First, the default setting for % complete is based on elapsed time, rather than physical % complete, so unless you change that setting on all activities, you will NEVER get accurate information.

Secondly, MSP does some bizarre things when you have out of sequence progress. Let’s assume you have two activities connected Finish To Start, and in reality, you start them both simultaneously (implying a Start to Start relationship) IF you try to collect the Earned Value on both activities, the program will NOT allow you to do this, unless you correct the logic. Unlike Primavera, which provides an out of sequence progress report to enable you to correct this problem, MSP does NOT, again, resulting in false or misleading EVM information.

Bottom line- Can MSP be used for EVM? Yes, of course. But to do so, you need to be much more than just the “average” or “casual” user.

BR,
Dr. PDG, Jakarta