Hi cree --
You can think of a baseline fundamentally as a snapshot of the tasks in
your project schedule at a specific point in time... although when you
snap a baseline of your project schedule, it doesn't save EVERYTHING,
but rather these key pieces of information for each task:
-- Start
-- Finish
-- Duration
-- Work
-- Cost
So, for example, if some tasks in your project schedule have start or
finish dates that have changed since the last baseline was saved, then
this will be measurable by comparing current start and finish dates to
the baseline start and finish dates. However, if you add or remove
links between tasks, this will not be captured (unless it causes dates
to change).
Since a baseline is a snapshot of these key pieces of information, and
there are 11 baselines available in MSProject (the standard baseline,
as well as Baseline1 thru Baseline10), then you could potentially save
snapshots at 11 different times throughout your project, and compare
any of them to the current project schedule... or one another.
Be careful here, though. Although the tool allows you to save multiple
baselines, and it even allows you to re-save any of them (causing you
to lose the original values), this is not a good practice to follow...
and it defeats the real purpose of saving baselines. Part of the reason
why Project Managers save baselines is to hold project teams
accountable by showing any variance between the planned and the actual
way that things are progressing. More often than not, things will not
progress according to the original plan, and there will be a visible
variance between the current status and the baseline of the project.
However, if you re-baseline the project schedule by re-using the same
baseline data fields, then you remove any variance that once existed...
and the project will appear to be back "on schedule".
Don't misunderstand... baselining isn't intended to be used as a threat
tactic to make Team Members work harder ("We're late, so you need to
catch up or you're fired!"). It can also be used by Project Managers to
get better at estimating how much time, effort, and cost it takes to
get things done. For example, as you progress through a project, you
can compare actual values to baseline values to see how good or bad
your original estimates were. Using this historical data can then help
you to get better at estimating and creating more realistic project
schedules.
I recommend putting a structured process in place when it comes to
baselining your project schedule. For example, you could store the
original baseline into the Baseline and Baseline1 fields immediately
after the schedule is created and approved, then if a major change is
made to the direction / scope of the project after it is underway, then
save another baseline into the Baseline and Baseline2 fields. If
another major change is made, then save another baseline into the
Baseline and Baseline3 fields. If you follow this process, then your
current baseline is always stored in the Baseline fields, and you also
have a history of past baseline values (Baseline1, Baseline2,
Baseline3... up to Baseline10). If you run out of baseline fields to
use, then (a) your project might be too long and should be broken into
smaller projects, or (b) your decision makers may be flip-flopping
around too much!
Good luck!
Tony Zink
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