- Cost Management. - 6.2.2.5 Computer Tools ...6. - 6.3 COST MANAGEMENT CHECKLIST...8. - Chapter 6: Cost Management Condensed GSAM Handbook. - Cost is one of the three pillars supporting project success or failure, the other two being schedule and performance.. - Projects that go significantly “over budget” are often terminated without achieving the project goals because stakeholders simply run out of money or perceive additional expenditures as “throwing good money after bad.”. - The level of effort and expertise needed to perform good cost management are seldom appreciated. - Cost management consists of the four main activities or processes shown in Figure 6- 1. - Estimating Budgeting Cost Control. - Project Cost Management. - Figure 6-1 Cost Management Processes. - The output of this process is a description of the resources needed, when they are needed, and for how long. - Estimating is the process of determining the expected costs of the project. - There are overall strategies to determining the cost of the overall project, as well as individual methods of estimating costs of specific types of activity. - Several of these can be found in the resources listed at the end of the chapter. - In most software development projects the majority of the cost pertains to staffing. - In this case, knowledge of the pay rates (including overhead) of the people working on the proj- ect, and being able to accurately estimate the number of people needed and the time necessary to complete their work will produce a fairly accurate project cost estimate. - The cost estimating process elements are shown in Figure 6-3.. - Cost Estimates Supporting Details Cost Management Plan. - Carefully comparing activity estimates to the activities listed in the WBS will serve as a reality check and discover tasks that may have been overlooked or forgotten.. - It is often used where information about the project is limited, especially in. - is cost-as-the-independent-variable, where the estimators start with a fixed system-level budget and work back- wards, prioritizing and selecting requirements to bring the project scope within budget constraints. - 6.2.2.5 Computer Tools. - The software and users manual are available for download without cost (see COCOMO in the Resources.) How- ever, please note that most computer tools for developing estimates for software development use either lines of code or function points as input data. - If the number of lines of code or function points cannot be accurately esti- mated, the output of the tools will not be accurate. - The best use of tools is to derive ranges of estimates and gain understanding of the sensitivities of those ranges to changes in various input parameters.. - The outputs of the estimating process include the project cost estimates, along with the details used to derive those estimates. - They also include a description of how the cost was derived, any assumptions made, and a range for estimate (e.g. - $2000.) Another output of the estimating process is the Cost Management Plan. - [1] The following information may be considered for inclusion in the plan:. - Individuals and organizations involved in the process, along with their responsibilities and duties.. - The authority and interaction of the cost control process with the change control process.. - Once the costs have been estimated for each WBS task, and all these put together for an overall project cost, a proj- ect budget or cost baseline must be constructed. - The budget is a spending plan, detailing how and at what rate the project funding will be spent. - Cost estimates, WBS tasks, resource availability, and expected funding must all be integrated with the project schedule in a plan to apply funds to resources and tasks. - At the same time, task performance schedules must be followed so that all tasks are funded and completed before or by the end of the project schedule.. - Cost Baseline. - The spending plan forms the cost baseline, which will be one of the primary measures of project health and per- formance. - Deviations from this cost baseline are major warning signs requiring management intervention to bring the project back on track.. - Various tools and techniques are available to assist in the budgeting process. - 6.2.4 Cost Control. - Cost control is the final step of the cost management process but it continues through the end of the project. - It is a major element of project success and consists of efforts to track spending and ensure it stays within the limits of the cost baseline. - The following activities make up the cost control process: [1]. - Change the execution of the project to bring the spending back in line within acceptable limits, or recognize that the original estimate was incorrect, and either obtain additional funding or reduce the scope of the project.. - Prevent unapproved changes to the project and cost baseline.. - When it is not possible to maintain the current cost baseline, the cost control process expands to include these ac- tivities: [2]. - Manage the process to change the baseline to allow for the new realities of the project (or incorrectly esti- mated original realities.). - Performance Reports Change Requests Cost Management Plan. - Cost Change Control System Cost Baseline. - Project Closeout Lessons Learned Figure 6-5 Cost Control Elements [1]. - The cost control process compares cost performance reports with the cost baseline to detect variances. - Guidance on what constitutes unacceptable variance and how to deal with variance can be found in the cost management plan, developed during the estimation activities. - All change requests should run the gauntlet of cost control to weigh their advantages against their impact to project costs.. - Cost control tools include performance measurement techniques, a working cost change control system, and com- puter based tools. - It requires a fully defined project up front and bottom-up cost estimates, but it can provide accurate and reliable indication of cost performance as early as 15% into the project. - The outputs of cost control includes products which are ongoing throughout the life of the project: revised cost esti- mates, budget updates, corrective actions, and estimates of what the total project cost will be at completion. - Correc- tive actions can involve anything that incurs cost, or even updating the cost baseline to realign with project realities or changes in scope. - A final product, extremely important to future efforts, is a compilation of lessons learned during the execution of the project. - 6.3 Cost Management Checklist. - This checklist is provided as to assist you in cost management. - Is cost management planning part of your project planning process?. - Have you established a formal, documented cost management process?. - Do your estimates cover all tasks in the WBS?. - Do you understand your project’s funding profile, i.e. - Have you developed a viable cost baseline that is synchronized with the project schedule and funding pro- file?. - Do you have adequate flexibility in the cost baseline?. - Have you considered incorporating earned value management into your cost management efforts?. - Are you keeping records of your cost management activity for future efforts?. - [1] Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, A, Chapter 7, Project Management Institute, 2000.. - [3] Chapman, James R., Cost Estimating, 1997, Principle Based Project Management website:. - www.hyperthot.com/project.htm. - Crosstalk, July 1998: www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/1998/jul/value.asp. - Air Force Cost Analysis Agency (AFCAA): www.saffm.hq.af.mil/afcaa/. - Air Force Cost Reference Documents: www.saffm.hq.af.mil/afcaa/reference.html Cost Tools: www.saffm.hq.af.mil/afcaa/models/models.html. - Chapman, James R., Principle Based Project Management website: www.hyperthot.com/project.htm. - Crosstalk Magazine: www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/. - “Metrics Tools: Software Cost Estimation”: www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/1995/jun/metrics.asp. - www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/1995/jun/cost.asp. - “Earned Value Project Management”: www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/1998/jul/value.asp. - “Pattern-Based Architecture: Bridging Software Reuse and Cost Management”:. - www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/1995/mar/pattern.asp. - “Does Calibration Improve Predictive Accuracy”: www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/2000/apr/ferens.asp. - “Project Recovery… It Can be Done”: www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/2002/jan/lipke.asp. - www.acq.osd.mil/pm/newpolicy/wbs/mil_hdbk_881/mil_hdbk_881.htm http://web2.deskbook.osd.mil/reflib/DDOD/003EH/001/003EH001DOC.HTM. - Online version: www.jsc.nasa.gov/bu2/PCEHHTML/pceh.htm Download and print version: www.jsc.nasa.gov/bu2/NCEH/index.htm. - http://web2.deskbook.osd.mil/reflib/DDOD/005EV/001/005EV001DOC.HTM#T2 Practical Software and Systems Measurement Support Center: www.psmsc.com Software Cost Estimation Website: www.ecfc.u-net.com/cost/index.htm. - http://xanadu.bmth.ac.uk/staff/kphalp/students/bsi/predict/tsld002.htm
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