Schedule Variance (SV)

Schedule variance (SV) is an earned value measure of schedule performance: the difference between the value of work completed (earned value) and the value that was planned by now (planned value), or SV = EV − PV. A positive SV means the project is ahead of schedule; a negative SV means it is behind.

Expressed in cost terms rather than time, SV shows whether more or less work has been done than planned. It is usually read together with the schedule performance index (SPI).

Related: planned value, earned value, schedule performance index.

Last updated: 4 July 2026 · By Tom, PMP-certified since 2004

Related Articles:

 
  • Acceptance – Definition Acceptance is the noun form of the previously defined verb “accept“. It represents the state of being in which one...
    •  
  • PMBOK, 4th edition The PMI has released the 4th edition of the Project Management Body of Knowledge, and while the members only-PDF cannot...
    •  
  • Triple Constraint Project Management is the act of organizing resources such as scope, time and cost to bring about a desired result....
    •  
  • Project Risk Management Project Risk Management is a branch of the discipline of project management that deals with identifying and mitigating risk on...
    •  
  • Target Schedule A target schedule is a working version of the project schedule used alongside the approved schedule baseline to set and...