PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP) Practice Exam

What does Earned Value Management (EVM) help measure in project management?

1. Cost of Completed Work

2. Progress against the plan

3. Quality of Deliverables

4. Stakeholder Satisfaction

The correct answer is: Progress against the plan

Earned Value Management (EVM) is a robust project management technique that enables project managers to measure a project's progress against the planned value. It integrates the scope of work with time and cost metrics, allowing for a comprehensive view of project performance. By comparing the amount of work that has actually been completed (earned value) to the value of the work that was planned to be completed by a certain point in time (planned value), EVM provides insights into whether a project is ahead of or behind schedule. Using EVM, project managers can analyze variances between these metrics, which helps in forecasting future performance and making informed decisions. This ability to track progress against the plan is essential for keeping the project on track and ensuring that resources are allocated effectively. While the other options touch on important aspects of project management, they do not encapsulate what EVM specifically measures. For instance, while the cost of completed work is relevant, EVM is more concerned with the relationship between cost and schedule to gauge overall progress. Similarly, quality of deliverables and stakeholder satisfaction are critical outcomes but are not direct measures within the EVM framework. EVM focuses primarily on the relationship between the planned work and the work actually completed, making the measurement of progress against the plan