Baselines and Actual Starts/Finishes

[Brad]

Hi All,

Please tell me if I have this right. If I assign a task to a resource to
start on 2/1/05 and to finish it on 2/5/05, the only way I can track that the
resource did the work between 2/3/05 and 2/8/05 is to create a Baseline and
view the variance?

If I'm using Project Web Access 2003 (with Outlook), will the Actual Start
and Finishes automatically update the cooresponding fields in Project
Professional?

I have a very dynamic project and I'm worried that I would have to create a
new baseline everyday.

Thanks,
Brad

 

[Rod Gill]

Hi,

Entering actual data does change the scheduled data. The baseline is the
only way to see where you said you would be compared to where you are now.

For time critical projects I often set the original baseline in Baseline1
(Project 2002 onwards or might be 2003+ I can't remember) and then reset the
normal baseline every week after reporting.. This lets me see exactly what's
happening time wise every week.

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

Concuring with Rod and adding a few thoughts. You said "very dynamic
project ... (would require you) ... create a new baseline every day." The
plan should be a detailed step-by-step roadmap of precisely who has to do
what when in order to achieve the business objectives of the project and the
baseline is a record of the plan as you intend to work it. I have to
wonder, if the objectives are mapped out and fixed and the plan is
structured so as to achieve those objectives in the most efficient manner,
how could it be changing so much as to require new baselines at frequent
intervals? Something that is that dynamic sounds like the organization has
a lack of focus as to its directions and and no clear idea of what it's
trying to achieve. Certainly conditions can change rapidly and project
plans may need frequent updating to take those changes into account - that's
why project planning is not a "fire and forget" weapon. But unless to
project's objectives and your plan for accomplishing them have changed to
the point it becomes essentially a new project, your original baseline would
still be the reference point for tracking progress. Such changes as you
resource finishing his task a few days late and the consequential revisions
required to the downline tasks would not mean you should set a new
baseline - variance such as that should be cummulative to you'll be able to
see where you originally thought you'd end up and how much it was projected
to cost to get there and compare it with where you really will/did end up
and how much it really did cost.

 

[Brad]

Thanks guys. My company is not using MS Project as it was designed. They are
using it as an on-going scheduling tool which makes my job very difficult.
Thank you both for your comments.

Regards,
Brad