14 March 2008

Print

Quick Quiz
By Barbee Davis, MA, PHR, PMP

I know about baselining time and schedule, but it seems like there is other important project information, too. What should be baselined?

A. The only important constraints are time and schedule. Baseline them.

B. Baselining is not necessary if the key information is captured by software.

C. Every knowledge area has its own baseline. Capture them all.

D. There are four project baselines; two are often computerized, two prepared manually.

Answer: D. There are four project baselines; two are often computerized, two prepared manually.

Capturing a clear picture of the starting goals for a project — baselining — is the foundation for monitoring and controlling a project. For time and cost it is easy. Computed value earned from the work performed and actual cost numbers are compared to the original schedule baseline through earned value calculations. This is to judge whether the project is on schedule and on budget. Most project managers document the original time and cost baselines, since it is so convenient to do with automated project management software.

However, there are also two important manual baselines to document at the project’s start, and to which the work of the project should also be compared throughout the execution of the project.

1. Project scope baseline. Most project managers define scope in the scope statement and have key stakeholders sign off on these parameters. The project scope statement, the work breakdown structure (WBS) and the WBS dictionary form the scope baseline, which is referred to throughout the project to keep us on track.

When looking for variances from plan during scope control processes, the current situation is compared to the scope baseline. Should the change control board increase or decrease the work of the project as a result of these findings, the scope baseline must be updated.

Scope verification, the process of getting stakeholder’s approval on the work we are doing, is based on comparing what we have done to the scope baseline. We consult with the customer or stakeholder to see that the deliverables we created are acceptable. In addition, the formal acceptance of all project deliverables in the contract closure procedure also relies on measurements taken against the scope baseline.

2. Project quality baseline. An often forgotten output of the quality planning process is the quality baseline. Quality goals for the project have been researched and chosen during the quality planning process and they should be documented for use in measuring the performance of the team.

The quality control monitoring of the project results, as the work of the project progresses, should result in updates to the quality baseline if differences are discovered. It is the same as looking for variances in time and cost to make necessary adjustments to the project schedule baseline.

To increase your skills as a project manager, you must clearly understand the roles of the scope and quality baselines. Knowing about these two less obvious baselines may help you add other related, but often overlooked, project management processes to your project toolkit.

Barbee Davis, MA, PHR, PMP, is a reviewer for the global PMI Registered Education Provider Review Team. She owns Davis Consulting and is a published author, speaker, writer of training materials and an innovator in presentation skill workshops for corporate trainers. She holds a Black Belt in MS Project and teaches at the university level. Ms. Davis encourages your questions or comments.