Best Tech is an innovative technology firm that specializes in developing advanced cybersecurity solutions. The company has embarked on a high$-$profile project to develop an AI$-$powered intrusion detection system, which is critical to its strategic goals. The project's success is crucial for Best Tech to establish itself as a leader in the cybersecurity space.

Project Details:

$*$ Total Budget at Completion $($BAC$)$: $$2,000,000$

$*$ Project Duration: $18$ months

$*$ The project is divided into four key phases: Research, Development, Testing, and Deployment.

Situation:

After $9$ months into the project, the following data has been reported:

$*$ Planned Value $($PV$)$: $$1,000,000($assuming a linear distribution of costs over time$)$

$*$ Actual Cost $($AC$)$: $$1,200,000($actual expenditure at the end of month $9)$

$*$ Earned Value $($EV$)$: $$800,000($value of work actually accomplished, which is less than planned$)$

Assumptions:

$*$ The project has been progressing linearly, meaning that the PV accumulates evenly over the project duration.

$*$ Best Tech has a fixed$-$price contract with the client for the delivery of the system, so any cost overruns will impact the company's profit margins.

EVM Analysis:

Using the standard EVM formulas, we can calculate the following:

$*$ Cost Variance $($CV$)=$ EV $-$ AC

$*$ Schedule Variance $($SV$)=$ EV $-$ PV

$*$ Cost Performance Index $($CPI$)=$ EV $/$ AC

$*$ Schedule Performance Index $($SPI$)=$ EV $/$ PV

Discussion Questions:

$*$  Calculate the CV$,$ SV$,$ CPI, and SPI for the project. What do these values indicate about the current status of the project?

$*$  Based on the EVM metrics, discuss the potential impact on the project's schedule and budget if current trends continue.

$*$  Identify at least three potential causes for the discrepancies in the project's performance.

$*$  As a strategic project manager, how would you approach recovering this project's trajectory?

$*$  Propose strategies for improving the project's performance and ensuring that the final phase is completed within the original budget$$and$$timeline$.$