How to Add Actual Costs to Nahla AI for Full Earned Value Management

You've uploaded your Primavera P6 schedule to Nahla and noticed something: Cost Performance Index (CPI) shows "N/A" or all your cost charts are empty.

Here's why: Your project file doesn't include actual cost data.

Without actual costs, you can't track:

·         ❌ Cost Performance Index (CPI)

·         ❌ Cost Variance (CV)

·         ❌ Estimate at Completion (EAC)

·         ❌ Budget forecasts

·         ❌ Full Earned Value Management (EVM)

Good news: This guide shows you exactly how to add actual costs to unlock full Earned Value Management capabilities.

From Nahla AI Analysis Page:

1.    Log into nahla.ai

2.    Upload your project file (if not already uploaded)

3.    Navigate to "AI Analysis" page

4.    Click "Download Actual Cost Template" button

5.    Save the Excel file (e.g., Project_ABC_Actual_Costs.xlsx)

What's in the Template:

·         All your activity IDs

·         Activity names

·         Planned/Budgeted costs

·         Empty "Actual Cost" column (you'll fill this)

Where to Find Actual Costs:

Cost Type	Data Source	Example
Labor Costs	Timesheet system (Workday, ADP)	Engineers: 120 hrs @ $85/hr = $10,200
Material Costs	Purchase orders, invoices	Concrete invoice: $18,500
Equipment Costs	Rental agreements, leases	Crane rental: $5,000/week × 3 = $15,000
Subcontractor Costs	Subcontractor invoices	Electrical sub: $42,000
Indirect Costs	Overhead allocation	Project overhead: 15% of direct costs

Example Filled Template:

Activity ID	Activity Name	Budgeted Cost	Actual Cost
A1010	Site Preparation	$12,000	$13,500
A1020	Foundation Work	$45,000	$52,000
A1030	Concrete Pour	$28,000	$25,500
A2010	Framing	$65,000	$38,000

1.    Save your completed Excel file

2.    Go to nahla.ai

3.    Click "Upload Actual Costs" button on AI Analysis page

4.    Select your filled Excel template

5.    Click "Process"

6.    Wait 10-15 seconds for processing

After uploading actual costs, refresh your dashboard and verify:

·         ✅ CPI shows a real value (not 1.0 or "N/A")

·         ✅ Cost Variance (CV) is calculated (EV - AC)

·         ✅ EAC shows realistic forecast (not equal to original budget)

·         ✅ Earned Value chart displays AC curve

Metric	Formula	What It Means
Planned Value (PV)	Budgeted cost for scheduled work	What you planned to spend by now
Earned Value (EV)	Budgeted cost of completed work	Value of work actually completed
Actual Cost (AC)	Total cost spent	What you actually spent
Cost Variance (CV)	EV - AC	+ under budget, - over budget
Schedule Variance (SV)	EV - PV	+ ahead, - behind schedule
CPI	EV ÷ AC	>1.0 under budget, <1.0 over budget
SPI	EV ÷ PV	>1.0 ahead, <1.0 behind
EAC	Budget ÷ CPI	Forecasted total project cost

Q: How often should I update actual costs?

A: We recommend weekly or bi-weekly updates to keep your EVM metrics current. Many project managers update during their weekly status review.

Q: Can I update just a few activities at a time?

A: Yes! Nahla will calculate CPI based on activities that have actual cost data. For accurate EVM, aim to update all in-progress and completed activities.

Q: What's the difference between Actual Cost and Earned Value?

A:

·         Actual Cost (AC): What you actually spent (from invoices, timesheets)

·         Earned Value (EV): Budgeted cost of work completed (based on % complete)

Example: Activity budgeted at $10,000, 50% complete, you've spent $6,000:

·         EV = $5,000 (50% of $10K budget)

·         AC = $6,000 (what you spent)

·         CPI = 5,000 ÷ 6,000 = 0.83 (17% over budget)

Now that you have full Earned Value Management enabled:

1.    Ask AI questions: "Show me earned value analysis", "What is my CPI?"

2.    Set up weekly cost reviews by uploading updated actual costs

3.    Share cost reports with stakeholders using shareable links

4.    Monitor CPI trends to catch budget issues early

Nahla is an AI-powered project analytics platform designed specifically for construction and engineering professionals using Primavera P6 and MS Project.

Try Nahla today → nahla.ai