Project 2013 Intermediate

Lesson 5 – Working with Baselines

Project 2013

U SING B ASELINES

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Discussion

A baseline is a copy of the scheduled dates, cost and work data that is used to track the progress of a project by comparing it against the current schedule. It is usually a copy of the final plan just before the work on a project begins. You must remember to create the baseline copy before you start entering actual data. When you enter actual data, you are recording the schedule as it happens and it may no longer reflect the original plan. When the baseline is saved, the current dates, work, and cost data are used for comparison with the actual progress of the project. Before deciding on the final baseline, everyone involved in the project should know what is expected of them and agree to perform according to the plan. In addition, necessary approval should be obtained for the required resources.

U SING B ASELINE T ABLES

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Discussion

When you first save a baseline, the baseline data and the information in the current schedule will be identical; however, as you track your progress, the actual data could vary from the original plan. Microsoft Project provides three tables that allow you to compare the baseline with the current schedule: Variance , Cost and Work .

The Variance table displays information regarding dates only. This table displays the start and finish, dates and baseline start and finish dates, along with the start and finish variances. Until actual information is entered, the start and finish dates display the anticipated start and finish dates. Once the project starts and you enter actual information, the Start and Finish fields display the actual dates. The Cost table displays cost information, including the total cost, baseline, actual and remaining cost information. It also displays the variance between the total cost and baseline cost. Tasks that have not started display an actual cost of $0 and a remaining cost that equals the total cost. Once the project starts and you enter actual information, the Actual field displays the actual costs. If costs vary from the plan, the Variance field will display the difference.

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