ISC Exam Questions

What is the formula for the schedule variance?

Beth is the project manager of the BFG Project for her company. In this project Beth has decided to create a contingency response based on the performance of the project schedule. If the project schedule variance is greater than $10,000 the contingency plan will be implemented. What is the formula for the schedule variance?

A.
SV=PV-EV

B.
SV=EV-PV

C.
SV=EV/PV

D.
SV=EV/AC

Explanation:

The schedule variance is found by subtracting the planned value from the earned value.

Schedule variance (SV) is a measure of schedule performance on a project. The variance notifies that the schedule is ahead or behind what was planned for this period in time. The schedule variance is calculated based on the following formula: SV = Earned Value (EV) – Planned Value (PV)

If the resulting schedule is negative, it indicates that the project is behind schedule. A value greater than 0 shows that the project is ahead of the planned schedule. A value of 0 indicates that the project is right on target.

Answer option C is incorrect. EV/PV is the formula for the schedule performance index.

Answer option D is incorrect. EV/AC is the formula for the cost performance index.

Answer option A is incorrect. This is not a valid earned value management formula.

Reference: "Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), Fourth Edition"