Overview
Cost Class Curves plots your selected cost classes as spline curves on a single chart, letting you compare how Budget, Actual, EAC, and any other configured cost classes accumulate across the project timeline. This makes it easy to spot when actuals begin to diverge from budget, or to compare a current estimate against previous baselines.
A data grid below the chart shows the exact values for each period alongside the chart.
URL: /Reporting/CostClassCurvesReport/Index
Prerequisites
- Select a project and at least one cost class. The chart does not render until both are selected.
Filters
| Filter | What It Controls |
|---|
| Project | The project to analyze. Selecting a project loads that project’s available cost classes. |
| Cost Class | One or more cost classes to plot. Displayed as checkboxes; select multiple to overlay curves. Default: Budget. |
| Cumulative / Period | Toggle between cumulative totals and period-by-period values. Default: Cumulative. Hidden for custom calendar projects. |
| Axis | Switch between Monthly and Yearly time increments. Default: Monthly. Replaced by a Calendar dropdown for custom calendar projects. |
| WBS | Limit the curves to a specific WBS element. Populates the Work Package filter. |
| Work Package | Limit to a specific work package. Only available after selecting a WBS. |
| CAM | Limit to a specific Control Account Manager. |
| Start Date / End Date | Zoom the chart to a specific date range. Hidden for custom calendar projects. |
Additional Filters
The following filter sections appear when the selected project has applicable data configured. They are hidden if no relevant codes are set up for the project.
| Filter Section | What It Controls |
|---|
| WBS Notebook | Filter by WBS-level notebook field values |
| Work Package Notebook | Filter by work package notebook field values |
| RA Notebook | Filter by resource assignment notebook field values |
| Resource Code Codes | Filter by resource code classification |
| Resource Result Codes | Filter by resource result type classification |
Custom Calendar Projects
For projects configured with a custom calendar:
- The Axis dropdown is replaced by a Calendar dropdown listing the project’s named calendars
- The Cumulative / Period toggle is hidden
- The Date Range fields are hidden
- Data grid column headers use the calendar’s period labels
Filter Cascades
- Selecting a Project fetches that project’s cost classes and populates the cost class checkboxes. If the project has no cost classes configured, an error message appears.
- Selecting a WBS populates the Work Package filter. If no WBS is selected, the Work Package dropdown shows “Select a WBS…” and cannot be used.
Reading the Chart
Each selected cost class appears as a separate spline curve. Colors are assigned per cost class by your administrator. The legend is positioned in the upper right of the chart.
Toggle between two views using the Cumulative / Period selector:
| View | Description |
|---|
| Cumulative | Each data point shows the running total cost accumulated from project start through that period. Use this to see the overall spend trajectory. |
| Period | Each data point shows only the cost incurred in that specific period. Use this to identify spikes or drops in activity. |
Summary Data Grid
Below the chart, the data grid shows the cost values behind each curve broken out by period.
- In Monthly mode, column headers use
Dec 2024 format
- In Yearly mode, column headers use
FY2024 format
- For custom calendar projects, column headers use the calendar’s period labels
- In Period view, a Total column is added showing the sum across all displayed periods
- In Cumulative view, there is no Total column (the final period value represents the total)
The grid is read-only with a fixed column layout; no column chooser, reordering, or sorting.
When to Use This Report
Use Cost Class Curves when you need to:
- Track budget vs. actuals over time: overlay Budget and Actual curves to see when and how fast spending is diverging from plan.
- Compare estimate revisions: plot original budget alongside a revised estimate to visualize scope changes across the timeline.
- Identify cost acceleration: switch to Period view to spot months or fiscal years with unusually high or low activity.
- Scope down to a work area: use the WBS and Work Package filters to isolate a specific part of the project for targeted analysis.
- Benchmark against EAC: add an Estimate at Completion curve alongside Budget and Actual to assess overall project health in one view.
Saved Views
Cost Class Curves supports named saved views that preserve your filter selections and column layout. Use the view selector in the toolbar to save and reload your own named views.
When viewing a system view, the message “Currently viewing a system view. Changes will not be saved.” appears at the top right of the grid.
Exporting
Click the Download icon and select Export as Excel. The file is saved as CCCurves.xlsx with two sheets:
| Sheet | Contents |
|---|
| CC Chart | The chart exported as an embedded PNG image |
| CC Summary Data | The data grid values for all displayed periods and cost classes |
