Earned Value Analysis for Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project Schedules
Open an XER, XML, MPP or MPX file and read Planned Value, Earned Value, Actual Cost, SPI and CPI at the data date. No Primavera P6 or Microsoft Project licence is needed.
An illustration of the S-Curve view with sample figures: the ten figures at the data date, and the three lines.
Ten Figures, Each With Its Sum
The S-Curve view shows them beside the chart. Rest the pointer on one and it gives its full name, the sum with your schedule's own numbers, and what the value says about the job.
| Figure | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Planned Value (PV) | The part of the budget that should be done by the data date, going by the baseline. |
| Earned Value (EV) | The budget of the work that is done: each activity's budget times its percent complete. |
| Actual Cost (AC) | What has been spent so far. Measured in labor units, the units used so far. |
| Schedule Variance (SV) | Earned Value minus Planned Value. Negative means behind the baseline. |
| Cost Variance (CV) | Earned Value minus Actual Cost. Negative means the work done has cost more than its budget. |
| Schedule Performance Index (SPI) | Earned Value divided by Planned Value. Under 1 is behind the baseline, over 1 ahead of it. |
| Cost Performance Index (CPI) | Earned Value divided by Actual Cost. Under 1 means the work is costing more than budgeted. |
| Budget at Completion (BAC) | The whole budget of the job. Every percent on the chart is a percent of it. |
| Estimate at Completion (EAC) | What the job is now expected to cost in the end: what has been spent plus what the schedule says is still to come. |
| Variance at Completion (VAC) | Budget at Completion minus Estimate at Completion. Negative means the job is expected to end over budget. |
The Same Figures in Three Places
The chart, the table and the report read the same numbers, so they cannot disagree.
The S-Curve View
The planned line, Earned Value and Actual Cost over time, with the data date marked. Draw a point for every day, week, month, quarter or year, as running totals or period by period, and switch each line on or off.
Columns in the Activity Table
Eleven Earned Value columns, from Budget At Completion to Variance At Completion, for every activity. Group by WBS or activity code and each group row totals its activities, with its own SPI and CPI.
The Schedule Analyzer Report
The PDF report carries an earned value section with the same figures and the same chart, next to the schedule health checks.
Export on the S-Curve toolbar saves the figures and a picture of the chart as an Excel file.
Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project, Each With Its Own Baseline
The two programs keep a baseline in different ways. XER Reader measures against either.
Primavera P6
In Primavera a baseline is a second schedule. Open it beside the current one, assign it, and pick it under Measure against.
- Up to four baselines assigned at once: Project, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary
- Each activity counted by its own percent complete type: physical, duration or units
- Expenses in an XER file count as cost, beside the cost of the resource assignments
- Level of effort and WBS summary activities left out of the duration measure, so no time is counted twice
Microsoft Project
Microsoft Project keeps its baselines inside the file. XER Reader measures against the first one as soon as the file is open, with nothing to assign.
- Every baseline saved in the file offered under Measure against: MS Project Baseline, and MS Project Baseline 1 to 10
- A file with no status date read as of its latest progress, and the view says the date is estimated
- A lump sum typed onto a task (Fixed Cost) counted with the cost of its resources
- Each task measured against its own baseline values, so nothing has to be matched by name or number
Count It the Way Your Schedule Is Built
Every choice is a button on the toolbar, and each is remembered.
| Button | What it sets |
|---|---|
| Period | How often a point is drawn: Daily, Weekly (Mon - Sun), Weekly (Sun - Sat), Monthly, Quarterly or Yearly. |
| Measure | What the figures are counted in: Cost, Labor Units or Duration. Until you pick, cost is used when the schedule carries cost, then labor units, then duration hours. |
| Measure against | The baseline to measure against, or None (current schedule). |
| Values | Cumulative (running total), which gives the S shape, or Per period, which shows what each period adds on its own. |
| Lines | The planned line, Earned Value and Actual Cost, each switched on or off. |
| Export | Saves the figures and a picture of the chart as an Excel file. |
Measure and Measure against also apply to the Earned Value columns and to the report. Each column's definition says which two are in force.
What to Know About the Numbers
The view and the report state these as well.
Exact at the data date, estimated before it
A schedule file records where each activity stands now, not where it stood in earlier months. The figures at the data date are exact. On the chart, earned value and actual cost before it are spread evenly over the time each activity has been worked on.
The plan is spread evenly over its dates
The planned line takes each activity's budget and spreads it evenly from its baseline start to its baseline finish, by the calendar and not by resource curves.
No baseline, no Planned Value
Planned Value, SV and SPI are shown only against a baseline. Without one they are left out, and the dashed line shows the current schedule under its own name.
A budget of its own for each measure
Measured in cost the budget is money, in labor units it is work, and in duration it is planned hours. A milestone counts as one hour in the duration measure, so it shows on the curve.
Common Questions About Earned Value in XER Reader
What you need, and what happens when a schedule is missing a piece.
Do I need Primavera P6 or Microsoft Project to see earned value?
Which edition has earned value?
What if my schedule has no baseline?
What if my schedule has no cost?
My Microsoft Project file has no status date. Does it still work?
Are the lines before the data date exact?
Does my schedule get uploaded?
See Where Your Schedule Stands
Open your schedule and switch to the S-Curve view. How to read it is in the article How to Read the S-Curve.