This recommended practice (RP) explains what an estimate at completion (EAC) is, and considerations to use when developing an EAC for both cost and schedule components of the performance measurement baseline (PMB).

This RP is aligned with the Total Cost Management Framework, as well as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Electronics Industries Alliance (EIA) - 748 Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS) guidelines. (Guidelines 27 entirely, and components of Guidelines 22-26).

This document provides additional details that are not included in the ANSI EIA-748 standard such as the use of estimated completion date (ECD) metrics to help compare the schedule completion date against what is shown on a project’s working schedule. It also provides some additional aspects of EVM that are not covered in the TCM Framework, such as to complete performance index (TCPI) and earned schedule (ES). As with all AACE International recommended practices, this document is not intended to be a standard, rather it is intended to provide general guidance.

This RP will address the fundamental attributes used to develop an EAC or forecast, both from a cost perspective and from a schedule perspective. It will also address common independent EAC calculations used to compare and validate the EAC provided by the control account managers and/or project management.