Use the information in the table regarding this seven-month project to create two plots. The first plot should be the S-curve for Earned Value. Indicate on this plot whether the project is ahead or behind schedule and by how much

Question

The second plot should be the Earned Schedule and the Estimate at Completion for Time. Comment on the symmetry of this graph and whether you would expect a similar plot from any other project to exhibit similar characteristics.

Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7
PV ($) $125 $275 $500 $875 $1,485 $2,325 $2,670
EV ($) $140 $280 $480 $800 $1,280 $1,975 $2,950

Answer 1

The Earned Schedule table appears below.

Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7
PV ($) $125 $275 $500 $875 $1,485 $2,325 $2,670
EV ($) $140 $280 $480 $800 $1,280 $1,975 $2,950
SV ($) $15 $5 -$20 -$75 -$205 -$350 $280
SPI ($) 1.12 1.02 0.96 0.91 0.86 0.85 1.10

C 1 2 2 3 4 5 7
ES 1.12 3.03 2.91 3.80 4.66 5.58 8.81
SV(t) 0.12 1.03 -0.09 -0.2 -0.34 -0.42 1.81
SPI(t) 1.12 1.52 0.97 0.95 0.93 0.93 1.26

The Earned Value plot appears below. The earned value (dashed red line) falls below the planned value line (solid blue line). Thus, the project is behind schedule by an amount corresponding to the gap between the two lines.

The Earned Schedule and Estimate at Completion Time lines show a symmetry about the average of the two, converging at the completion date of the project. The two lines are inversely related, as the project falls behind schedule, the earned schedule should fall while the estimate at completion should rise.