Deltek Cobra is a capable and widely used earned value tool. If you’re comparing options, EVMS forProject is an alternative built to be easy to learn and to work directly with Microsoft Project and Primavera P6.
It’s designed for simple, basic earned value performance measurement, and it scales up to support a large, formal EVMS requirement. More than 200 organizations use forProject software, from a few small projects to hundreds of large, complex ones.
EVMS forProject at a Glance
| What you’re comparing | EVMS forProject |
|---|---|
| Ease of learning | A familiar Office-style interface, designed for people new to EVMS, so new users get up to speed quickly |
| Ease of use | Your team works through the monthly EVM process faster and with less effort |
| Schedules | Direct to Microsoft Project, Project Server and Primavera P6 |
| Financial systems | Any ERP or accounting system (Costpoint, Unanet, SAP, Oracle, Dynamics and more) |
| Government reports | IPMDAR CPD and SPD, IPMR, DOE PARS CPP, Empower export |
| Scalability | Not designed solely for EVMS compliance, EVMS forProject can scale from simple performance measurement up to a full, formal EVMS process that supports compliance |
| Deployment | On-premise or your own cloud (e.g., AWS or Azure); we never hold your data |
| Switching from Cobra | All your data comes across, with our consultants’ help |
| Support | US-based team, response within one business day |
Easy to Learn
EVMS forProject has a familiar, Office-style interface designed for people who are new to EVMS, so you can bring new users on board quickly.
Easy to Use
Once they’re up and running, your team gets through the monthly EVM process faster and with less effort, saving time every month.
- All your earned value data is on screen. You don’t have to export to Excel to see it.
- View performance by control account, work package, resource or element of cost.
- Build your own views, filters and groupings, with more than 50 earned value metrics to choose from.
Works Directly with Your Schedules
EVMS forProject connects directly to Microsoft Project, Project Server and Primavera P6, so your schedule stays in the tool your team already uses.
- Import maps let you map your schedule data and fields to the matching data in EVMS forProject.
- Review Changes highlights what changed since the last import, before you accept it.
- Bring in detail tasks and roll them up at the levels you report on.
Fits Your Financial Systems
EVMS forProject can bring in actual costs from any ERP or accounting system. Customers use it with Deltek Costpoint, Unanet, SAP, Oracle Financials, Microsoft Dynamics and many others.
- Flexible import and export with Excel, using maps you configure.
- Integrator forProject, for automated integration with other systems.
Government Reporting
EVMS forProject produces the reports your government customers require.
- IPMDAR Contract Performance Dataset (CPD) and Schedule Performance Dataset (SPD), in the required JSON format. For the SPD, it reads your Microsoft Project or P6 schedule when you run the report.
- IPMR data in UN/CEFACT XML, for contracts still on the older specification.
- DOE PARS CPP output in JSON, covering all 22 datasets. The schedule datasets are read directly from P6.
- Optimized export to Encore Empower.
Support from Start to Finish
Our consultants work with you through implementation: planning, installation, configuration, integration, data migration and pilot testing. After you go live, our US-based support team is there when you need it.
- Reach us by phone, email or the support portal.
- Expect a response within one business day, with every request tracked and followed up.
- Get product updates three to four times a year, many shaped by customer feedback.
Switching from Cobra
Moving from Cobra is a planned project, not a one-click conversion. Our consultants help you bring over your data, set up EVMS forProject to fit the way you work, and train your team. The questions below cover timing and data migration.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does implementation take?
Installation takes a day or two. Configuration takes a few weeks to a few months, depending on complexity. Pilot testing with live data and user training depend on your data, the number of users and your team’s availability. Overall, expect a few months for a simple implementation and longer for larger, more complex ones.
Can we move our data from Cobra?
Yes, all of it. Your data comes out of Cobra in a series of exports, and Import Maps in EVMS forProject bring each one in. EVMS forProject imports CSV, Excel (.xlsx and .xls) and text files. It isn’t automatic: our consultants plan and set up the migration with you as part of implementation.
We use Deltek Costpoint. Isn’t Cobra the easier choice?
Not necessarily. Many EVMS forProject customers use Costpoint, and several have told us integrating Costpoint with EVMS forProject was easier than it was with Cobra, even though Cobra and Costpoint both come from Deltek.
Do we need a formal EVMS requirement to use EVMS forProject?
No. Many customers use it for simplified performance measurement on projects with no formal requirement. If your needs grow, the same system scales up to a full, formal EVMS.
Can we get a trial version of EVMS forProject to try out?
No. Schedule Analyzer forProject has a free trial, but EVMS forProject is a server-based system, not a desktop tool. It needs setup with your IT team, plus configuration planned with your finance and project controls teams, before you can enter data. It also takes training to use well. We want new users to have a good, productive experience, so we offer in-depth demos instead, and in some cases a paid pilot implementation.
Is EVMS forProject hosted in the cloud? Where does our data live?
No, EVMS forProject isn’t a hosted service, and forProject doesn’t hold your data. You choose where to deploy it: on-premise on your own servers, or in the cloud environment of your choice (e.g., AWS or Azure). Your data stays wherever you decide to host it.
See It for Yourself
The best way to compare is to see EVMS forProject working with schedules like yours. Request a demo and we’ll walk you through it.