Can work be baselined by resource instead of task?

[Brian]

The assignment of additional resources to a task forces the baseline of the
work at the task level to track earned value and variances. Work already
performed by another resource assigned to the same task is also changed by
the baselining of the task. This loses the earned value/variance information
for the legacy resource.

Is there a method in MS Project 2003 to baseline per resource instead of
task? Or, is there a work around?

 

[Steve House [MVP]]

Not that I'm aware of. But why are you re-baselining the task anyway?
Adding additional resources after the task has been baselined means you're
revising original estimate of what it would take to compete the task. If
you are doing this as part of a revision of the *plan* estimate, the
original baseline for the task as a whole should be recomputed. But if the
additional work is added in the performance phase because when you began
work you found the estimate was off and you've needed to put more resources
against it to get it done on time, that additional work represents a
variance against the plan and the original baseline should be preserved, not
revised. Variance and earned value is computed by comparing what you
actually get versus what you originally thought you'd get. The baseline
should always reflect what you thought you were going to get before you
started work and should not be updated because you've subsequently
discovered what you're getting is different.