Tracking Project Baselines and Variance
Because aspects of a project can change over time, it is valuable to capture a snapshot of your original estimates for the project plan before any work begins. This snapshot is called a baseline. After you have set up all tasks, you can capture a baseline for comparison to actual work and revised schedules later in the execution phase of your project.
When you click Set Baseline on the project, you capture the complete original project, including all intended tasks and costs for the schedule. This baseline becomes your point of reference as an idealized goal for the project.
It is important to record this starting point so that if plan changes become necessary, you can track variances against actuals as the project progresses. Comparing the baseline values against current values can help you determine the success of the project. For example, you can see if work estimates were greatly underestimated or if costs are running over what was expected.
You can see baseline and variance views on the Schedule subtab of projects, as well as on Gantt chart views.
Baseline values are stored for both the project and for individual project tasks. The following baseline values are stored:
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Planned Hours
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Planned Cost
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Planned Start Date
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Planned End Date
By default, the standard project task form and standard project form do not show baseline fields. You must customize these forms to show these fields.