PM Test Center

One of your monthly reports claim that your project has a SV of -1000. How would you describe it to your sponsor?

A. The project is behind schedule
B. The project is ahead of schedule
C. Impossible to have a negative SV
D. Not enough information

Answer: A. The project is behind schedule
SV (schedule variance) is simply a measure of how the project is performing in terms of schedule. A positive number is good, ahead of schedule, while a negative number is bad, behind schedule. SV is derived from EV (earned value) minus PV (planned value).