PARS website: http://pars.energy.gov

Overview

PARS stands for Project Assessment and Reporting System.  It is part of the DOE’s project reform initiative that was launched in June 1999.  The purpose of PARS is to deliver project status and assessment information to Department of Energy (DOE) senior managers and key program stakeholders.

PARS is a web-enabled distributed database. The project assessment system is based on Earned Value Management System (EVMS) standards.  Federal Project Directors (or their appointed designee) are responsible for entering monthly Earned Value (EV) data at the very highest summary level for their projects.  The EVMS provides cost and schedule performance metrics that report progress against an integrated baseline.  These metrics are effective summary level project measurements that senior executives can use to assess current project and program status.

In creating PARS, the premier design consideration is its reporting capabilities. PARS has been designed so that the user can view, create, change, save, and share reports. The report generator offers the flexibility to filter, sort, group, sum, graph, and modify report properties.  PARS provides a set of built-in standard reports available to all users, shared reports that are created by users and shared with members of the user community, and personal reports that can be customized and saved for easy retrieval.  There are also pre-formatted customized reports, such as the Quad Report, that are specifically designed to present consolidated project data in a prescribed format.

The powerful reporting capabilities of PARS enable users to quickly assess the status of ongoing projects and programs.  Data can be presented in either a conventional tabular format or graphically.  These capabilities facilitate the rapid assessment of trends and developments on projects or in programs.  The database also provides text fields for project managers to type in narratives explaining reported cost, schedule, or other progress variances.

With this tool, the department has a common structure for reporting the current status of all acquisition programs that is timely, accurate, complete and reliable.

References

PARS Getting Started Guide (pdf)
PARS User Manual (pdf)
PARS Data Model (pdf)
PARS Data Dictionary (pdf)

Q.  What should I do if I forget my password? 
A.  If you forget your password, type in your logon name as you normally would and leave the password field blank. Check the "I forgot my password" box and click . Within minutes an email will be sent to you with a link from which you can change your password. You will be prompted to enter a new password and a confirmation of that password. The link will remain active for one hour; if you have not changed your password within that hour, you will need to resubmit your request. The next time you log in, you will use your new password. An email will be sent to your account confirming the change in your password.
 
Q.  If my password expires, how do I change it? 
A.  On the PARS logon page, https://pars.energy.gov, there is a link to change an expired password on the right-hand side of the screen. You will be asked to provide your username, current password as well as your new, desired password and a confirmation of that password. Save your changes. The next time you log in, you will use your new password. An email will be sent to your account confirming the change in your password.
 
Q.  Where can I get help if I am experiencing technical trouble with PARS?  
A.  You can contact the PARS support team via phone at (703) 748-7022 or by e-mail at parshelp@ppc.com. You will receive a response within 24 hours of your inquiry.  
 
 - Data Entry 

Q.  How do I add a new record to my project? 
A.  You can create a new record from anywhere in the application using the Records Menu. Mouse over the Records button in the navigation bar and select the type of record you want to add from the drop-down menu. You will be prompted to enter the data associated with that record from the data entry screen. Required fields are those marked with an arrow icon. Data for all requiremd fields must be entered or the record cannot be saved. Once you have finished entering data, click the button. The record has now been saved and will appear in your Inbox, awaiting acceptance.
 
Q.  How do I edit an existing record?  
A.  To edit an existing record, first locate the record in the full project view. The full project view is found by running the PARS Project List or by using the Find My Project Tool, putting your mouse over the triangle icon next to your project and clicking View Full Project.  Once in Full View, place your mouse over the triangle icon to the left of the record you want to edit and click Edit. From the data entry screen that appears you can change the values and text in the various fields. When you have finished making changes click . The record will now appear in your Inbox, with the edited values in red text, awaiting acceptance.
 
 - General  

Q.  How do I create a "My Projects" folder? 
A.  You can create a "My Projects" folder by modifying the standard report, "My Projects Template." This report is designed to provide a list of projects with which you are affiliated or interested. After running the standard report, click on the name of the report (My Projects Template) and select "Criteria" from the pop-up menu. Replace the existing DOE Project ID numbers with those of the project(s) that you are interested in viewing. Be sure to list the DOE Project ID numbers in quotation marks and type the word "OR" in between DOE Project ID numbers if you would like to include more than one project. You can then save the report to permanently capture your projects or simply run the report to view the projects.
 
Q.  How do I find my project (project already existing in PARS)? 
A.  There are multiple ways in which you can find an existing project. The best way is to use the Find My Project Tool on your STart Page. Enter identifying information, likely your DOE Project ID, and click run. This will bring you to your project. Another method is to run the standard report, "PARS Project List." This report will return a list of all projects in the databse, which you can scroll through to find your project. You can also find an existing project by modifying the standard report, "My Projects Template." This report is designed to provide a list of projects with which you are affiliated or interested. After running the standard report, click on the name of the report (My Projects Template) and select "Criteria" from the pop-up menu. Replace the existing DOE Project ID numbers with those of the project(s) that you are interested in viewing. You can then save the report to permanently capture your projects or simply run the report to view the projects.
 
Q.  How can I view and print a quad chart for my project? 
A.  To view a quad chart, you must click on your project (either from a query or from the PARS Project List). Place your mouse over the triangle icon next to your project and again over the table name, "Project ID." Select "View Quad Chart" to view this one-page project snapshot. You can then print this quad chart by selecting the print feature in your internet browser.
 
Q.  Can I import my project data into a different application for further analysis? 
A.  Yes. You can download information from reports into Microsoft Word, Excel, Access or HTML formats. To do this, generate the report that you wish to use, click on the name of the report, once it has been run, and select "Download" from the pop-up menu. You must then choose the application that you would like to download the information to from a pop-up menu and select the specific information that you would like to download (all, records, or pages). Click to begin download.
 
Q.  What goes into my Inbox?
A.  Your Inbox contains all project records that you have modified in some way, either by creating, editing or deleting. Your Inbox will also contain any records that have been sent to you by another user. The record will appear in your Inbox until the change has been accepted, at which time it will be removed from your inbox, and permanently accepted into the database.
 
- Reports    

Q.  How do I create a Custom Report? 
A.  PARS contains a "Report Wizard" that provides a systematic methodology for creating custom reports. You can access the report wizard by placing your mouse over the "Reports" tab in the navigation menu and selecting "Create report using wizard." The wizard will walk you through all the steps for creating a report.
 
Q.  How can I sort the results of a report? 
A.  You can quick sort your data by clicking on the heading of the variable by which you would like to sort. You can then choose the method by which you would like to sort. Sort displays the records in ascending or descending order. Multisort allows you to display the records in ascending or descending order by more than one variable. Move allows you to arrange the variables in any order. Graph allows you to create a graphic of the returned data. You can also permanently sort data in the selected report by using the Sort Step of the Report Wizard when creating the report. To get to the Report Wizard of a particular report, click on the bolded title of the report and select Sort. This will bring you to that step of the wizard, where you can change how the report was designed.
 
Q.  How do I share a report? 
A.  After generating a report using the report wizard, you must save the report in order to share it with other PARS users. You will be asked to name the report (and also provide a folder name and description if you choose). To share the report, you must select either the individual users or groups of individuals (for example, "project managers") with whom you would like to share the report. After saving the report with the share, the report will appear in the "Shared Reports" folder for all individuals with whom you have shared it.
 
Q.  Can I permanently modify a Standard Report? 
A.  No, standard reports cannot be modified. If you would like to adapt a standard report for your own use, you can do this by saving the standard report under a new name. The report will then appear under My Reports and can be modified for your specific needs.