SMA Senior Program Advisor, Wayne Abba, recently published an opinion piece on the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) website, stated the need for the US Department of Defense to “reboot” the Earned Value Management (EVM) process to meet the needs of modern defense acquisitions in a more timely and less onerous manner. Wayne says in his article, “The result should be a process ‘rebooted’ to help DoD program managers and their contractors deliver on, or ahead of, schedule, on or under budget, and meet or beat performance goals.”

He added, “This is a fundamental change in emphasis. The audit-like DoD compliance process is sclerotic. It is implemented by external specialists who lack detailed knowledge of the project and have no stake in the outcome. They naturally focus on contractors’ process and procedure documentation and data precision, often to a fault, and at the expense of mutually respectful government-industry relationships. The excessive requirements add unnecessary cost and complexity.”

You can read Wayne’s article on the DAU website at https://www.dau.edu/library/defense-atl/blog/Reboot-Earned-Value-Management.

Wayne is an internationally-recognized expert for integrated program performance management and measurement using Earned Value Management (EVM). With 40 years’ experience in program analysis and a worldwide reputation as a leader in acquisition improvement, integrally involved in the complete reengineering of DoD contract cost and schedule management policies and implementation and was awarded the Packard Award for Excellence in Acquisition in 1998. He retired in 1999 as Senior Program Analyst in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology. Wayne is a Past President of the College of Performance Management, a non-profit association dedicated to the advancement of EVM and other program performance management disciplines.