Project Management KPI Examples

Why KPIs Matter in Project Management

Key performance indicators (KPIs) turn vague project goals into measurable outcomes. By tracking the right metrics you can spot delays, cost overruns, and quality issues before they become crises. KPIs also give executives confidence that resources are being used efficiently and that the project aligns with strategic objectives.

Core KPI Categories

Labor Cost Spend

Tracks the amount of money paid for labor against the budgeted amount.

• Measure weekly, monthly, or quarterly.
• Set variance thresholds (e.g., alert when spend >5% of budget).
• Use the variance to negotiate staffing levels or hourly rates.

Return on Investment (ROI)

Shows the financial return generated by the project relative to its cost.

• ROI = (Net Benefits ÷ Total Cost) × 100%.
• Update the calculation after each major milestone.
• Compare against baseline ROI expectations set during the project charter.

Schedule Performance

Measures whether the project is on‑time.

• Use the Schedule Performance Index (SPI): SPI = Earned Value ÷ Planned Value.
• SPI > 1 = ahead of schedule; SPI < 1 = behind.
• Adjust resource allocation when SPI falls below 0.9 for two consecutive weeks.

Progress & Milestones

Monitors completion of key deliverables.

• Define clear milestones in the project plan.
• Track % complete for each milestone weekly.
• Highlight milestones at risk in status reports.

Productivity

Measures output per labor hour or per machine.

• Units produced ÷ labor hours.
• Machine uptime ÷ total scheduled time.
• Identify bottlenecks when productivity drops >10% from baseline.

Quality & Defect Rate

Ensures the deliverable meets the required standards.

• Defects per 1,000 units or per deliverable.
• Target a defect reduction of 15% each sprint (for software) or each phase (for construction).
• Link quality issues back to root‑cause analysis.

Industry‑Specific KPI Examples

Construction Projects

• Cost Variance (CV): Budgeted Cost – Actual Cost.
• Safety Incidents: Record of lost‑time injuries per 200,000 work hours.
• Change Order Frequency: Number of scope changes per month.

Software Development

• Velocity: Story points completed per sprint.
• Bug Leakage: Bugs found after release ÷ total bugs.
• Lead Time: Time from feature request to deployment.

Marketing Campaigns

• Cost per Lead (CPL): Total spend ÷ number of leads.
• Conversion Rate: Leads converted to customers ÷ total leads.
• Engagement Score: Likes, shares, and comments per post.

How to Track and Visualise KPIs in Excel

Excel remains a cost‑effective platform for building live KPI dashboards. With a well‑structured workbook you can:

• Import data automatically from project management tools (e.g., MS Project, Asana).
• Use pivot tables to aggregate costs, hours, and milestones.
• Create dynamic charts that update when new data is added.

Our Excel dashboard templates include pre‑built sheets for labor cost, schedule performance, and ROI, so you can start visualising results within minutes.

Quick KPI Checklist

KPI	Formula / Metric	Frequency	Owner	Target
Labor Cost Spend	Actual Labor Cost ÷ Budgeted Labor Cost	Monthly	Project Controller	≤ 100%
ROI	(Net Benefits – Total Cost) ÷ Total Cost	Quarterly	Finance Lead	> 15%
Schedule Performance (SPI)	Earned Value ÷ Planned Value	Weekly	PMO	≥ 1.0
Milestone Completion	% of Milestones Completed on Time	Weekly	Project Manager	≥ 90%
Productivity	Units Produced ÷ Labor Hours	Bi‑Weekly	Operations Lead	+10% YoY
Defect Rate	Defects per 1,000 Units	Per Release	Quality Manager	≤ 2

Copy the table into your project workbook and fill in the “Owner” and “Target” columns to make the KPI plan actionable.

Next Steps

Start measuring these KPIs today and embed the results in a live Excel dashboard. The visual insights will help you keep projects on track, within budget, and aligned with strategic goals.

For a ready‑made, customizable solution, check out our One‑Page Executive Excel Report Template. It lets you pull all the KPIs above into a single, executive‑ready snapshot.