Shutdown KPIs
Shutdown KPIs: Formulas, Worked Examples and a Calculator
Shutdown KPIs should cover cost and schedule with earned value measures (CV, CPI, SV, SPI, EAC), duration and scope growth against the baseline, and safety with both leading and lagging indicators. The formulas below come from the US GAO cost guide, BLS and NERC, with worked examples and a calculator.
How MaintWiz helps: You cannot improve what you measure after the shutdown ends. The MaintWiz shutdown module tracks earned value, cost and schedule indices and shows budget, actual and forecast cost in one view. See the module · Get the budget template
By Jai Balachandran · Published · Last reviewed
What MaintWiz adds:Earned value and cost indicesBudget, actual and forecast costCost by project and packageCumulative spend
The set
Which KPIs should a shutdown track?
A shutdown should track cost and schedule using earned value measures, duration and scope growth against the baseline, and safety using both leading and lagging indicators. The earned value formulas below are the standard definitions in the US Government Accountability Office cost guide. 1
Check which bubbles sit in the shaded corners. Top right is ahead and under budget; bottom left is behind and over budget. P1 sits furthest left on schedule index, so it is the first project to review. Use the position to decide where management attention goes in the progress meeting.
A KPI workbook that calculates these measures is in the shutdown planning templates. Earned value and index terms are defined in the shutdown turnaround glossary. Cost measures depend on a sound estimate: see how to estimate a shutdown budget.
BAC is the budget at completion, BCWS the planned value to date, BCWP the earned value and ACWP the actual cost. The cost and schedule numbers are the worked example from the budget guide: illustrative units on day 5 of a 10-day job.
| KPI | Formula | Worked example | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost variance (CV) | BCWP - ACWP | 392 - 441 = -49 (over budget) | GAO cost guide |
| Cost performance index (CPI) | BCWP / ACWP | 392 / 441 = 0.89 | GAO cost guide |
| Schedule variance (SV) | BCWP - BCWS | 392 - 435 = -43 (behind plan) | GAO cost guide |
| Schedule performance index (SPI) | BCWP / BCWS | 392 / 435 = 0.90 | GAO cost guide |
| Estimate at completion (EAC) | ACWP + (BAC - BCWP) / CPI | 441 + (870 - 392) / 0.89 = about 979 | GAO cost guide |
| Duration variance, % | (actual days - planned days) / planned days x 100 | (11 - 10) / 10 = 10% | Agreed definition |
| Scope growth, % | (final work scope - frozen scope) / frozen scope x 100 | (940 - 870) / 870 = 8.0% | Agreed definition |
| Recordable injury rate | cases x 200,000 / hours worked | 7 x 200,000 / 400,000 = 3.5 | BLS incidence rate |
| Planned outage factor (power plants) | planned outage hours / period hours x 100% | 480 / 8,760 = 5.5% | NERC GADS Appendix F |
| Permits issued with hazards and controls adequately specified, % | permits judged adequate / permits sampled x 100 | 47 / 50 = 94% | Indicator example in HSE HSG254 |
Agree the same terms with your team before you use the two definition rows. See the full worked example in shutdown budget planning.
Calculator
Can you check your own shutdown numbers?
Yes: enter your planned value, earned value, actual cost, durations, scope and injury data, and the calculator returns the eight KPIs defined in the table above.
The shutdown calculator tools page lists all the calculators with their inputs. To test a savings claim against your own baseline, see shutdown program ROI. The measures applied to an illustrative stop: shutdown case study planned vs actual. A free Excel file for this page: KPI workbook (.xlsx).
Try it: shutdown KPI calculator
Replace the starting numbers, which are the illustrative worked example, with your own. Nothing is sent or stored; the sums run in your browser.
Software
Where should the KPI data come from?
KPI data should come from the same records that run the shutdown, so cost, progress and permits are measured once rather than re-typed into a report.
Start with the comparison chart: it sets this project's duration, cost, scope growth and incidents beside the average of earlier turnarounds. Then use the discipline bars to see where productivity differed from plan. The result feeds the close-out review and the targets for the next turnaround.
Common questions about the module are answered in the shutdown module FAQ. See digital shutdown management for what to digitize first.
Also: product data sheet.
What the shutdown module covers
- Shutdown calendar and critical-path scheduling, with work order sequencing and dependencies
- Asset prioritization, so the most critical equipment is scoped first
- Resource planning for people, spares, heavy equipment such as cranes, and outsourced vendors
- Electronic permits to work, risk management and contingency plans
- Real-time progress monitoring: schedule adherence, cost variance, quality metrics and risk factors
- Step-by-step checklists, pre-restart testing protocols and post-shutdown analysis
Proof
What MaintWiz customers report
Results from MaintWiz customers across maintenance operations.
Reading them
How do you read the indexes and variances?
A CPI or SPI above 1.0 is favorable, below 1.0 is unfavorable, and a negative variance means over budget or behind plan. Earned value is only as reliable as the progress data behind it: GAO warns that percent-complete estimates are subjective, especially for long activities. 2
Read the labels at the today line: SV is the schedule variance and CV the cost variance, so a negative SV with a positive CV means behind on schedule but not over on cost. The four forecast methods give different final costs; compare each with the budget line, then use the discipline list to find the lowest schedule index.
Float and critical path are worked by hand in critical path vs critical chain. For cost definitions, see planned vs unplanned shutdown cost. The schedule performance index is worked through in the shutdown S-curve and percent complete guide.
For example, GAO notes that 25 percent complete may be a viable estimate for a 4-day activity but is an ambiguous progress measure for a 50-day one. Break long jobs into short measurable steps. 2 GAO also cautions that earned value forecasts depend on reliable data and consistent baselines. 1
Index above 1.0
CPI or SPI > 1
The work cost less than planned (CPI) or progressed faster than planned (SPI).
Index below 1.0
CPI or SPI < 1
Over budget (CPI) or behind plan (SPI). At 0.89 CPI, each unit of earned value cost about 1.12 units.
Variance sign
negative = unfavorable
Cost and schedule variance are earned value minus actual or planned, so a negative number is bad news.
Benchmarks
Are there public benchmarks for shutdown KPIs?
On what is and is not public for refinery turnarounds, see T&I turnaround and inspection planning. For one published benchmark source, EIA, see nuclear refueling outage durations and for what is not public see shutdown program ROI. For the cost measures that drive overrun, see why shutdowns go over budget. Your own history is the benchmark: S/4HANA migration and maintenance history.
Comparing against peers needs matching definitions of what counts as scope, when the baseline was set and which hours are included, and published comparative data rarely says. The reliable comparison is your own previous shutdowns, measured the same way.
Safety
Why not rely on injury rate alone?
Injury rate counts harm that has already happened and says little about whether process safety controls are working. The CSB found that reliance on BP Texas City's low personal injury rate gave a misleading picture of process safety. 6
For T&I examples see T&I turnaround and inspection planning.
HSE's process safety indicator guide pairs a leading indicator with a lagging indicator for each critical control, so the first shows gaps found in routine checks and the second shows failures that have occurred. 5 See shutdown safety plan for example indicators.
Cadence
How often should shutdown KPIs be reported?
Report a few operating measures every shift, the earned value indexes daily, cost forecasts weekly on long events, and the full set at close-out.
Who reviews the KPIs is set out in shutdown team roles and RACI.
| When | KPIs | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Every shift | Permits live and adequately specified; planned vs actual progress on critical-path jobs | Steer the day |
| Daily | SPI, CPI, forecast duration, scope changes approved | Decide at the daily meeting |
| Weekly (multi-week events) | EAC against budget plus contingency, scope growth, recordable cases | Report to management |
| At close-out | Final duration variance, scope growth, cost variance, injury rate, lessons | Feed the next shutdown |
Daily mechanics are in shutdown progress tracking; the close-out review is in shutdown lessons learned.
Visuals
Save the KPI cards
Two cards to pin up in the shutdown office. Click either for the full-size version.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What KPIs should I use to measure a shutdown?
Cost variance and cost performance index, schedule variance and schedule performance index, estimate at completion, duration variance against the baseline, scope growth, recordable injury rate and leading safety indicators. The earned value formulas are defined in the GAO cost guide. 1
How do you calculate cost performance index?
CPI = earned value divided by actual cost (BCWP / ACWP). With 392 earned and 441 spent, CPI is 0.89. 1
How do you calculate schedule performance index?
SPI = earned value divided by planned value (BCWP / BCWS). With 392 earned and 435 planned, SPI is 0.90. 1
What is estimate at completion?
A forecast of final cost: actual cost to date plus the remaining budget divided by an efficiency index such as CPI. In the example, 441 + (870 - 392) / 0.89 is about 979. 1
How do you calculate the injury rate?
Recordable cases multiplied by 200,000 and divided by hours worked by all employees. Seven cases over 400,000 hours is 3.5. 3
What is planned outage factor?
In NERC GADS reporting for generating units, planned outage hours divided by period hours, times 100%. 480 planned outage hours in an 8,760-hour year is 5.5%. 4
Are there industry benchmarks for shutdown performance?
Compare your own shutdowns, measured with the same definitions.
Sources
Sources
Formulas come from the GAO cost guide, BLS and NERC as cited. Worked examples use illustrative numbers.
- US Government Accountability Office, GAO Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide (GAO-20-195G, March 2020)
- US Government Accountability Office, GAO Schedule Assessment Guide: Best Practices for Project Schedules (GAO-16-89G, December 2015)
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, How to compute your firm's incidence rate for safety management
- North American Electric Reliability Corporation, GADS Data Reporting Instructions, Appendix F: Equations (2025)
- UK Health and Safety Executive, Developing process safety indicators: a step-by-step guide for chemical and major hazard industries (HSG254, 2006)
- US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, Investigation Report: Refinery Explosion and Fire, BP Texas City (Report No. 2005-04-I-TX)
See cost and schedule performance in one view
Book a demo and bring your shutdown budget. We will show earned value and forecast cost in the module.