Baseline Comparison

Baselines capture a snapshot of your plan at a specific point in time. Comparing your current schedule to the baseline helps you track variance, identify slippage, and understand schedule performance.

What is a Baseline?

Definition

A baseline is:

• A saved snapshot of your plan
• The approved schedule to measure against
• A reference point for variance analysis

What Gets Captured

A baseline records:

• Task start and end dates
• Task durations
• Effort estimates (planned hours)
• Dependencies
• Milestone dates

Creating a Baseline

When to Baseline

Create a baseline when:

• Project is approved to start
• Major re-planning occurs
• Scope changes are approved
• New phases begin

How to Create

1. Open your plan
2. Navigate to Settings or Versions tab
3. Find baseline options
4. Click Create Baseline or Set Baseline
5. Name and save the baseline

Baseline Naming

Use descriptive names:

• "Initial Baseline - Jan 2025"
• "Post-Change Order #3"
• "Phase 2 Approved"

Viewing Baseline Comparison

Enabling Baseline Overlay

1. Open Timeline view
2. Find view options
3. Toggle Show Baseline
4. Baseline appears as shadow bars

Visual Display

Baseline appears as:

• Gray or hollow bars behind current bars
• Different colored indicators
• Comparison markers on milestones

Reading the Display

Variance Analysis

Schedule Variance

Compare dates:

Variance Indicators

Positive variance (late/longer):

• Red highlighting
• Plus sign (+5 days)

Negative variance (early/shorter):

• Green highlighting
• Minus sign (-3 days)

Zero variance:

• No highlighting
• On track

Effort Variance

Tracking Effort

If using effort tracking:

EAC Formula

EAC = Actual Hours + Remaining Hours
Variance = EAC - Baseline Effort

Effort Performance

Multiple Baselines

Managing Baselines

You may have multiple baselines for:

• Different approval points
• Phase boundaries
• Major changes
• Version comparisons

Selecting Baseline for Comparison

1. Open view options
2. Select which baseline to display
3. Switch between baselines as needed

Baseline Comparison Grid

Compare all baselines:

Progress vs. Baseline

Combining Views

View progress alongside baseline:

• Baseline shows planned schedule
• Progress shows completion
• Together show performance

Status Assessment

Baseline Reports

Variance Report

Generate reports showing:

• All task variances
• Summary statistics
• Trends over time

What to Include

Best Practices

Baseline Management

• Create baseline at project approval
• Name baselines meaningfully
• Document reason for new baselines
• Keep number of baselines manageable

Review Frequency

• Compare to baseline weekly
• Report variance to stakeholders
• Investigate significant variance
• Update forecasts based on variance

When to Re-Baseline

Consider re-baselining when:

• Approved scope changes occur
• Major schedule revisions needed
• Project restart after hold
• Original baseline no longer relevant

Baseline Permissions

Who Can Manage Baselines

Troubleshooting

Baseline Not Showing

• Verify baseline exists
• Check view option is enabled
• Ensure Professional tier subscription
• Try refreshing page

Variance Seems Wrong

• Verify correct baseline is selected
• Check if task dates changed
• Review baseline capture date
• Compare manually if needed

Cannot Create Baseline

• Verify you have permission
• Check plan has tasks with dates
• Ensure plan is saved
• Try from Settings tab

Baseline Data Missing

• Baseline captures point-in-time data
• New tasks won't have baseline
• Deleted tasks may not appear
• Check baseline creation date

Related Topics

• Timeline View - Viewing the chart
• Critical Path - Schedule analysis
• Plans - Plan versioning