The New Look and Feel of Deltek Cobra 8.0

If you are in the market for a cost management tool your short list likely includes Deltek Cobra.  Cobra has a long history of playing a role in both large and small implementations of earned value tools with customers of various sizes.

The latest interface will attract new customers by offering a fresh up to date look and feel that hints at a simplicity of use while also pleasing the existing customer base with a consistent line to previous versions, making the transition forward painless for familiar tasks.  

First Impressions

Deltek has learned that first impressions are important.  If you have used prior versions you will appreciate the new ribbon style menus smartly grouped in contrast to a historical reliance on drop down menus for all key activities.  The subgroup titles easily align with conventional monthly processing steps so you won’t feel lost in an updated version of the tool when you step through routine activities.   

Users will immediately have a sense of familiarity that turns the attention quickly to the function of the selections rather than finding an action given the adoption of a user interface like other Windows applications.

The navigation pane on the left side continues the simplistic theme although the structure is also a carryover from the prior versions.  Once project data is loaded, bouncing between projects, codes or calendars will be seamless.

The Ultimate View…a Single Screen

Whether you are adding a new control account, entering work package time-phased budget or simply reviewing your data with smart filters, having it all on one screen is advantageous.  This window is the “bread and butter” of Cobra 8.  Analysts will spend 90% of their time in the application on this one screen.

The Spreadsheet pane can be edited to include various columns such as resource, control account manager, baseline dates and OBS just to name a few.   The ability to output directly what is shown in the spreadsheet pane to Excel is an additional powerful feature.  Adding control accounts, work packages and resource assignments are a breeze.

The time-phase summary pane offers a roll up of the costs that can be found in the time-phase detail window.  This reduces the number of points and clicks as you prepare budgets, and you can also review resource assignments. 

The control Account/WP information pane and the time-phase detail pane function in the same manner as previous versions of the tool but somehow planning is much more efficient with the introduction of the spreadsheet pane and time-phase summary pane.  New and seasoned users will appreciate this powerful integration.

The New Help System

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the updated help system as a great improvement in the latest version of Cobra.  Typically help systems are imbedded as a menu item of the application so they are dependent on the latest update of the application or patch to cover any changes or improvements.  Deltek has taken this a step further and now the help menu is web enabled so all updates will be real time.  This will really help new users that choose this tool.

Summary

Cobra 8.0 offers a simple yet robust tool for tracking project financial performance.  It checks the box with little thought on meeting rigorous government reporting requirements after many years being one of the top options for an earned value cost engine.  That said, the latest version does it with style and much needed attention to improving the user experience.  I’ll admit my appreciation for the changes to Deltek Cobra 8 is rooted in my experience with prior versions but I am certain new users will not be left unimpressed.

What do you think about Cobra 8.0? Leave us a comment below.  

Learn more about our EVM services here.

Talk to a Pinnacle professional regarding an EVM solution - SCHEDULE A CONVERSATION or SEND US AN EMAIL