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To Complete Performance Index – BAC

To Complete Performance Index – BAC (TCPI-BAC)

EVM Terms Reviewed by forProject Technology - updated Sep 2026
Quick definition: To Complete Performance Index - BAC (TCPI-BAC) shows whether the original Budget at Completion (BAC) is still achievable. It's the cost efficiency needed on the remaining work to finish within that budget.

TCPI-BAC tests whether the original Budget at Completion is still achievable. It shows the cost efficiency needed on the remaining work to finish within that budget. It answers a narrower question than To Complete Performance Index - EAC (TCPI-EAC): not whether the current estimate is realistic, but whether the original budget can still be met. The formula is TCPI-BAC = (BAC − BCWP) / (BAC − ACWP), where BCWP is the Budgeted Cost for Work Performed and ACWP is the Actual Cost of Work Performed.

Why it matters

TCPI-BAC puts a number on how much better a project would have to perform to recover to its original budget. Where that number sits far above the efficiency achieved so far, it's evidence the budget is no longer a realistic target — often the trigger for revising the Estimate at Completion.

Also known as
N/A
Used in
Assessing whether the original budget is still achievable

FAQ

When is TCPI-BAC used instead of TCPI-EAC?
When the question is whether the original budget can still be met, rather than whether the current estimate is realistic. That's the less common question.
What does a high TCPI-BAC indicate?
That recovering to the original budget would need efficiency well beyond what the project has achieved — usually a sign the budget is no longer realistic.
Definition maintained by forProject Technology.
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