Baselines are the final version of all plans before the project execution starts. Project baselines are the starting versions of all related plans of a project, be it the time schedule, the quality plan, the communication plan or whatever. This acts as the reference against which project performance is measured.

In project management, a baseline is a reference point that marks the initial or approved version of a project plan. Plan baselines, specifically, refer to the baseline versions of the project’s various plans, such as the schedule baseline, cost baseline, and scope baseline. Here’s a breakdown of each:

Schedule Baseline: This represents the approved version of the project schedule. It includes start and end dates for each task or activity, dependencies between tasks, milestones, and any other relevant scheduling information. The schedule baseline serves as a benchmark against which actual progress can be measured and deviations can be identified.
Cost Baseline: The cost baseline is the approved version of the project budget. It outlines the estimated costs for all project activities, resources, materials, and any other relevant expenses. Like the schedule baseline, the cost baseline is used to compare actual expenditures against planned costs throughout the project lifecycle.
Scope Baseline: This encompasses the project scope statement, the work breakdown structure (WBS), and the WBS dictionary. The scope baseline defines the project’s deliverables, the work required to produce them, and the criteria for successful completion. It provides a clear understanding of what is included in the project and what is not, helping to manage scope creep and ensure alignment with stakeholder expectations.

In summary, plan baselines are crucial components of project management that establish the initial plans for schedule, cost, and scope. They serve as benchmarks for monitoring and controlling project performance, facilitating comparisons between planned and actual progress to ensure successful project execution.