Schedule Variance

What is Schedule Variance?

Schedule variance (SV) is a project management metric that shows if a project is ahead of schedule, behind schedule or on track. It’s the difference between earned value (EV) which is the actual work done and planned value (PV) which is the work scheduled to be done by a certain time. In short, SV shows if project progress matches expectations.

There are two types of schedule variance. Point-in-time SV is the difference between EV and PV for a single reporting period, a snapshot of performance at that moment. Cumulative SV looks at progress over multiple periods by summing up earned and planned values, a broader view of how the project is performing over time.

A positive SV means the project is ahead of schedule, a negative SV means delays and an SV of zero means work is on track. This makes schedule variance a useful tool for project managers to monitor performance, identify timing issues early and adjust resources or priorities when needed.

By tracking schedule variance, teams get clear visibility if deadlines are realistic and can improve forecasting and decision making throughout the project lifecycle.