Baselines

Baselines capture a snapshot of your schedule at a specific point in time, allowing you to compare the current state against the original plan.

What is a Baseline?

A baseline saves the start dates, end dates, and durations of all tasks at a moment in time. You can save up to three baselines for comparison. When displayed, baseline bars appear below the current task bars, making it easy to see how the schedule has changed.

Setting a Baseline

1. Get your schedule to the state you want to capture
2. Click the Set baseline menu in the toolbar
3. Select Set Baseline 1, Set Baseline 2, or Set Baseline 3
4. The current dates are saved as that baseline

tip

Set your first baseline immediately after initial planning is complete and approved. This preserves your original plan for future comparison.

Viewing Baselines

1. Click the Show baseline menu in the toolbar
2. Check the boxes next to the baselines you want to display
3. Baseline bars appear below the current task bars
4. Uncheck to hide baselines

When baselines are visible, rows become taller to accommodate both the current task bar and baseline bars.

When to Set Baselines

Situation	Recommendation
Project kickoff	Set Baseline 1 after initial planning is complete
Before scope changes	Set a new baseline to track the impact
At major milestones	Compare progress against the original schedule
Before client presentations	Show schedule evolution over time
After client approval	Lock in the approved schedule

Interpreting Baseline Comparisons

When viewing baselines alongside current tasks:

What You See	What It Means
Task bar to the right of baseline	Task is running late
Task bar to the left of baseline	Task is ahead of schedule
Task bar longer than baseline	Duration has increased
Task bar shorter than baseline	Duration has decreased
Task bar aligned with baseline	Task is on schedule

Using Multiple Baselines

With three baseline slots, you can track schedule evolution over time:

Example workflow:

• Baseline 1: Original plan at project start
• Baseline 2: Updated plan after first scope change
• Baseline 3: Current approved schedule

This allows you to show stakeholders how the schedule has evolved and explain the reasons for changes.

Best Practices

1. Document when you set baselines - Note the date and reason in project documentation
2. Set baselines at key decision points - Not just randomly
3. Don't overwrite baselines carelessly - Once set, a baseline should represent a meaningful snapshot
4. Use baselines in client meetings - Visual comparison helps explain schedule changes
5. Re-baseline after major scope changes - Comparing to an outdated baseline isn't useful

Related

• Gantt Chart Overview - Main Gantt chart features
• Managing Schedules - Schedule configuration