What Is a Project Baseline?
The baseline is the approved, frozen version of the programme, the budget and the scope — the reference against which every variance is measured.
Definition
Before execution starts, a programme, a budget and a scope are approved as the baseline and frozen; later updates are compared against it, not substituted for it. Without a frozen baseline it is impossible to answer: are we late? are we over? against what, exactly?
Changing it
A baseline is only amended through a formally approved change — a variation that widens the scope, for instance — which issues a revised baseline with its reason and date recorded. Amending the baseline to hide a delay is self-deception that corrupts every measurement after it.
Its role in earned value
PV is derived directly from the baseline: the budget distributed over time. The quality of the baseline therefore decides the quality of every performance index that follows.
Worked example
An approved baseline of 12 months and SAR 8 million. After a variation adds an annex worth 0.9m and two months, a revised baseline of 14 months and 8.9m is issued — and the reports always state which baseline they are comparing against.
FAQ
How often may a baseline be revised?
Whenever a substantial change is approved — but repeated revisions without real changes are a warning sign about the discipline of the project.
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