Schedule attainment measures how well actual output matched the plan — not just total volume, but hitting the right quantity of the right product. Capping actual at planned per item stops overproduction from masking misses.
The example
Right products in the right amounts.
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Item | Value |
| 2 | Credited / Planned | |
| 3 | Attainment | → 92% |
The formula
The formula:
How it works
How it works:
- For each item, credit the lesser of actual and planned —
MIN(actual, planned). - Sum the credited amounts and divide by total planned for attainment.
- Capping at plan means overproducing one item can’t offset underproducing another.
- A simple
SUM(actual)/SUM(planned)overstates attainment when the mix is wrong.
Volume hit ≠ schedule hit. A line can make 100% of total planned units yet badly miss the schedule by overbuilding easy products and skipping hard ones — leaving customers short on what they ordered. The MIN-cap method scores the plan, not just the count, which is why it’s the honest attainment metric for make-to-order operations.
Try it: interactive demo
Planned and actual (comma-separated, by item).
Variations
Per-item attainment
One product:
Naive (overstates)
Volume only:
Items missed
Count short:
Pitfalls & errors
Cap at plan. Use MIN so overproduction can’t offset shortfalls.
By item, not total. A right-mix metric needs per-item caps before summing.
SUMPRODUCT for arrays. Apply MIN element-wise across the item rows.
Practice workbook
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate schedule attainment in Excel?
Why not just use SUM(actual)/SUM(planned)?
How do I count missed items?
Stop fighting formulas. Learn them in a day.
This recipe is one of hundreds of real-world formulas we teach. Our Excel Formulas & Functions class covers lookups, logic, text, and dynamic arrays hands-on — live in Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, Oklahoma City, Denver, or online.
See the Formulas & Functions Class