How does Primavera P6 calculate Planned Value Cost for Activities without linear distribution (using Resource Curves or Manual plan) in Earned Value Management

When applying the Earned Value Management (EVM) technique in Primavera P6, one of the key metrics is Planned Value (PV), which is calculated as:

• Planned Value (PV) = Budget at Completion (BAC) × Schedule % Complete
• Earned Value (EV) = BAC × Performance % Complete (typically equal to Activity % Complete)
• Schedule Variance (SV) = EV – PV

A positive SV indicates the project is ahead of schedule, making Planned Value a critical component in project performance analysis.

Linear vs. Non-Linear Resource Distribution

By default, when a resource is assigned to an activity, Primavera P6 distributes the units linearly across the activity duration. In this case, Schedule % Complete is calculated based on time elapsed, and PV is computed accordingly.

However, in real-world scenarios, resource usage is rarely linear. We often adjust resource units manually or apply Resource Curves to reflect realistic work distribution over time.

How Planned Value is Calculated with Resource Curves

Let’s explore how Primavera P6 handles non-linear resource distribution using Resource Curves.

Example Scenario

• Activity Duration: 10 days
• Resource Assignment: Uses the Back Loaded curve
• BAC: $100
• Current Day: Day 5

The Back Loaded curve divides the activity duration into 5% intervals, assigning a specific percentage of work to each interval. For example:

• From 0–5% of duration: 3.5% of work
• From 50–55% of duration: 6.5% of work
  …and so on.

At Day 5 (50% of duration), we sum the curve percentages for the first 10 intervals:

Schedule % Complete with Curve = 3.5 + 3.5 + … (10 intervals) = 35% (calculated at Resource Assignment level)

Then:

Planned Value (PV) = 35% × $100 = $35 (calculated at Resource Assignment level)

Note: Primavera P6 still shows Schedule % Complete as 50% by default (at Activity level), because it assumes linear distribution. This does not reflect the actual planned work based on the curve.

Displaying “Schedule % Complete with Curve” in Primavera P6

To reflect the curved distribution in your project data:

1. Create a User Defined Field (UDF)
   • Go to Enterprise > User Defined Fields
   • Create a new UDF for Activities called "Schedule % Complete with Curve" with Number as the data type.

2. Add the UDF to the Activity Layout

• • In the Activities view, add the new UDF as a column.

3. Create a Global Change

• Go to Tools > Global Change
• Create a new change for Activities:

Then Schedule Curve % Complete = Planned Value Cost / Budget At Completion
And Schedule Curve % Complete = Schedule Curve % Complete * 100

4. Run the Global Change

• • This will populate the UDF with the correct curved schedule percentage.

Summary Schedule % Complete for WBS

If you want to see the summary Schedule % Complete with Curve at the WBS level, Primavera P6 already calculates this correctly using:

Summary Schedule % Complete = Summary PV / Summary BAC

Mixed Resource Assignments: Curved and Non-Curved

If an activity has multiple resource assignments—some using curves and others not—Primavera P6 calculates the Planned Value for each assignment using the appropriate method (curved or linear), and then sums them at the activity level. This ensures accurate PV values regardless of the resource distribution method.