Crossrail Approach to Earned Value

Summary

The aim of the Crossrail performance measurement regime was to provide a comprehensive, consistent, timely and reliable view of the programme's performance that predicted performance, and triggered management action to positively influence the outcome. Earned Value (EV) was one indicator of performance and was used in the context of other meaningful indicators of performance. The performance measurement regime was designed & developed to draw on the granular performance data provided at control account level. A data warehouse was implemented to capture all performance data to act as the 'single source of truth' and electronic dashboards were used as a business intelligence tool. These tools enhanced the quality of data and encouraged proactive behavioural change. Key learning points include the importance of defining the management information requirements as soon as possible in order that programme controls can be configured and implemented appropriately and efficiently. The importance of a 'single-source-of-truth' for performance data and the use of a 'data warehouse' enables informed decision making, rather than expending effort on assuring or testing the integrity of data, or undertaking ad hoc and time consuming supplementary data analysis. This paper is applicable to any project or programme designing or implementing Earned Value techniques.

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