Learning Center
CPLI and BEI Explained, With Formulas
Checks 13 and 14 of the DCMA 14-point assessment are the two that measure trend rather than a single-update pass/fail. Here are both formulas, what the numbers mean, and one schedule run through both.
CPLI — Critical Path Length Index
CPLI = (CPL + TF) ÷ CPL
- CPL (Critical Path Length)
- The calendar-day span from the baseline schedule’s own data date to its finish date.
- TF (Total Float)
- The total float on the current update’s finish activity, converted to calendar days using that activity’s own calendar.
A CPLI of exactly 1.0 means the project is tracking exactly to its baseline finish. Above 1.0 means the finish activity is currently carrying positive float relative to that baseline span -- running ahead. Below roughly 0.95 -- a commonly cited floor, not an official DCMA line -- suggests the critical path has stretched out relative to plan.
Worked Example: CPLI Trending Down
A project’s baseline critical path length is 400 calendar days. Tracking total float on the finish activity across four monthly updates:
| Update | CPL (days) | TF (days) | CPLI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Update 1 | 400 | 20 | 1.050 |
| Update 2 | 400 | 8 | 1.020 |
| Update 3 | 400 | -6 | 0.985 |
| Update 4 | 400 | -22 | 0.945 |
BEI — Baseline Execution Index
BEI = Activities Actually Complete ÷ Activities Baseline Expected Complete
Take every activity the baseline schedule expected to have finished by the current update’s data date, and divide the number that have actually finished by that total. Unlike CPLI, BEI isn’t float-based at all -- it’s a raw execution-rate measure, which makes it useful precisely because it can surface a productivity problem that float and critical-path metrics alone can miss.
Worked Example
As of the current data date, the baseline expected 340 activities to be complete. Only 289 actually are:
BEI = 289 ÷ 340 = 0.85
The project is completing activities at 85% of the rate the baseline called for.
Claims Digger computes both CPLI and BEI automatically as part of its DCMA 14-point assessment, once you’ve set a baseline for a project -- trended across every update you upload, so a CPLI erosion like the one above shows up the moment it starts, not after it’s already obvious elsewhere. See how it works.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is there only one correct CPLI formula?
- No -- DCMA literature documents more than one CPLI variant. The formula shown here, CPLI = (CPL + TF) / CPL, is a defensible, transparent, and commonly used reading, not the single official definition.
- What's a 'healthy' CPLI or BEI value?
- Neither check has an official pass/fail line the way most of the other 12 DCMA checks do. A value of 1.0 means tracking exactly to baseline; roughly 0.95 is a commonly cited floor below which both are treated as a health concern, but they're best read as trend indicators, not single-update pass/fail scores.
- Why would CPLI and BEI disagree -- one healthy, one not?
- They measure different things. CPLI is float-based: it tracks whether the critical path itself is stretching out. BEI is a raw completion-rate measure: it tracks whether activities are actually finishing on the pace the baseline assumed, independent of the critical path or float. A project can be executing individual activities on time (healthy BEI) while its overall critical path still slips (unhealthy CPLI), or vice versa.
Part of the Claims Digger Learning Center. Related reading: The complete DCMA 14-point assessment · CPLI (glossary) · BEI (glossary)