SCHEDULE METRICS
Baseline Execution Index (BEI)
Metric Definition
The BEI, shown in Figure 1, reveals the “execution pace” for a program and provides an
early warning of increased risk to on-time completion. BEI is a summary-level snapshot
measuring how well the program (or a portion of the program) has actually performed
compared with the baseline plan. BEI is simply a ratio of completed (or started) tasks to
tasks planned to be completed (or started). Management can use this metric to
evaluate schedule progress towards the baseline plan. BEI is similar in function to SPI.
• # Tasks Actually Completed o Count of activities with an Actual Finish date on
or before the status date of the IMS.
• # Tasks Planned to Be Completed o Count of activities with a Baseline Finish
date on or before the status date of the IMS.
Note: While there may be exceptions under certain circumstances, programs typically
exclude the following activity categories from BEI counts and calculations:
• Summary Tasks
• Level of Effort (LOE) Tasks
• Milestones (zero duration tasks)
Figure 1. BEI Examples
Output/Threshold
Similar to reading SPI or CPI, a BEI value of 1.00 indicates the effort is progressing as
planned (per the baseline). Values above 1.00 denote better performance than planned,
while values below 1.00 suggest poorer performance than planned.
BEI Value Implication
FAVORABLE
> 1.00
- The effort on average is being accomplished at a faster rate than planned
ON TRACK
= 1.00
- The effort on average is performing to plan
UNFAVORABLE
< 1.00
- The effort on average is being accomplished at a slower rate than planned
Additional thresholds are commonly set to further categorize (color-code) performance.
The specific value thresholds can be tailored depending on the nature and criticality of
the effort.
Hit Task %
Hit Task % = 100 * (Tasks in Denominator that Completed ON or Before Baseline
Finish / Tasks Baselined to Finish within Current Report Period)
Critical Path Length Index (CPLI)
Metric Definition
Negative total float is never a desirable condition; however, in different projects the
exact same negative float value can represent significantly different risk conditions. For
example, if you have -10 days of total float on a project that is not planned to complete
for two more years, there are multiple ways to mitigate the issues and recover to an
ontime position (authorize overtime, bring on additional resources, etc.). However, if
you have -10 days of total float on a project that is forecasted to complete next month,
the mitigation options are likely to be very limited, and recovery is less likely if not
impossible.
Critical Path Length Index (CPLI) is a ratio that uses the remaining duration of a project
and the critical path total float to help quantify the likelihood of meeting program
completion requirements. Figure 2 shows an example.
• Critical Path Length o The remaining duration of the project. It is the
number of working days from the current status date to the end of the project
critical path.
• Critical Path Total Float o The calculated total float on the final activity
along the project’s critical path.
Figure 2. Critical Path Example
Note: In order to calculate the total float on a critical path, the final task/milestone will need have
a constraint or deadline to indicate the due date for the project completion.
Output/Threshold
Similar to reading BEI, a CPLI value of 1.00 indicates that the effort is forecasted to
progress as planned. A value above 1.00 denotes a forecasted project completion
earlier than required, while a value below 1.00 indicates a forecasted completion that
does not support project deadlines.
Additional thresholds can also be set to further categorize (color-code) performance.
The specific value thresholds can be tailored depending on the nature and criticality of
the effort.
