I’ve always been bad at remembering formulas, especially when I don’t rely on them frequently or if the project software I’m using does it for me. That said, it is a requirement for the PMP and Comptia Project+ certification exams to recall and use CPI, SPI, CV, and SV formulas.
While I’m not covering all formulas here, I did want to call out these specific CPI, SPI, CV, and SV formulas as I think they can give some folks the most trouble, but they also can be the easier ones to remember when using the helpful tricks below.
| CPI (Cost Performance Index) = | EV (Earned Value) | ÷ (Divide) | AC (Actual Cost) |
| SPI (Schedule Performance Index) = | EV (Earned Value) | ÷ (Divide) | PV (Planned Value) |
| CV (Cost Variance) = | EV (Earned Value) | – (Subtract) | AC (Actual Cost) |
| SV (Schedule Variance) = | EV (Earned Value) | – (Subtract) | PV (Planned Value) |
Helpful Tips to Remember CPI, SPI, CV, and SV Formulas
- Earned Value (EV) is always going to be included first for the formulas CPI, SPI, CV, and SV.
- When trying to find an Index you use Division
- When trying to find a Variance you use Subtraction
- When trying to find a Cost you will always include Actual Cost (AC)
- Cost goes with Cost
- When trying to find a Schedule you will always include Planned Value (PV)
- Schedule goes with Plan