Project Management Professional (PMP) Practice Exam 2026 - Free PMP Practice Questions and Study Guide

A situation where the Cost Performance Index (CPI) is 0.8 indicates that the project is over budget, as it suggests that for every dollar spent, only 80 cents of value has been earned. On the other hand, a Schedule Performance Index (SPI) of 1.25 indicates that the project has achieved 125% of the planned work within that timeframe, meaning it is ahead of schedule.

When the analysis occurs post-mortem, the indication that the project was over budget but ahead of schedule could suggest that the project was terminated early. This termination might have been due to the realization that continuing the project would lead to further budget overruns, despite it being ahead in terms of timeline. Therefore, the explanation for a CPI of 0.8 and an SPI of 1.25 aligns with the idea that the project was concluded without completing all originally intended work, which would account for the observed performance metrics at the scheduled finish date.

Other scenarios, such as producing additional deliverables, would likely not lead to such a severe discrepancy between the CPI and SPI as understood in this context. The statement about being finished under budget and behind schedule does not align with the provided indexes. Similarly, finishing over budget and