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Budgeted Cost for Work Scheduled

Budgeted Cost for Work Scheduled (BCWS)

EVM Terms Reviewed by forProject Technology - updated Sep 2026
Quick definition: Budgeted Cost for Work Scheduled (BCWS), also called Planned Value, is the budget for a project element, spread over time according to when the work is scheduled to be done.

BCWS is the time-phased budget: the budgeted value of the planned work, spread over time according to the schedule and the resources needed to perform it. For a single period, BCWS is the budgeted value of the work planned for that period. Cumulative BCWS is the total of all period budgets up through the status date, showing how much work should be done by then if everything goes according to plan. Note: Some sources write "Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled"; this encyclopedia uses "for."

What this means for you

BCWS is the baseline that performance is measured against. It shows what should be accomplished over time if everything goes according to plan.

Also known as
Planned Value (PV)
Used in
Schedule Performance Index; Schedule Variance; Budget at Completion

FAQ

Is BCWS the same as Planned Value?
Yes. Planned Value is the term used by the Project Management Institute (PMI) and in work outside formal government EVMS, but it means the same thing.
Does BCWS ever change once a project starts?
Yes, but only through an approved baseline change. It isn't changed just because work is running ahead of or behind schedule, or because costs are above or below plan.
Definition maintained by forProject Technology.
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