Percent Complete
EVM Terms
Reviewed by forProject Technology - updated Sep 2026
Quick definition: Percent Complete is a general measure of progress on a task or Work Package, expressed in various ways depending on what's being measured.
Some percent complete measures track how much of the scheduled Duration has passed, while others track how much physical work has actually been accomplished — and the two don't always agree. Duration Percent Complete and Physical Percent Complete are the two main variants.
What this means for you
Because "percent complete" can mean different things depending on the method used, it's important to know which version is being reported. A task can be far through its duration while still being far from physically finished, or vice versa.
Also known as
% Complete
Used in
Percent Complete (EV Method)
See also
FAQ
Is percent complete always based on physical progress?
Not necessarily. Duration Percent Complete tracks how much of the Duration has passed, while Physical Percent Complete assesses how much work has actually been done. When Percent Complete is used as an earned value method, it should be an assessment of physical progress, ideally supported by Quantifiable Backup Data (QBD).
Why might Duration Percent Complete and Physical Percent Complete disagree?
Because time passing doesn't always match work getting done — a task can run behind or ahead of the physical progress its schedule position would suggest.
Definition maintained by forProject Technology.
© 2026 forProject Technology, Inc.
© 2026 forProject Technology, Inc.
