What is a Project Baseline? And Project Baselining?

A new Project Plan needs a Baseline. It's how we keep ourselves honest, as Project Managers. But, what is a Project Baseline?
A baseline is the final, approved version of the project plan, its schedule, budget, and scope statement. It is the version against which you will measure all progress and evolution of your project.
Of the many formal definitions, I like best those from:
PMBOK 7
‘The approved version of a work product used a basis for comparison to actual results.’
PRINCE2
‘Reference against which an entity is monitored and controlled.’
A Baseline is created at the start of a project or a stage in a project, to provide a basis for monitor and control.
After a significant disruption or unexpected outcome, we may also re-baseline our project.
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A while back, I asked Project Managers in a couple of forums what material things you need to have, to do your job as a Project Manager. They responded magnificently. I compiled their answers into a Kit list.
kit.co/MikeClayton/what-a-pro...
Note that the links are affiliated.
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Chapter Markers...
00:00 - Start
00:10 - My description of baseline
00:37 - Formal definitions of baseline
00:52 - PMBOK 7 definition of baseline
01:09 - PRINCE2 definition of baseline
01:21 - Why we create a baseline
01:33 - Re-baselining
02:43 - Baselining and PM software
03:36 - ‘A baseline’ and ‘to baseline’
03:48 - What we usually baseline
04:47 - Other thing we can baseline
07:17 - My final definition of a baseline
#Project #ProjectManagement #MikeClayton

Пікірлер: 19

  • @Onlinepmcourses
    @Onlinepmcourses Жыл бұрын

    Baseline is a term we hear a lot, but let's look at formal definitions, along with what a reactive and a proactive re-baseline are. And how does the baseline work with our plan and our out-turn? And, of course, what can we apply a baseline to? Thank you for watching - please subscribe to the channel and, to join my community, sign-up at onlinepmcourses.com/assets440251/the-onlinepmcourses-newsletter/ And you can now use the $ Thanks button, under the video, to make a small donation with a highlighted comment.

  • @neilshearer7513
    @neilshearer7513 Жыл бұрын

    Mike you are a legend. I have been struggling to understand baseline form the APM Body of Knowledge and other resources, and you have cleared it up in two sentences (I did watch the rest of the video too). Thank you so much.

  • @Onlinepmcourses

    @Onlinepmcourses

    Жыл бұрын

    That's great to hear. You're welcome!

  • @LuisFlores-gh8bu
    @LuisFlores-gh8bu Жыл бұрын

    Keep up the good work, very useful videos for project management

  • @Onlinepmcourses

    @Onlinepmcourses

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you, Luis.

  • @kamogeloadvocate8387
    @kamogeloadvocate8387 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much. Is funny because I was busy with the Baseline on MSP and notification popped in to solve my problem. 😅

  • @Onlinepmcourses

    @Onlinepmcourses

    Жыл бұрын

    Synchronicity!

  • @tundeade9417
    @tundeade9417 Жыл бұрын

    Mike, this is another great video from you

  • @Onlinepmcourses

    @Onlinepmcourses

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you, Tunde

  • @Altafmi
    @Altafmi Жыл бұрын

    This is so pure and helpful to build the concept. After this video, i would highly recommend performance management baseline to reviewed and modified 😊

  • @Onlinepmcourses

    @Onlinepmcourses

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for sharing! For anyone wondering, Performance Management Baseline refers to a combined baseline covering budget, schedule, and scope baselines.

  • @BasicFilmmaker
    @BasicFilmmaker Жыл бұрын

    Always good sir.

  • @Onlinepmcourses

    @Onlinepmcourses

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you kindly

  • @cesarramirez5536
    @cesarramirez5536 Жыл бұрын

    Crystal crear. Thanks

  • @Onlinepmcourses

    @Onlinepmcourses

    Жыл бұрын

    My pleasure.

  • @TristanBailey
    @TristanBailey Жыл бұрын

    Maybe a video with this one on margin and risk of work against baseline and actions that might be taken?

  • @Onlinepmcourses

    @Onlinepmcourses

    Жыл бұрын

    That's a very nice idea and I have added it to my backlog. Thank you. To clarify, by 'risk of work against baseline' do you mean how the margin between status and baseline (plus our assessment of the likelihood of any remediation) affects our assessment of risk to the project?

  • @makgalakwemokoko2229
    @makgalakwemokoko222913 күн бұрын

    if there are subprojects set within a project "not linked" can one baseline the subproject ?

  • @Onlinepmcourses

    @Onlinepmcourses

    13 күн бұрын

    I am not sure I understand the question. But I think you are asking whether you can baseline one part of a project plan. The answer will depend on what your software allows. But, in principle, yes, I think so, in that you can create alternate baselines with different configurations. But, having done that, you must select one of them to measure progress against, or you will have two alternate representations of status - which is not just confusing, but also allows for misrepresentation and therefore, poor governance.