Baseline updates are a necessary and sometimes frequent occurrence on many EVM Projects. Part of the process requires that when a change is entered into the EVMS, its values should appear in the IPMR CPR Format 3. I’ve been asked on more than one occasion what the sequence should be when adding a baseline change in order to see it in the IPMR CPR Format 3.
This article looks at a suggested sequence of events that can be followed in order that changes to the baseline in Deltek Cobra appear in the IPMR CPR Format 3 report.
In Summary
The baseline change update sequence can be as follows:
- Advance the Fiscal Calendar to the period in which the updates will be reported.
- Enter baseline change requests for that period (add work packages, budget resource assignments, new control accounts etc.)
- Enter UB, MR, Negotiated Change values in the Project Audit dialog.
- Enter project status
- Enter actual costs
- Run EV calculation
- Run Forecast calculations
- Run CDRL reports including the IPMR CPR format 3
Well that probably just saved you from reading the rest of this blog; nevertheless let’s look at a few details that will help the reasoning behind all this stick a little better.
Firstly, notice how all the baseline change entries must occur within the current reporting period. If the Cobra status date is advanced, the baseline change entries for that period become part of the history and will not show up in the Format 3 report as anything other than a delta between the beginning and end of period PMB.
When to Adjust the Audit Log:
The order in which you adjust the audit log and enter the baseline changes is up to you. Some folks prefer to load up their UB first and then add in the scope (CAs and WPs) while others add the scope, and then update the negative UB field with an equal positive value; pulling in the dollars from MR or from the Negotiated or AUW accounts depending on the source.
If circumstances permit, I personally prefer to distribute the budget first because this gives me a negative UB of the exact amount I need to put back in to get a zero balance – a detail that keeps the DCMA happy for the most part.
In a nutshell, the trick to keeping the IPMR CPR Format 3 populated is to remember that it will only report on the current period. Indeed the language of row 6. b. BASELINE CHANGES AUTHORIZED DURING REPORTING PERIOD is our best reminder.
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