Kyle,
I've read your discussions on the site. We used to run EV (Budget) till the 80% mark and then developed a company wide burn down database using an open database product (JIRA). Totally flexible, multiuser and handled all reports.
I attach a paper I put together (personal use) on the generalised subject - Earned Progress Function Types (EPFT). Whilst budget is used as the function type in 95% of cases and is universally used there should be a place for a wider discussion and to encourage users. So we can have Earned Types as;
Commitment - the very1st metric needed long before spend/earned/progress - where is it in the literature?
Budget - standard EVM
Schedule - when schedule not budget loaded or contract type is rate / re-imburseable / TP etc
Duration - when schedule not budget loaded
Requirements (Engineering) - the contract scope documents are deconstructed into a list of requirements that will complete the project which are then tracked
Manhours - Resource dependent projects (design phase?)
Activity Days - when you want something simple and don't have budgets / manhours to load
Quantities - when project is totally driven by key quantities
Documents - track no of documents produced from MDR for the project
Activities Complete - a simple metric loved by PM's
Quality Plan hold points - count the no of hold points completed for each approved quality plan covering the whole of the project
Signed of ITP's - on site track no of completed ITP's
Benefit - for the Client -. When will he get his RoI.
Regards
Peter