CompTIA Project+ (PK0-005)Project Life Cycle PhasesHard

A project manager is reviewing the project's progress. The Earned Value (EV) is $80,000, the Planned Value (PV) is $75,000, and the Actual Cost (AC) is $85,000. What is the Schedule Performance Index (SPI), and what does it indicate about the project's schedule performance?

  1. ASPI = 0.94; The project is behind schedule.
  2. BSPI = 1.13; The project is ahead of schedule.
  3. CSPI = 1.07; The project is ahead of schedule.
  4. DSPI = 0.88; The project is behind schedule.
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C. SPI = 1.07; The project is ahead of schedule.

SPI is calculated as EV / PV. In this case, SPI = $80,000 / $75,000 = 1.0666... which rounds to 1.07. An SPI greater than 1.0 indicates that the project is performing better than planned, meaning it is ahead of schedule.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. Incorrect calculation and interpretation. SPI = EV/PV.
  • B. Incorrect calculation; this would be EV/AC (CPI).
  • D. Incorrect calculation and interpretation; this would be AC/EV or PV/EV, neither of which is SPI.

Schedule Performance Index (SPI)

A measure of schedule efficiency on a project, expressed as the ratio of earned value to planned value.

  • Formula: SPI = EV / PV.
  • SPI > 1.0 indicates ahead of schedule.
  • SPI < 1.0 indicates behind schedule.
  • SPI = 1.0 indicates on schedule.

Memory trick: SPI is EV over PV, CPI is EV over AC.

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