Earned value management

Jan 14 / Nathan Garrett
Understanding Earned Value with Dalux: A Practical Guide for Construction Projects.
In construction projects, accurate progress tracking and cost management are critical for success. Yet, many teams struggle to understand how work is actually progressing and whether the budget aligns with completed tasks.

This is where earned value management (EVM) comes in—and how Dalux makes it practical on live construction sites. In this post, we’ll explore what earned value is, why it matters, and how Dalux helps teams capture reliable progress data to make better decisions.

What is earned value?

At its core, earned value is simple. It asks one key question:
For the time and money we’ve spent, how much work have we actually completed?


Earned value brings cost and progress together, allowing project teams to measure work completed rather than relying on estimates or guesses. By knowing what’s genuinely finished, teams can have honest conversations about project performance, identify issues early, and avoid costly surprises.


The three key metrics

Earned value compares three simple things:

  1. Planned work – What we intended to complete by now.
  2. Actual completed work – What has actually been finished.
  3. Actual cost – What has been spent to achieve that progress.
By comparing these metrics, teams can see if a project is ahead or behind schedule, over or under budget, without waiting for end-of-month reports.

Why progress data matters

The accuracy of earned value depends entirely on reliable progress data. If the reported progress is wrong, the earned value calculations are meaningless.

This is where Dalux comes in.

Progress on a construction site can often be subjective, with different people giving different estimates for the same work. Dalux removes these subjective opinions and replaces them with verified, evidence-based data.

Using tasks, checklists, and inspection plans, Dalux ensures that everyone is looking at the same facts, leading to better decisions and fewer disputes.

How Dalux tracks progress

  • Tasks: Capture work that needs to be done or fixed, assign responsibility, and ensure completion.
  • Checklists: Confirm work meets all required steps before being considered complete.
  • Inspection plans: Define the checks that must be passed for work to be accepted.

Each of these creates a clear, auditable trail of progress, showing exactly what has been done, when, and where on site.

From plan to earned value

Once progress is verified, earned value can be calculated:


  1. Plan Value (PV) – The expected progress according to the project plan.
  2. Earned Value (EV) – The actual progress completed and verified on site.
  3. Actual Cost (AC) – What has been spent to achieve the verified progress.

Comparing PV, EV, and AC allows teams to see:

  • If the project is ahead or behind schedule.
  • If the project is under or over budget.
This provides an early warning system so issues can be addressed before they escalate.

A simple example

Imagine a project with five inspection plans, each with a budget of £10,000.

By the scheduled date:

  • Planned Value (PV): 100% (£10,000)
  • Completed Inspections (EV): 3 out of 5 (60%, £6,000)
  • Actual Cost (AC): £10,000
In this case, the earned value shows that the project is £4,000 behind on cost, even though all the money has already been spent. This simple insight allows teams to act early and objectively.

Why Dalux is different

Dalux is not a cost system or planning software. It doesn’t replace commercial tools or schedules. Instead, it strengthens them by providing a single, trusted source of verified progress data.

By combining evidence-based progress tracking with earned value management, Dalux enables teams to:

  • Make better, earlier decisions
  • Reduce disputes over work completion
  • Clearly see whether planned work aligns with actual progress and costs


Key takeaways

  • Earned value is a powerful way to measure project performance.
  • Accurate progress data is essential—without it, earned value fails.
  • Dalux provides evidence-based tracking with tasks, checklists, and inspections.
  • Comparing planned value, earned value, and actual costs gives teams an early warning system.
  • Dalux does not replace planning or cost tools but strengthens decision-making by providing clear, trusted data.

With Dalux, earned value management becomes practical, transparent, and reliable, giving construction teams the confidence to track performance and make informed decisions every step of the way.


Copyright © 2026