BEI - Baseline Execution Index - explained and example

The ratio of the total number of tasks that should be complete, through the project status date, per baseline finish dates vs. the the total number of tasks that did actually complete.  Therefore, if 100 tasks should be complete by the status date and 95 tasks actually finished by the same date, BEI = .95.  If 105 tasks finished and 100 should have finished, BEI would be 1.05.  The Pass threshold for this assessment is a BEI greater than .95 (95% of the projects tasks finished on time through the status date).

From DCMA-EA PAM 200.1 Paragraph 4.14 and 3.1.2.4

The Baseline Execution Index (BEI) metric is an IMS-based metric that calculates the efficiency with which tasks have been accomplished when measured against the baseline tasks. In other words, it is a measure of task throughput. The BEI provides insight into the realism of program cost, resource, and schedule estimates. It compares the cumulative number of tasks completed to the cumulative number of tasks with a baseline finish date on or before the current reporting period. BEI does not provide insight into tasks completed early or late (before or after the baseline finish date), as long as the task was completed before time now. See the Hit Task Percentage metric below for further insight into on-time performance. If the contractor completes more tasks than planned, then the BEI will be higher than 1.00 reflecting a higher task throughput than planned. Tasks missing baseline finish dates are included in the denominator. A BEI less than 0.95 should be considered a flag and require additional investigation.

Program & Project Managers look to Earned Value Management (EVM) outputs to predict whether or not their project will be completed on time and budget. The Defence Contract Management Agency (DCMA) 14-point assessment’s Baseline Execution Index (BEI) has been utilised as a schedule completion early warning metric on numerous projects.

Monitoring the schedule progress and making the appropriate schedule adjustments to keep the project on schedule, is an important role of the Program manager.

The Schedule Performance Index (SPI) is an earned value management metric that assists managers in extrapolating their project’s schedule completion situation.

The SPI metric divides Earned Value (EV) by Planned Value (PV) to determine how close the earned value is to what was planned at this particular point in the project lifecycle. The preference being, of course, 1 or greater, less than 1 is unfavorable. The SPI thus provides the project manager with keen insight into the progress of the schedule.

Feedback from projects has indicated that the Baseline Execution Index provides an earlier schedule completion warning metric.

This article introduces the Baseline Execution Index as a useful schedule completion early warning metric that identifies a detrimental trend in project performance.

The DCMA defines the BEI ratio as follows:

BEIcum = (Total # of Tasks Complete) / (Total # of Tasks Completed Before Now+Total # of Tasks Missing Baseline Finish Date)

The denominator nomenclature can be confusing. The following equivalence helps to better understand the denominator:

Total # of Tasks Completed Before Now + Total # of Incomplete Tasks Missing Baseline Finish Date = Total # Activities that should be complete

The denominator is the sum of completed tasks and incomplete tasks missing a baseline finish date. This is equivalent to total # activities that should be complete. The BEI formula, is simplified to the following:

BEIcum = (Total # of Tasks Complete) / (Total # of Tasks that Should be Complete)

The DCMA advises the denominator to be a baseline count equivalent to the number of tasks with a baseline finish date on or before the status date. The BEI equation becomes:

BEIcum = (Total # of Tasks Complete) / (Baseline Count

Baseline Count = Total # of Tasks with Baseline Finish Date on or Before the Status Date

So the BEI ratio formula comes down to two terms: total # of tasks complete and total # of tasks that should be complete (or the baseline count). This formula only applies to normal tasks, so we filter out LOE, summary tasks, and zero duration tasks (milestones).

A BEI greater than 1 is good and a BEI of less than 1 is not good. If tasks are not completed by the status date as scheduled, then something is wrong with the performance of the schedule. The BEI is a means of measuring task completion issues relative to the status date.

If tasks’ completion, as per the data date, is insufficient a BEI < 1 warns management that the schedule performance is trending in the wrong direction and needs attention.

The BEI provides a warning indication that your schedule is heading towards trouble. Note, as an example, a schedule that has 1 task incomplete out of 20 that should be complete by the status date.

The BEI computes as follows:

BEI = 19/(19+1) = 19/20=0.95

This schedule passes the BEI test, which determines that BEI’s 0.95 and above are passing.

Let’s consider the DCMA 14-points point-11 missed tasks assessment. The same schedule will compute a % missed task value as follows:

% Missed Tasks = (# of Tasks with Actual or Forecast Finish Date Past Baseline Date) / (# of Tasks with Baseline Finish Date on or Before Status Date) x100

% Missed Task = 1/20 × 100 = 5%

It passes the % missed task test that says no more than 5% of schedule incomplete tasks should have missed baseline finish dates. But what if two tasks missed their baseline finish dates, but only one remains incomplete by the status date? In this situation the BEI remains 0.95, but the % missed task ratio computes as follows:

% Missed Task = 2/20 × 100 = 10%

So the missed tasks formula numerator includes tasks that missed their baseline finish, but are, none-the-less, complete. The missed task ratio thus includes minutiae that makes the schedule fail the missed task pass/fail criteria.

Is the 'Missed Mark' a better test of progress to include or flag completed tasks simply because they missed their baseline finish date?

The Baseline Execution Index simplifies the equation to what’s complete by the status date divided by what should be complete by the status date. It’s OK for an activity to miss its baseline finish date as long as it is completed by the status date.

The BEI provides an objective and sensitive measurement of schedule progress.

Currently, neither Primavera P6 Professional or Microsoft Project have BEI variables.

Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management (P6 EPPM), includes a BEI metric in its schedule check feature. Let’s demonstrate a BEI computation in Primavera P6 Professional and below, is our demonstration schedule.

This schedule has progressed 2 months: January and February. The number of tasks with actual finish dates is determined using the following filter:

Applying this filter indicates that ten tasks have an actual finish date before the status date,

The number of tasks scheduled to finish prior to status date is determined by the following filter,

Eleven tasks were scheduled to be completed before the status date,

The BEI computes as follows:

BEI = 10 / (10+1) = 10/11 = 0.91

So this schedule fails the Baseline Execution Index criteria. Our schedule requires further attention. This may be a good time to further inspect the schedule, in particular, its SPI (EV/PV).

Summary

A project or Program manager’s major duty is to monitor schedule progress, and make adjustments to keep the project on time. Early advice on detrimental trends means management can diagnose a schedule diverting from the plan and undertake mitigation strategies.

Planners & Schedulers will need to rely on output variables and filters to determine both the numerator and denominator in the BEI ratio.