Physical progress
Physical progress answers how much of the work is already built. It is calculated item by item, comparing the quantity executed (the volumes reported on the measurement sheet) against the total quantity in the bill of quantities. To obtain the overall physical progress of the project, each item is weighted by its share of the budget, so that a higher-value item influences the total percentage more than a smaller one.
It is used to control the pace of the work and compare it against the schedule: if actual physical progress falls below the planned physical progress on the critical path, the project is behind. It is the basis of progress reports, site meetings and the compliance dashboard that the resident engineer and the owner's supervision team review.
On public works, physical progress is documented with progress billings, measurement sheets and, where applicable, photographic records and the construction log. It is the metric that supports payment: only work that has been physically executed and verified is billed and paid. It was traditionally tracked in spreadsheets; today it is automated in platforms like Matterial that cross-reference the bill of quantities with what is reported in the field.
Formula
Example
A project with two work items: excavation (100 m³ at $200/m³ = $20,000) and a concrete slab (50 m² at $600/m² = $30,000), for a total of $50,000. If 100 m³ of excavation ($20,000) and 20 m² of slab ($12,000) have been executed, the completed work adds up to $32,000. Physical progress = 32,000 / 50,000 = 64%.
Frequently asked questions
How is the physical progress of a project calculated?
You compare the quantity executed against the total quantity of each work item and weight it by its amount in the budget. The sum of the executed amount divided by the total amount, times 100, gives the overall physical progress percentage.
What is the difference between physical progress and financial progress?
Physical progress measures how much of the work is actually built (executed volumes); financial progress measures how much money has been spent or paid relative to the total. They may not match: for example, an advance payment raises financial progress without any physical progress.
How is planned physical progress measured against actual progress?
The planned figure comes from the project schedule (critical path): the percentage that should be executed by a given date. The actual figure comes from the measurement sheets of what has been built. The difference between the two indicates whether the project is ahead of or behind schedule.