The project baseline is established for allowing project managers and their team
ID: 3690594 • Letter: T
Question
The project baseline is established for allowing project managers and their team to be capable of measuring the performance and the success of the project against the planned baseline. This baseline is very important in being able to establish from a planning position what the project team intended to take place on the schedule, cost, quality, and duration of the project.
We understand that the baseline is a powerful tool. However, when do you actually baseline the project?
Under what conditions do you re-baseline the project?
What type of variances from the baseline would be considered acceptable when measuring performance and what level would be considered extreme and need escalation to the project sponsor are to upper management?
Explanation / Answer
Baseline – Software Configuration Management
First defining what a base line is, we need to define CONFIGURATION ITEM
Configuration Item (CI) is defined as the work product that is designated for configuration management, i.e, all the items that are considered to be worked upon together to manage a software product. The work products in CI may include plans, process description, requirements, data models, product specifications, code, compilers, etc.
The Baseline is defined as the status or working status of a CI at a given instance of time. It is used to perform analysis to find current performance against to the expected level for a specific activity in established time-phase. It facilitates as a reference point in the SDLC.
The new baseline formed is considered as some approved changes or additions made to the older baseline. The current configuration is acquired by the current baseline with all the approved changes.
Baselines can also be considered as software versions. If all the required changes done to the product are approved, then they are released with the version number which is the current baseline number or identification number.
Baselines majorly include schedule baseline, cost baseline, scope baseline and quality baseline.
A project is baselined when there is a need to
New baselines should only be added when there is a change in scope. If the scope stays the same, then there is no need to create a new baseline.
Re Baselining of a project
Re baselining of a project is done when a project is delayed for longer time them expected or external conditions have changed so much that the original timeline is no longer feasible. This generally happens because the establishments of baseline cost and schedules are done at the beginning based on assumptions with uncertainty. Basic things to be checked while re baselining are
Related Questions
Navigate
Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.