Earned Value Management

Learn how to monitor and control the performance of projects, teams, and individuals to ensure the successful completion of project objectives.

Description

In highly uncertain project environments, project managers must make sure they always know how their project is performing against reported timelines and budgets. The earned value method is a key control system that allows project managers to quickly calculate metrics that describe the work performed against expectations. This course focuses on the methods of calculating the right metrics, interpreting the data, and making adjustments to the project plan to compensate if a project is off target.

Initial emphasis is placed on understanding control systems, the methodology of Earned Value Management, and the tools a project manager can use to measure project progress, including Work Breakdown Structures, network diagrams, scheduled, budgets, and Gantt charts. The communication challenges of reporting project progress and status are also explored, recognizing how your ability to report about your project impacts your reputation as a manager and leader.

If a project is off target, the project leader is responsible for managing the issues that are keeping the project from reaching completion. One major cause of derailment involves a lack of team member motivation. This course develops the skills necessary to diagnose demotivation and explores four important tools for increasing motivation. This course also deals with managing yourself as a valuable project resource and the project leader’s role as a coach with responsibilities for developing the skills of the team’s individual contributors.

Projects succeed because of the leadership of the project manager. This course develops the skills to guide projects towards success by ensuring objectivity in the measurement of goals, maintaining a tight focus on tasks that contribute to the value of a project, and establishing a framework for keeping team members and other stakeholders aligned with project objectives.

This course is anticipated to be approved for approximately 6.0 Professional Development Units (PDUs) from the Project Management Institute (PMI).

Who Should Take This Course?

This course is essential for Project Management Professionals (PMPs), project managers, and functional managers charged with leading a cross-functional or project team to success. It is appropriate for business leaders, mid-level managers, and project managers who need to learn the critical leadership skills necessary to ensure the high performance of a project team.

Course Format

eCornell takes a problem-based approach to learning, and our courses are built around realistic case studies and scenarios. All courses are self-paced, and are facilitated by an eCornell instructor, who leads the online discussions and is available to answer any questions about the course content.

This course contains the following modules:

• Earned Value Method
• Control Systems
• Calculations and Forecasts
• Motivating Employees
• Defining and Diagnosing Motivation
• The Psychological Contract
• Managing Yourself as a Resource
• Designing Jobs Appropriately
• Helping People to Believe in Themselves
• Coaching and Development
• How People Learn
• Coaching and Development

Benefits to the Learner

Learners who complete this course will be able to:

• Apply an earned value method for assessing degrees of project completion
• Create accurate forecasts to communicate time and budget required for project completion
• Diagnose and resolve issues of demotivation
• Apply best practices in coaching and development situations

Authoring Faculty

Frank J. Wayno, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer

Sponsoring School

Cornell University’s College of Engineering

Total Learning Time

Approximately 6 hours over a period of two weeks.

Certificate Information

This course can be applied toward the following certificate:

• Project Leadership

HRCI Recertification

This course been approved for six (6) recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR, and GPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute. Please contact the Human Resource Certificate Institute (HRCI) for further information about certification or recertification.