Calculate SPI, CPI, EAC, ETC, VAC, and TCPI. Use it to test different inputs quickly, compare outcomes, and understand the main factors behind the result before moving on to related tools or deeper guidance.
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Earned value management
Enter project values Enter budget at completion, planned value, earned value, and actual cost to evaluate cost and schedule performance.
Project inputs
Enter the total budget, the planned value by the data date, the earned value actually delivered, and the actual cost spent so far.
Display currency
Currency only changes how the values render. The EVM ratios and forecast logic do not change with display currency.
Assumptions
This calculator uses the standard earned-value relationships SPI = EV / PV, CPI = EV / AC, EAC = AC + (BAC - EV) / CPI, and VAC = BAC - EAC. It assumes the current cost-efficiency trend continues.
Earned value management calculator guide: SPI, CPI, EAC, ETC, VAC, and TCPI explained
An earned value management calculator helps you judge whether a project is really on plan instead of reading cost and schedule in isolation. This guide explains how SPI, CPI, EAC, ETC, VAC, and TCPI fit together, what the ratios are actually saying, and how to interpret them without over-trusting a single metric.
What earned value management is meant to show
Earned value management compares three core values at the same project data date: planned value, earned value, and actual cost. Planned value shows how much budgeted work should have been completed by now, earned value shows how much budgeted value has actually been earned, and actual cost shows what has really been spent to reach the current point.
That structure is why EVM is more useful than looking only at budget spent or percent complete. A team can spend exactly what it expected and still be behind schedule, or it can appear busy and still be earning less value than planned. EVM forces those dimensions onto one common project-controls frame so the status conversation starts from consistent numbers rather than intuition.
How the calculator derives the key EVM metrics
The two headline efficiency ratios are SPI and CPI. SPI compares earned value with planned value to show schedule efficiency, while CPI compares earned value with actual cost to show cost efficiency. A value above 1.00 is usually favourable, a value below 1.00 usually signals pressure, and a value near 1.00 suggests performance close to plan.
The forecast layer then extends that picture. This page uses a common CPI-based EAC method that assumes current cost efficiency continues through the remaining work. ETC shows the remaining forecast spend, VAC compares the forecast finish against the approved budget, and TCPI shows the performance still required on the remaining work if the team wants to recover to BAC or hold the current EAC forecast.
SPI = EV / PV
Schedule Performance Index compares earned value with planned value at the same data date.
CPI = EV / AC
Cost Performance Index compares earned value with actual cost spent so far.
EAC = AC + (BAC - EV) / CPI
One common estimate-at-completion method when current cost performance is assumed to continue.
VAC = BAC - EAC
Variance at completion shows how far the current forecast sits above or below the approved budget.
Worked example: a project earning less value than planned
Suppose BAC is 100,000, planned value is 40,000, earned value is 35,000, and actual cost is 38,000. SPI comes out at 0.875, which means the project has earned only 87.5% of the value it planned to have delivered by this point. CPI is about 0.921, which means each unit of spend is earning less value than intended.
Using the CPI-based forecast, EAC rises to roughly 108,573 and VAC falls to about -8,573. That does not mean the final cost is guaranteed to land there. It means that if the current cost-efficiency pattern persists, the project is trending toward an overrun. ETC and TCPI then help the conversation move from diagnosis to action by showing what remains to be spent and how much efficiency recovery would still be needed.
What these metrics do not tell you on their own
EVM can look mathematically precise while still being weak if the underlying statusing method is inconsistent. Poor percent-complete rules, late actual-cost capture, unstable baselines, or work packages measured on different logic can all distort SPI, CPI, and the forecast metrics. The calculator assumes all four inputs come from the same baseline, the same data date, and a defensible earned-value method.
It also does not replace root-cause analysis. A low SPI or CPI tells you something is drifting, but not whether the issue is scope growth, procurement delay, productivity loss, rework, or measurement lag. Use the output as a project-controls checkpoint first, then pair it with schedule analysis, variance narratives, and a real review of the remaining work before escalating decisions.
SPI measures schedule efficiency by comparing earned value with planned value, while CPI measures cost efficiency by comparing earned value with actual cost. SPI answers whether the project is earning value as fast as planned. CPI answers whether the project is earning enough value for the money already spent. A project can be weak on one and acceptable on the other, which is why both matter.
What does EAC mean in earned value management?
EAC means estimate at completion. It is a forecast of the total final project cost based on current performance and the forecasting method chosen. This calculator uses a CPI-based EAC approach, which is common when current cost efficiency is expected to continue for the remaining work. Different organizations may use alternative EAC formulas when schedule disruption or future corrective action is expected to change the trend.
What is TCPI and why does it matter?
TCPI stands for To-Complete Performance Index. It shows the cost efficiency the remaining work would need in order to finish at a chosen target such as BAC or EAC. A TCPI meaningfully above 1.00 usually means the remaining work must perform more efficiently than the project has performed so far. That makes TCPI useful as a realism check when a recovery plan claims the original budget can still be met.
Can this calculator replace a full EVMS review?
No. It gives a structured metric snapshot, not a validated control-system review. Real project governance still depends on baseline integrity, statusing rules, schedule logic, actual-cost timing, variance analysis, and management judgment. Use this page to standardize the math and support interpretation, then confirm the result inside the project's formal controls process.
