What is Schedule Variance?
Difference between planned and actual progress.
How to calculate it
Calculate Schedule Variance as: Earned value − Planned value. Pull the inputs from your connected data and track the trend over time in your dashboard.
Examples
Example 1
Earned value $90k - planned value $100k = -$10k, the project is behind schedule.
Example 2
Earned value of $90k against planned value of $100k -> -$10k schedule variance, indicating the project is behind and needs corrective action.
Why it matters
Schedule variance is the difference between planned and actual progress, expressed in earned-value terms, and signals whether a project is ahead of or behind plan. It gives an early, quantified warning of slippage before deadlines are missed. It requires disciplined earned-value data to be meaningful.
Benchmark context
Zero or positive means on or ahead of schedule; a persistent negative variance flags a project trending late.
Common pitfalls
Requires disciplined EVM data.
Related KPI guides
Turn KPI definitions into governed dashboards
Metricwise helps teams define metrics once, reuse them across dashboards, and ask trusted business questions in plain English.
Get Started