If an independent project with conventional, or normal, cash flows is being analyzed, the net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) methods agree. Projects Y and Z are mutually exclusive projects. Their cash flows and NPV profiles are shown as follows. If the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) for each project is 10%, do the NPV and IRR methods agree or conflict? The methods conflict. The methods agree. A key to resolving this conflict is the assumed reinvestment rate. The NPV calculation implicitly assumes that intermediate cash flows are reinvested at the and the IRR calculation assumes that the rate at which cash flows can be reinvested is the As a result, when evaluating mutually exclusive projects, the is usually the better decision criterion