Schedule Baseline - What it's & How Do I Make One?

In project management, a schedule baseline is your project's North Star—a reference point against which you can measure progress and make critical decisions. But what exactly is a schedule baseline, and how can you create one? In this article, we'll unravel the concept of a schedule baseline and provide practical insights on how to make one effectively.

What Is a Schedule Baseline?

A schedule baseline is a snapshot of your project's schedule at a specific point in time. It represents the approved, unchanging plan that serves as the foundation for tracking and managing your project's progress. It includes key elements like project activities, durations, dependencies, and milestones.

Why Is It Important?

The schedule baseline is important for several reasons:

1. Performance Measurement: It provides a benchmark against which you can measure your project's performance. This helps in assessing whether the project is on track or facing delays.

2. Change Control: It acts as a reference point for evaluating changes. When new factors come into play, you can assess their impact on the baseline and make informed decisions.

3. Communication: A baseline is a powerful communication tool. It helps stakeholders understand the project's original plan and how it may evolve over time.

4. Accountability: A baseline holds team members accountable for their responsibilities and deadlines, as it clearly defines what's expected.

How to Create a Schedule Baseline

Creating a schedule baseline involves a series of steps that are integral to project planning and management. Here's a simplified guide to help you get started:

1. Define Your Project Scope:

Before you can create a schedule baseline, you need a clear understanding of what your project entails. Document the scope, objectives, and deliverables. This will serve as the foundation for your schedule.

2. Create a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS):

Develop a detailed WBS, breaking the project down into manageable tasks or work packages. Each work package should be clearly defined and have a specific duration and resource allocation.

3. Sequence Activities:

Determine the order in which activities must occur and establish dependencies between them. This creates the logical flow of the project.

4. Estimate Activity Durations:

Assign realistic timeframes to each activity. These estimates should consider factors like resource availability and potential risks.

5. Allocate Resources:

Identify the resources (human, equipment, materials) needed for each activity. Ensure that you have the necessary resources in place to complete the work.

6. Develop a Schedule:

Using project management software or tools, create a schedule that outlines the start and finish dates for each activity. This schedule is your initial project plan.

7. Review and Gain Approval:

Present the schedule to relevant stakeholders for review and approval. This step is important as it marks the baseline's acceptance.

Additional Steps To Keep In Mind

Document the Baseline:

Once approved, document the schedule as your baseline. This means freezing the schedule, which will now serve as the reference point for all project monitoring and control.

Monitor Progress:

As the project unfolds, continuously compare the actual progress with the baseline. This will help you identify variations and assess whether the project is on track or needs adjustments.

Manage Changes:

When changes occur, assess their impact on the baseline. If necessary, update the baseline to reflect the approved changes.

Communicate Effectively:

Keep stakeholders informed about the project's status and any deviations from the baseline. Transparent communication is key to successful project management.

Tips For Creating A Schedule Baseline

Example 1 of Creating a Schedule Baseline

Let's consider a construction project as an example. The goal is to build a new office complex within a specific timeframe and budget. Here's how you would create a schedule baseline:

1. Define Your Project Scope:

The project scope is to construct a four story office complex with parking facilities, meeting rooms, and office spaces.

2. Create a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS):

The WBS divides the project into manageable work packages, including foundation, structure, electrical, plumbing, and finishing.

3. Sequence Activities:

The foundation must be completed before structural work can begin, and electrical and plumbing should be installed before interior finishing.

4. Estimate Activity Durations:

After consulting with experts, you estimate that the foundation will take 2 months, structural work 6 months, electrical and plumbing 3 months, and finishing 4 months.

5. Allocate Resources:

You identify the required resources, including labor, construction materials, machinery, and equipment, to carry out each activity.

6. Develop a Schedule:

Using project management software, you create a detailed schedule that defines the start and finish dates for each activity. The initial schedule indicates that the project should be completed within 15 months.

7. Review and Gain Approval:

You present the project schedule to stakeholders, including the client, contractors, and project team, for review and approval. After minor adjustments, it's approved.

8. Monitor Progress:

As the project progresses, you regularly compare actual work completed with the baseline schedule. This helps you identify if activities are ahead of or behind schedule.

9. Manage Changes:

When unanticipated delays occur, like adverse weather impacting the structural phase, you assess the impact on the baseline and seek stakeholder approval for adjustments.

10. Communicate Effectively:

You hold regular project status meetings to keep stakeholders informed about progress, challenges, and any changes to the baseline schedule.

Example 2 of Creating a Schedule Baseline

Project: Development of a Mobile App

Step 1: Define Project Scope

The project aims to develop a mobile app for a client. The scope includes creating an Android and iOS app for ecommerce, enabling users to browse products, make purchases, and track orders. The project should be completed in six months.

Step 2: Create a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

The WBS breaks the project into various components, including:

Step 3: Sequence Activities

Activities are sequenced logically, such as:

Step 4: Estimate Activity Durations

Each activity is assigned a duration:

Step 5: Allocate Resources

Resources like developers, designers, and testers are assigned to each activity based on their expertise and availability.

Step 6: Develop a Schedule

Using project management software, the schedule is created with start and finish dates for each activity. For instance, Frontend Development begins on January 1 and ends on March 31.

Step 7: Review and Gain Approval

The project schedule is presented to the project stakeholders, including the client, for review and approval. After feedback and necessary adjustments, it is approved as the baseline.

Step 8: Document the Baseline

The approved schedule is documented as the baseline. It serves as the reference point for the project.

Step 9: Monitor Progress

During the project, progress is continuously monitored. Weekly status reports and meetings help track actual progress against the baseline.

Step 10: Manage Changes

If there are changes during the project, such as an additional feature request, the project manager assesses their impact on the baseline. If approved, the baseline is updated to reflect the changes.

Step 11: Communicate Effectively

Regular communication with the client and the project team ensures that everyone is informed about the project's status and any deviations from the baseline. This transparency aids in successful project management.

Common Tools Used To Create A Schedule Baseline

Creating A Schedule Baseline Using Microsoft Project

Creating a schedule baseline for a project typically involves project management software or tools. Microsoft Project is a widely used project management software that allows you to create and manage schedule baselines effectively. Here's how you can use Microsoft Project for this purpose:

1. Define Your Project: Start by setting up your project in Microsoft Project. Define your project's scope, objectives, and key deliverables. You can create tasks and subtasks to represent the work breakdown structure (WBS) of your project.

2. Sequence Activities: Arrange the tasks in the order they need to be completed. You can set dependencies between tasks, indicating which tasks must be finished before others can begin.

3. Estimate Activity Durations: Assign realistic durations to each task. Microsoft Project allows you to input time estimates for each task, considering factors like resource availability and potential risks.

4. Allocate Resources: Assign the necessary resources to each task, including human resources, equipment, and materials. You can specify resource names and their availability.

5. Develop a Schedule: With the information provided, Microsoft Project automatically creates a project schedule, displaying the start and finish dates for each task. This initial schedule represents your project plan.

6. Review and Gain Approval: Share the schedule with stakeholders and team members for review and approval. Ensure that the schedule aligns with the project's objectives and expectations.

7. Document the Baseline: Once the schedule is approved, you can save it as a baseline. In Microsoft Project, this involves setting a baseline by selecting the "Set Baseline" option. This locks in the original schedule as the reference point.

Microsoft Project is just one example of project management software that can be used to create and manage schedule baselines. As previously mentioned, there are many other tools available, both paid and free, with similar functionalities, such as Primavera P6, Smartsheet, Asana, and Trello. The choice of software depends on your specific project management needs and preferences.

Creating a schedule baseline is an important step in any project management process. Throughout the project, the baseline remains the reference point for assessing progress, making decisions, and ensuring the project stays on track. If changes occur, they are documented and approved to maintain the project's integrity and alignment with the baseline. It can help to ensure that projects are completed on time and on budget.