Carlo simulation built into it. Primavera’s risk management capability is a separately priced option. Open Plan has not had the same market penetration as Primavera and it is more difficult to find schedulers who are experienced working with it. Fewer cost engines integrate directly with Open Plan although Deltek Cobra has sophisticated 2-way integration. Deltek WelcomHome is a companion product to Open Plan providing web-based viewing and updating capabilities for team members.
Microsoft Project is a less sophisticated scheduling engine than Primavera P6 or Open Plan. It is inexpensive, single user, and while it has multi-project capabilities, these are less robust than Primavera P6 or Deltek Open Plan. Microsoft Project is often viewed as easier to use because it is less dogmatic about applying the rules of Critical Path Method (CPM).
However, this “flexibility” can be a double-edged sword in the EVMS world where a robust schedule is a key to the EVMS. We have been successful in implementing Microsoft Project as a scheduling engine in an EVMS but there are a few limitations relative to the more sophisticated tools. Microsoft Project Server is web-based and works with the Microsoft Project desktop tool. It provides a central database of project plans, portfolio management capabilities, timesheets, and integration with SharePoint for project document management and issues tracking.
Talk to a Pinnacle professional about implementing an EVMS scheduling engine today. - Give us a call or - SEND US AN EMAIL
