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

A project manager is presenting the project status to stakeholders. The project is currently 50% complete according to the work performed, but the schedule indicates it should be 60% complete by this point. The budgeted cost for the work performed is $100,000, but the actual cost incurred is $110,000. What is the Schedule Performance Index (SPI) for this project?

  1. A1.10
  2. B0.91
  3. C0.50
  4. D0.83
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D. 0.83

The Schedule Performance Index (SPI) is calculated as Earned Value (EV) / Planned Value (PV). The problem states the project is 50% complete (EV) and should be 60% complete (PV). Therefore, SPI = 50% / 60% = 0.833. The cost information is a distractor for this specific question.

Why the other options are wrong

  • A. This would be the inverse of CPI (AC/EV) or CPI if EV was $110,000 and AC was $100,000, which is incorrect for SPI.
  • B. This would be the Cost Performance Index (CPI) if EV was $100,000 and AC was $110,000 (100/110 ≈ 0.91), but the question asks for SPI.
  • C. This is the current percentage complete, not the SPI.

Schedule Performance Index (SPI)

A measure of schedule efficiency on a project, calculated as the ratio of earned value (EV) to planned value (PV).

  • SPI = EV / PV.
  • SPI < 1 indicates the project is behind schedule.
  • SPI > 1 indicates the project is ahead of schedule.

Memory trick: EVM tracks EV, PV, AC to show SPI and CPI.

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