errr021 ‘Schedule Variance (SV) & Cost Variance (CV) in Project Cost Management| PM Study Circle Schedule Variance (SV) & Cost Variance (CV) in Project Cost Management a COST VARIENCE Nese ees eV nN Cesc May 6, 2012 Fahad Usmani, PMP Schedule Variance (SV) and Cost Variance (CV) are two essential parameters in Earned Value Management. They help you analyze the project’s progress, i.e., how you are performing in terms of schedule and cost. Assume you are managing a construction project. The client asks you to update them with the current status and progress of the project. hitpsipmetudycle.com/schedule-variance-ev-cost-varance-cvsn-project-cost-management 11989rra0a ‘Schedule Variance (SV) & Cost Variance (CV) in Project Cost Management| PM Study Circle What do they mean by asking for these metrics? How will you get this information? The client is asking for information on the cost incurred to date, work completed, and how the project is performing in terms of cost and schedule. You will get this information with the help of Earned Value Management. Earned Value Management has three basic clements: Earned Value, Planned Value, and Actual Cost. Earned Value is the value of the work completed to date. Planned Value is the money you should have spent as per the schedule. Actual Cost is the cost spent on the project to date. These basic elements help you find Schedule Variance and Cost Variance. Schedule Variance helps to understand if you are behind or ahead of schedule. Cost Variance helps determine if you are under or over budget. Variance analysis is the key to the success of any project, which is finished on time and within the approved budget. Variance analysis helps monitor your project performance, allowing you to take corrective action as soon as required, and it lets you know if you are going in the correct direction or not. Schedule Variance (SV) hitpsipmetudycle.com/schedule-variance-ev-cost-varance-cvsn-project-cost-management 2106scat Schele Voionce (SV) & Cos Variance (CV) in Projet Cost Management| P Study Cle It is imperative for you to keep your project on schedule and Schedule Variance helps you complete it on time. It enables you to avoid unnecessary cost overruns due to a slip of schedule. Costs increase as you go over the stipulated time. For example, you have rented some equipment for a specific duration of time and you may end up paying more if you need this equipment for longer. You may need to rent this equipment from other suppliers on an urgent, short-term contract at a higher price. Schedule Variance is a vital analytical tool, it lets you know if you are ahead of schedule or behind schedule in dollars. The Formula for Schedule Variance (SV) You can calculate Schedule Variance by subtracting Planned Value from Earned Value. Schedule Variance = Earned Value — Planned Value SV =EV-PV From the above formula, we can conclude that: + You are ahead of schedule if the Schedule Variance is positive. + You are behind schedule if the Schedule Variance is negative. + You are on schedule if the Schedule Variance is zero. hitpsipmetudycle.com/schedule-variance-ev-cost-varance-cvsn-project-cost-management 386scat Schele Voionce (SV) & Cos Variance (CV) in Projet Cost Management| P Study Cle When the project is complete, the Schedule Variance becomes zero because all Planned Value has been earned. Example of Schedule Variance (SV) You have a project to be completed in 12 months and the budget of the project is 100,000 USD. 6 months have passed and 60,000 USD has been spent, but on a closer review, you find that only 40% of the work has been completed. Find the project’s Schedule Variance (SV) and determine if you are ahead of schedule or behind schedule. Given in the question: Actual Cost (AC) = 60,000 USD Planned Value (PV) = 50% of 100,000 = 50,000 USD Please note that in the question, the Planned Value is not specifically given but the question says that half of the time has passed. In such a situation, you can assume that the budget was evenly distributed, so the planned value will be 50%. Earned Value (EV) = 40% of 100,000 hitpslipmetudyccle.com/schedule-variance-ev-cost-varance-cvsn-project-cost-management 41389rra0a ‘Schedule Variance (SV) & Cost Variance (CV) in Project Cost Management| PM Study Circle = 40,000 USD Now, Schedule Variance = Earned Value — Planned Value = 40,000 ~ 50,000 = -10,000 USD The project’s Schedule Variance is -10,000 USD. You are behind schedule since it is negative. Cost Variance (CV) Cost Variance is as important as Schedule Variance. You must complete your project within the approved budget. Exceeding the planned budget is bad for you and your stakeholders. Everything is about money. Clients are very cautious about spending; because any deviation from the cost baseline can affect their profit. In the worst case, they may have to put more money into the project to complete it. This is detrimental if the contract is fixed price. Cost Variance deals with the cost baseline of the project. It provides you with information on whether you are over or under budget, in dollar terms. Cost Variance is hitpslipmetudyccle.com/schedule-variance-ev-cost-varance-cvsn-project-cost-management 51369rra0a ‘Schedule Variance (SV) & Cost Variance (CV) in Project Cost Management| PM Study Circle a measure of the cost performance of a project. The Formula for Cost Variance (CV) Cost Variance can be calculated by subtracting the actual cost from the Earned Value. Cost Variance = Earned Value — Actual Cost CV =EV—AC We can conclude the following from the above formula: + You are under budget if the Cost Variance is positive. + You are over budget if the Cost Variance is negative. + You are on the budget if the Cost Variance is zero. Example of Cost Variance (CV) You have a project to be completed in 12 months, and the budget of the project is 100,000 USD. 6 months have passed, and 60,000 USD has been spent, but on closer review, you find that only 40% of the work has been completed so far. Find the project’s Cost Variance (CV) and determine if you are under budget or over budget. hitpsipmetudycle.com/schedule-variance-ev-cost-varance-cvsn-project-cost-management 6969rra0a ‘Schedule Variance (SV) & Cost Variance (CV) in Project Cost Management| PM Study Circle ee nae uae queue Actual Cost (AC) = 60,000USD Earned Value (EV) = 40% of 100,000 USD = 40,000 USD Now, Cost Variance = Earned Value — Actual Cost CV =EV—AC = 40,000 — 60,000 = -20,000 USD Hence, the project’s Cost Variance is -20,000 USD, and you are over budget since it is negative. Summary Schedule Variance and Cost Variance are great tools for analyzing project health. As a project manager, you should monitor these variances for any deviations. If both variances are positive, this means that your project is progressing well. However, hitpslipmetudyccle.com/schedule-variance-ev-cost-varance-cvsn-project-cost-management 1836scat Schele Voionce (SV) & Cos Variance (CV) in Projet Cost Management| P Study Cle something is wrong if either variance is negative and you have to take corrective action to bring the project back on track. How are you using Schedule Variance and Cost Variance in your project? Please share your experience in the comments section. This blog post is the third in a series of seven on Earned Value Management and project forecasting, Please read through my previous two posts before reading this post if you're coming here from a search engine or a referral. ‘The following are the links for other blog post: + Earned Value Management + Elements of Earned Value Management + Schedule Variance and Cost Variance (You are here) + Schedule Performance Index and Cost Performance Index + Estimate at Completion + Estimate to Complete + To Complete Performance Index hitpsipmetudycle.com/schedule-variance-ev-cost-varance-cvsn-project-cost-management 896