Earned value fields

The total cost of work done by each assigned resource on a task by the report date of a specified progress period, or by today's date, plus any fixed costs.

Also known as 'actual total cost' and 'spent cost'.

• Data - whether you want to display information relating to the live data or to a specific baseline.
• Dates - specify a date range if required.
• Specific task - specify specific task(s) on a multi-task bar to which you want the field to refer if required.
• Progress period - select a progress period to calculate the value up to the progress period's report date, or do not select one to calculate it up to today's date.
• Use period date - if you specify a progress period, whether to calculate the value up to the report date of the selected progress period, or up to the last task section to be completed in the selected progress period. The latter setting gives more accurate results if you have not straightened your progress lines by rescheduling.
• Cost centre - select a specific cost centre if required.
• Override currency - the currency in which to display the information.

• Data - whether you want to display information relating to the live data or to a specific baseline.
• Dates - specify a date range if required.
• Specific task - specify specific task(s) on a multi-task bar to which you want the field to refer if required.
• Progress period - select a progress period to calculate the value up to the progress period's report date, or do not select one to calculate it up to today's date.
• Use period date - if you specify a progress period, whether to calculate the value up to the report date of the selected progress period, or up to the last task section to be completed in the selected progress period. The latter setting gives more accurate results if you have not straightened your progress lines by rescheduling.
• Measure of progress - whether you want progress to be calculated according to duration percentage complete, overall percentage complete or cost percentage complete.
• Cost centre -  if calculating progress according to cost percentage complete, you can select a specific cost centre rather than calculating according to all cost centres if required.

The planned cost of a task, according to a baseline. When you add this field to the spreadsheet, the Table Definition dialog configures the field to display information from the current baseline by default; compare this to the Forecast at completion field, which is configured to display information from the live data by default.

Also known as 'baseline (total) cost', 'budgeted cost' and 'planned cost'.

• Data - whether you want to display information relating to the live data or to a specific baseline.
• Specific task - specify specific task(s) on a multi-task bar to which you want the field to refer if required.
• Cost centre - select a specific cost centre if required.
• Override currency - the currency in which to display the information.
• Use budgeted cost - select this check box to calculate this field using the budgeted cost that has been recorded in the Budgeted cost field in the live data, or clear the check box to calculate the field using a value from a baseline. You may want to use the Budgeted cost field in projects that have been imported from Primavera software, as this field can be used in Primavera software to record the budget cost of items without the need to use a baseline.

The ratio between the earned value and the actual cost of a task to the report date of a specified progress period, or to today's date, according to a specified baseline.

EV / AC

• Data - whether you want to display information relating to the live data or to a specific baseline.
• Dates - specify a date range if required.
• Specific task - specify specific task(s) on a multi-task bar to which you want the field to refer if required.
• Progress period - select a progress period to calculate the value up to the progress period's report date, or do not select one to calculate it up to today's date.
• Use period date - if you specify a progress period, whether to calculate the value up to the report date of the selected progress period, or up to the last task section to be completed in the selected progress period. The latter setting gives more accurate results if you have not straightened your progress lines by rescheduling.
• Measure of progress - whether you want progress to be calculated according to duration percentage complete, overall percentage complete or cost percentage complete.
• Cost centre -  select a specific cost centre if required.
• Use budgeted cost - select this check box to calculate this field using the budgeted cost that has been recorded in the Budgeted cost field in the live data, or clear the check box to calculate the field using a value from a baseline. You may want to use the Budgeted cost field in projects that have been imported from Primavera software, as this field can be used in Primavera software to record the budget cost of items without the need to use a baseline.

The difference between the budgeted cost of the work of a task and the cost of actual work performed, to the report date of a specified progress period, or to today's date, according to a specified baseline. This field provides you with a measure of slippage and of changes in resource assignments and costs.

EV - AC

• Data - whether you want to display information relating to the live data or to a specific baseline.
• Dates - specify a date range if required.
• Specific task - specify specific task(s) on a multi-task bar to which you want the field to refer if required.
• Progress period - select a progress period to calculate the value up to the progress period's report date, or do not select one to calculate it up to today's date.
• Use period date - if you specify a progress period, whether to calculate the value up to the report date of the selected progress period, or up to the last task section to be completed in the selected progress period. The latter setting gives more accurate results if you have not straightened your progress lines by rescheduling.
• Measure of progress - whether you want progress to be calculated according to duration percentage complete, overall percentage complete or cost percentage complete.
• Cost centre -  select a specific cost centre if required.
• Override currency - the currency in which to display the information.

The cost variance as a percentage of the earned value, to the report date of a specified progress period, or to today's date, according to a specified baseline.

(CV / EV) * 100

• Data - whether you want to display information relating to the live data or to a specific baseline.
• Dates - specify a date range if required.
• Specific task - specify specific task(s) on a multi-task bar to which you want the field to refer if required.
• Progress period - select a progress period to calculate the value up to the progress period's report date, or do not select one to calculate it up to today's date.
• Use period date - if you specify a progress period, whether to calculate the value up to the report date of the selected progress period, or up to the last task section to be completed in the selected progress period. The latter setting gives more accurate results if you have not straightened your progress lines by rescheduling.
• Measure of progress - whether you want progress to be calculated according to duration percentage complete, overall percentage complete or cost percentage complete.
• Cost centre -  select a specific cost centre if required.

Given a task's actual percentage complete in the live data and its total planned costs according to a specified baseline, the amount of money that the task has cost by today's date or by the report date of a specified progress period. From a contractor's point of view, this is the 'earned value' of a task, as it represents its chargeable income.

Also known as 'achieved cost'.

APC * BAC

• Data - whether you want to display information relating to the live data or to a specific baseline.
• Dates - specify a date range if required.
• Specific task - specify specific task(s) on a multi-task bar to which you want the field to refer if required.
• Progress period - select a progress period to calculate the value up to the progress period's report date, or do not select one to calculate it up to today's date.
• Use period date - if you specify a progress period, whether to calculate the value up to the report date of the selected progress period, or up to the last task section to be completed in the selected progress period. The latter setting gives more accurate results if you have not straightened your progress lines by rescheduling.
• Measure of progress - whether you want progress to be calculated according to duration percentage complete, overall percentage complete or cost percentage complete.
• Cost centre -  select a specific cost centre if required.
• Override currency - the currency in which to display the information.
• Use budgeted cost - select this check box to calculate this field using the budgeted cost that has been recorded in the Budgeted cost field in the live data, or clear the check box to calculate the field using a value from a baseline. You may want to use the Budgeted cost field in projects that have been imported from Primavera software, as this field can be used in Primavera software to record the budget cost of items without the need to use a baseline.

An estimate of the total task cost, based on current progress, to the report date of a specified progress period, or to today's date, according to a specified baseline.

(AC / EV) * BAC

• Data - whether you want to display information relating to the live data or to a specific baseline.
• Specific task - specify specific task(s) on a multi-task bar to which you want the field to refer if required.
• Progress period - select a progress period to calculate the value up to the progress period's report date, or do not select one to calculate it up to today's date.
• Use period date - if you specify a progress period, whether to calculate the value up to the report date of the selected progress period, or up to the last task section to be completed in the selected progress period. The latter setting gives more accurate results if you have not straightened your progress lines by rescheduling.
• Measure of progress - whether you want progress to be calculated according to duration percentage complete, overall percentage complete or cost percentage complete.
• Cost centre -  select a specific cost centre if required.
• Override currency - the currency in which to display the information.
• Use budgeted cost - select this check box to calculate this field using the budgeted cost that has been recorded in the Budgeted cost field in the live data, or clear the check box to calculate the field using a value from a baseline. You may want to use the Budgeted cost field in projects that have been imported from Primavera software, as this field can be used in Primavera software to record the budget cost of items without the need to use a baseline.

An estimate of the total cost of a task (assuming that it finishes on budget), to the report date of a specified progress period, or to today's date, according to a specified baseline.

AC + (BAC - EV)

• Data - whether you want to display information relating to the live data or to a specific baseline.
• Specific task - specify specific task(s) on a multi-task bar to which you want the field to refer if required.
• Progress period - select a progress period to calculate the value up to the progress period's report date, or do not select one to calculate it up to today's date.
• Use period date - if you specify a progress period, whether to calculate the value up to the report date of the selected progress period, or up to the last task section to be completed in the selected progress period. The latter setting gives more accurate results if you have not straightened your progress lines by rescheduling.
• Measure of progress - whether you want progress to be calculated according to duration percentage complete, overall percentage complete or cost percentage complete.
• Cost centre -  select a specific cost centre if required.
• Override currency - the currency in which to display the information.
• Use budgeted cost - select this check box to calculate this field using the budgeted cost that has been recorded in the Budgeted cost field in the live data, or clear the check box to calculate the field using a value from a baseline. You may want to use the Budgeted cost field in projects that have been imported from Primavera software, as this field can be used in Primavera software to record the budget cost of items without the need to use a baseline.

• Data - whether you want to display information relating to the live data or to a specific baseline.
• Specific task - specify specific task(s) on a multi-task bar to which you want the field to refer if required.
• Cost centre - select a specific cost centre if required.
• Override currency - the currency in which to display the information.

Given the report date of a progress period or today's date, the percentage complete that a task is planned to be, according to a specified baseline. You can use this field to see what the progress for a task would be if the project was completely on track.

Assuming that this field uses today's date rather than the report date of a progress period, the formula is as follows:

((Today's date - Start date in baseline) / (Finish date in baseline - Start date in baseline)) * 100

• Data -  the baseline to use when calculating the value.
• Dates - specify a date range if required.
• Specific task - specify specific task(s) on a multi-task bar to which you want the field to refer if required.
• Progress period - select a progress period to calculate the value up to the progress period's report date, or do not select one to calculate it up to today's date.
• Use period date - if you specify a progress period, whether to calculate the value up to the report date of the selected progress period, or up to the last task section to be completed in the selected progress period. The latter setting gives more accurate results if you have not straightened your progress lines by rescheduling.
• Measure of progress - whether you want progress to be calculated according to duration percentage complete, overall percentage complete or cost percentage complete.
• Cost centre - if calculating progress according to cost percentage complete, you can select a specific cost centre rather than calculating according to all cost centres if required.

• Data -  the baseline to use when calculating the value.
• Specific task - specify specific task(s) on a multi-task bar to which you want the field to refer if required.
• Progress period - select a progress period to calculate the value up to the progress period's report date, or do not select one to calculate it up to today's date.
• Use period date - if you specify a progress period, whether to calculate the value up to the report date of the selected progress period, or up to the last task section to be completed in the selected progress period. The latter setting gives more accurate results if you have not straightened your progress lines by rescheduling.
• Measure of progress - whether you want progress to be calculated according to duration percentage complete, overall percentage complete or cost percentage complete.
• Cost centre - select a specific cost centre if required.

Given a task's planned percentage complete and planned cost according to a specified baseline, the amount that the task should have earned/cost by today's date or by the report date of a specified progress period.

Also known as 'baseline elapsed cost' and 'schedule earned value'.

PPC * BAC

• Data -  the baseline to use when calculating the value.
• Dates - specify a date range if required.
• Specific task - specify specific task(s) on a multi-task bar to which you want the field to refer if required.
• Progress period - select a progress period to calculate the value up to the progress period's report date, or do not select one to calculate it up to today's date.
• Use period date - if you specify a progress period, whether to calculate the value up to the report date of the selected progress period, or up to the last task section to be completed in the selected progress period. The latter setting gives more accurate results if you have not straightened your progress lines by rescheduling.
• Measure of progress - whether you want progress to be calculated according to duration percentage complete, overall percentage complete or cost percentage complete.
• Cost centre - select a specific cost centre if required.
• Override currency - the currency in which to display the information.
• Use budgeted cost - select this check box to calculate this field using the budgeted cost that has been recorded in the Budgeted cost field in the live data, or clear the check box to calculate the field using a value from a baseline. You may want to use the Budgeted cost field in projects that have been imported from Primavera software, as this field can be used in Primavera software to record the budget cost of items without the need to use a baseline.

A measure of a project's schedule efficiency: the ratio of earned value to planned value. In other words, the amount that a task has earned/cost, divided by the amount that it should have earned/cost, to the report date of a specified progress period, or to today's date, according to a specified baseline. A schedule performance index greater than 1 indicates a favourable position; a schedule performance index lower than one indicates an unfavourable one.

EV / PV

• Data -  the baseline to use when calculating the value.
• Dates - specify a date range if required.
• Specific task - specify specific task(s) on a multi-task bar to which you want the field to refer if required.
• Progress period - select a progress period to calculate the value up to the progress period's report date, or do not select one to calculate it up to today's date.
• Use period date - if you specify a progress period, whether to calculate the value up to the report date of the selected progress period, or up to the last task section to be completed in the selected progress period. The latter setting gives more accurate results if you have not straightened your progress lines by rescheduling.
• Measure of progress - whether you want progress to be calculated according to duration percentage complete, overall percentage complete or cost percentage complete.
• Cost centre - select a specific cost centre if required.

The difference between the cost of work that a specified baseline said would be done and the cost of work that has been done in the live data, to the report date of the specified progress period or to today's date. If negative, the task is ahead of schedule; if positive, it has slipped.

EV - PV

• Data -  the baseline to use when calculating the value.
• Dates - specify a date range if required.
• Specific task - specify specific task(s) on a multi-task bar to which you want the field to refer if required.
• Progress period - select a progress period to calculate the value up to the progress period's report date, or do not select one to calculate it up to today's date.
• Use period date - if you specify a progress period, whether to calculate the value up to the report date of the selected progress period, or up to the last task section to be completed in the selected progress period. The latter setting gives more accurate results if you have not straightened your progress lines by rescheduling.
• Measure of progress - whether you want progress to be calculated according to duration percentage complete, overall percentage complete or cost percentage complete.
• Cost centre - select a specific cost centre if required.
• Override currency - the currency in which to display the information.

SV as a percentage of PV.

(SV / PV) * 100

• Data -  the baseline to use when calculating the value.
• Dates - specify a date range if required.
• Specific task - specify specific task(s) on a multi-task bar to which you want the field to refer if required.
• Progress period - select a progress period to calculate the value up to the progress period's report date, or do not select one to calculate it up to today's date.
• Use period date - if you specify a progress period, whether to calculate the value up to the report date of the selected progress period, or up to the last task section to be completed in the selected progress period. The latter setting gives more accurate results if you have not straightened your progress lines by rescheduling.
• Measure of progress - whether you want progress to be calculated according to duration percentage complete, overall percentage complete or cost percentage complete.
• Cost centre - select a specific cost centre if required.

The difference between the estimated cost of work in a specified baseline and the actual cost of work in the live data.

FAC - BAC

• Data -  the baseline to use when calculating the value.
• Specific task - specify specific task(s) on a multi-task bar to which you want the field to refer if required.
• Cost centre - select a specific cost centre if required.
• Override currency - the currency in which to display the information.
• Use budgeted cost - select this check box to calculate this field using the budgeted cost that has been recorded in the Budgeted cost field in the live data, or clear the check box to calculate the field using a value from a baseline. You may want to use the Budgeted cost field in projects that have been imported from Primavera software, as this field can be used in Primavera software to record the budget cost of items without the need to use a baseline.

The ratio (percentage) between the estimated cost of work in a specified baseline and the actual cost of work in the live data.

(FAC / BAC) * 100

• Data - the baseline to use when calculating the value.
• Specific task - specify specific task(s) on a multi-task bar to which you want the field to refer if required.
• Cost centre - the cost centre about which you want to display information.
• Use budgeted cost - select this check box to calculate this field using the budgeted cost that has been recorded in the Budgeted cost field in the live data, or clear the check box to calculate the field using a value from a baseline. You may want to use the Budgeted cost field in projects that have been imported from Primavera software, as this field can be used in Primavera software to record the budget cost of items without the need to use a baseline.