Earned value management for project performance measurement at the Texas Department of Transportation

Earned Value Management (EVM) is a project management technique for measuring project performance and progress in an objective manner. It allows the Project Managers to report how a project is performing in relation to cost and schedule at a specific point in time. EVM allows early identification of trends and variances from the plan, and provides accurate forecasts of project performance problems. The goal of this research is to explore the history of Earned Value and to develop the framework for possible implementation within the agency. In addition, another goal is to perform a case study consisting of implementation of an EVM System at the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for the Plan-Development Phase of a roadway project. This report explores the fundamental challenges in using EVM with Plan-Development phase and proposes adaptations to some EVM principles to perform more appropriately for present need. This helps management to gain valuable insight into project performance and to measure both efficiency and effectiveness of the use of resources for some particular purpose.