Baseline Execution Index (BEI)
What it is
The Baseline Execution Index measures whether the project is completing activities at
the pace the approved baseline planned. It is check #14 of the DCMA 14-Point
Assessment.
BEI counts activities. It compares how many activities have actually been completed with
how many the baseline said should be complete by the status date.
How it's calculated
BEI = \frac{\text{Activities Completed}}{\text{Activities with a Baseline
Finish on or before the Status Date}}
The measure is cumulative from the start of the project. For example, if the baseline
planned 200 activities to finish by the current data date and 180 have actually been
completed, BEI = 180 ÷ 200 = 0.90.
A BEI of 1.0 means the team is completing activities exactly at the baselined rate. Below
1.0, work is falling behind the baseline; above 1.0, the team is finishing activities faster
than planned.
Why it matters
BEI is a simple, objective read on execution. Because it's based on counts rather than
estimates of progress, it's hard to inflate and easy to explain. A steadily declining BEI is an
early sign that the project is building a backlog of unfinished work, often before the
completion date starts to move.
DCMA acceptance criteria: BEI should be 0.95 or greater.
How BEI differs from SmartPM's SPI
The closest SmartPM metric is the Schedule Performance Index (SPI). The two are related
but not equivalent, and they can tell different stories about the same project.
| BEI | SmartPM SPI | |
| Question it answers | How many activities did we complete compared to how many we planned to complete? |
How much progress have we earned compared to how much we planned to earn? |
| Basis | Activity count | Progress or value |
| Weighting | Every activity counts equally | Larger activities carry more weight |
Because of that difference in weighting, a project can have a strong SPI and a weak BEI.
This happens when large, high-value activities are progressing well while many smaller
activities planned for the period are being missed. SPI looks healthy because the big
activities dominate the value, while BEI shows that a large share of planned activities
didn't get finished. The reverse can also happen, with many small activities completed on
time while a few large ones fall behind.
Reading the two together gives a fuller picture: SPI shows how much work is getting done,
and BEI shows whether planned commitments are being met.