Parade

Prepared by:

Primavera Systems, Inc.

Prepared for:

Public purchase

Application:

Financial analysis:
Environmental impact analysis:	---
Waste management/P2:
Environmental cost listing/database:	---
Cost estimation:	---
Alternative product/process comparison:	---

Cost control and performance measurement. It is not designed to include all cost categories.

Elements of control:

Cost control
Resource control	---
Estimating control
Schedule control	---
Scope control	---
Risk control	---

Development date and updates:

First release was in 1987. Updates ~ every 16 months. The current release of Parade is version 4.0, released in April, 1995.

Public availability:

Available

Purpose and current use:

Cross industry applications. Approximate number of users (not sites) of Parade are 7000.

Cost information:

~ $3,000 for single user application

System requirements:

The system requirements are:

• IBM PS/2 or PC compatibles
  
• 640 K hard drive
  
• MS DOS 3.1
  
• EGA/VGA monitor
  

Parade may also be used on a network (Novell, LAN manager, Banyan, Pathworks, LANtastic).

Software summary

Size and complexity of projects:

Various sizes and complexities

Other compatible systems offered:

Parade can utilize data from Primavera's P3, Project Planner for Windows, Finest Hour, and Suretrak Project Manager.

Nonquantifiable information:

Provides logs for recording project notes

The Parade software is for measuring performance and allows users to track progress against the plan using earned value analysis. It can be used for planning or for period-by-period control. Parade uses WBS (20 levels possible)and OBS (20 levels possible) structures and supports earned value analysis for the project as a whole or for any work element or group. The package has60-year accounting calendars with 12 or 13 month years. Some features of Paradeare as follows:

• exception reporting based on variances from plan at any level;
  
• reports and graphics including a responsibility assignment matrix(department/person intersections with work areas), performance bar charts and curves, variance trends in cost and schedule, cost performance and budget reports (summarized at any level of detail);
  
• variance detection with defined thresholds for favorable and unfavorable deviations from plan; and
  
• compatible with C/SCS criteria: DOD 5000.1 and 5000.2, DOE 4700.1, NASA 533P;
  

Parade can consolidate cost data from accounting, schedule data from a scheduler (P3, Finest Hour, and SureTrak Project Scheduler users have special integration features), and also draw estimates from spreadsheet or database files. Thus users have a choice of either building a project in Parade or importing data from elsewhere. Parade can automatically import resource allocations, WBS codes, rate escalations, and resource distribution curves fromP3.

Life-cycle stages covered

Raw material acquisition	---
Manufacturing stage
Use/reuse/maintenance	---
Recycle/waste management	---

The system is not designed to consider more than one life-cycle stage, and it will typically be used to consider the manufacturing stage of the life cycle. Parade uses WBS (20 levels possible) and OBS (20 levels possible) structures, and this is one way that life-cycle information can be entered into the system.

Type of costs considered

Conventional
Potentially hidden	---
Contingent	---
External	---

Cost accounts in Parade can contain detailed, period-by-period task and resource plans. Parade tracks direct labor, material, equipment, travel, and other costs. The analysis data are presented in units, direct costs, or burdened costs. However, flexibility is afforded to users because it is possible to have unlimited resources per task and unlimited tasks and work packages per project. Additional cost categories cannot be created in Parade, and codes cannot be assigned to work packages.

Method of cost estimation

Parade is not designed for project cost estimation. It automatically calculates estimate to complete and latest revised estimate costs for on-going projects.

Generation of financial indicators

Net present value (NPV)	---
Payback period	---
Internal rate of return (IRR)	---
Benefits cost ratio	---
Other	---

Ability to include environmental costs

User friendliness and flexibility

Parade can integrate cost and schedule data from a variety of other accounting, cost, and scheduling systems. In a multi-user environment, Parade permits simultaneous updating, reporting, and plotting.

User-support

Telephone hotline support and bulletin board. Working demonstration disks are available for Parade, limited by the maximum number of activities (60).

Limitations

The system does not include all the cost categories. User-defined cost categories cannot be added into the system. Parade is not designed for Life-cycle cost analysis.

Basis for evaluation:

Based on information received from Primavera Systems in February 1995.

Contact information:

Primavera Systems Inc.

Two Bala Plaza

Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004

610-667-8600

610-667-7894 (FAX)

Nicole Stephano

610-660-5830

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