Honorary Industry Advisor
Wayne Abba
Michigan, USA
Industries: Defense, US and friendly foreign nation governments, national security, big science, major projects, earned value management
Wayne Abba is an independent consultant in program and project management. For 17 years before retiring in 1999, he was the senior program analyst for contract cost and schedule performance management in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition & Technology). He was a volunteer expert advisor and significant contributor to the US Government Accountability Office “Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide: Best Practices for Developing and Managing Capital Program Costs” and “Schedule Assessment Guide: Best Practices for Project Schedules.” He is (twice) Past President, College of Performance Management.
When Wayne joined the Under Secretary of Defense staff, his deep background in contracting and project management, gained during 15 years with the Army Materiel Command, Missile Command, Mobility Equipment Command and Ammunition Procurement and Supply Agency, prepared him for leadership roles and special assignments that improved Defense management. He initiated a Cost Analysis Improvement Group review of Navy shipbuilding. He led an Integrated Project Team to improve Chemical Demilitarization program management. He guided the Pentagon Renovation Team’s project definition and planning process.
Most noteworthy, Wayne was the driving force behind reformation of the US government’s implementation of Earned Value Management. The initiative began with a joint DoD-industry team that overhauled the moribund EVM process and changed EVM from a government-defined requirement to a national standard. He spearheaded development of the Project Management Institute’s Earned Value Practice Standard First Edition and assisted with the PMI PMBOK ® 4th edition chapters for procurement and cost management, which included EVM and made it consistent with other standards. He worked with the Office of Management and Budget to develop the federal circular and the Federal Acquisition Regulation clauses that implemented EVM in the civil agencies.
Australia’s Defence Department took note of these developments and sought Wayne’s counsel, followed by Canada’s Department of National Defence. He negotiated a trilateral memorandum of understanding among the three nations, supplemented by less formal arrangements with government agencies in Sweden and Japan. He met with defense officials in United Kingdom and with academic and professional organizations in numerous other countries, always with the goal of finding, improving and implementing the world’s best processes for integrated program management on large projects.
Wayne is a member of the Program Management Improvement Team advising the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Safety, Infrastructure and Operations. He also serves on the board of the nonprofit Graduate School Japan, providing training and consulting services to Japanese government ministries including planning for management of the Fukushima nuclear plant decommissioning. His voluntary work with the US National Science Foundation includes membership on several project panels ranging from conceptual through final design reviews and advice on policy for project management.
Wayne can be contacted at wayneabba@aol.com
Profile created December 2023