Due Week 8 and worth 80 points

Read the following articles:

• “Agencies Need to Improve the Implementation and Use of Earned Value Techniques to Help Manage Major System Acquisitions”. 
• “Earned Value Management at NASA: An Integrated, Lightweight Solution”. 
• “Integrating functional metrics, COCOMO II and earned value analysis for software projects using PMBoK”. SAC ’08: Proceedings of the 2008 ACM symposium on Applied computing, pages 820-825. Note: This article can be found in the ACM Digital Library

Please follow the steps below to access ACM Digital Library:

1. Login to iCampus at https://icampus.strayer.edu/login:
2. From iCampus: 

• Click STUDENT SERVICES >> Learning Resources Center >> Databases 
• Scroll down to “Information Systems/Computing” 
• The ACM Digital Library is below the heading.

Write a two to three (2-3) page paper in which you:

1. List the types of investments that may be at risk from the articles provided. Evaluate the importance of providing effective measures, as described in Table 7.1 in Chapter 7 of the text, for monitoring and controlling project deliverables. 
2. Explain the importance of having accurate data for performing earned value management, based on the articles provided. Provide examples on how accurate and consistent data is related to risk management and decision making within project management.
3. Suggest at least two (2) best practices mentioned in the articles that should be observed for monitoring and controlling projects effectively. Determine the potential risks that are mitigated by implementing these practices. 
4. Describe how a template for reporting defects, shown in Table 7.19 in Chapter 7 of the text, may help project managers determine the root causes of project deliverables.
5. Summarize the lessons learned that can be derived from earned value management reporting and describe how these could be applied in future projects. 
6. Determine the factors that contribute to implementing effective earned value management practices. Choose the single most important factor and provide an example to justify its importance in implementing earned values management.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length. 

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Explain the methods of creating, measuring, and controlling work products and work processes. 
• Explain and analyze earned value reporting techniques in software projects.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in IT Project Leadership Strategies.
• Write clearly and concisely about topics related to IT Project Leadership Strategies using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills.
Click here to access the rubric for this assignment.