Conditions of success for earned value analysis in projects

Earned Value Analysis (EVA) is a method that has gained traction in some business sectors to report project progress and help control performance. Yet the literature reports mixed results as to its effectiveness in helping deliver successful projects and, additionally, much of the previous studies on the topic is conceptual in nature focusing on the design of the EVA system. We therefore extend knowledge on EVA by analysing the impact of EVA on the levels of success of two projects that utilised the method. This is done through the prism of agency and organizational justice theories. A framework is proposed of EVA conditions of success, incorporating both design and operational aspects of the EVA system. The framework is used to develop testable propositions that can guide further research into the effects of EVA-based systems on the creation of agency-related characteristics in the project environment that are conducive to project success.