Quick answer
CPLI (Critical Path Length Index) measures whether your critical path is efficient enough to hit the deadline. It's about time pressure on the finish date.
BEI (Baseline Execution Index) measures whether you're completing tasks at the rate you planned. It's about throughput against the baseline.
CPLI — Critical Path Length Index
What it measures: how much efficiency you need on the critical path to finish on time.
How to read it:
| = 1.0 | On track. You need exactly the planned efficiency. |
| ≥ 0.95 | DCMA passing threshold. |
| < 1.0 | You're behind; you now need to run more efficiently than planned to still hit the date. |
| > 1.0 | You have positive float; you're ahead of the deadline. |
BEI — Baseline Execution Index
What it measures: how many tasks you've actually completed versus how many should have been completed by now, per the baseline.
How to read it:
| = 1.0 | You're completing tasks exactly as fast as planned. |
| ≥ 0.95 | DCMA passing threshold. |
| < 1.0 | You're finishing tasks slower than the baseline said you would — falling behind on throughput. |
| > 1.0 | You're completing tasks faster than planned. |
Reading them together (this is the point)
| CPLI | BEI | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy | Healthy | On plan — finish date and throughput both hold. |
| Healthy | Low | You're behind on tasks, but float is absorbing it — watch closely, the buffer is shrinking. |
| Low | Healthy | Tasks are getting done, but the critical path is tight — a single critical delay will hurt. |
| Low | Low | Real trouble — behind on work and no room on the finish date. |
Both metrics are part of the DCMA 14-point assessment — checks 13 and 14.
See both, tracked over time
Grupo AE — Schedule Intelligence calculates CPLI, BEI, and SPI from your Primavera P6 (.xer) schedule automatically, and keeps a snapshot history so you can watch them move update over update — alongside a full DCMA 14-point score.