I value your questioning in the personal level of once thinking. Just remember that once you finally draw that baseline and s-curve in your program, it is your reputation, your legacy, and the whole of you that will be talked about in the entire duration of the work program issues. You maybe will be gone in that project before it ends, and yet you will still leave that foot prints with your name on it. So make it real good.
It is the planners responsibility to put together a baseline programme with inputs from the construction team and your PM on how you plan to execute the works (methodology and sequence) and this should conform with the contract requirements in terms of duration, key dates and milestone dates that you need to meet, which is usually stipulated in the contract.
It is absolutely imperative that you have a baseline programme so you have a basis for measuring performance.
This is also necessary when doing analysis for ,delay and disruption, delay due to changes, access and interface with other trade contractors, material deliveries, etc.
Without a good baseline programme, you have absolutely no idea of where you are and where you are going?
The best thing that you can do is to start a new project with good planning and continue monitoring it and updating the progress as you go. Subsequently, you will feel the important of management and the meaning of the Curves.
I do not think you are lost in the whole planning process.
I do believe that You might be in a project with the wrong PM or the wrong team. I have been in projects where all the planning rules have been violated BUT we must move forward.
Being in a chaotic project, please keep in mind that you might be doing things to please PM or team BUT do not take this project as an example to follow.
I do agree with comments from my colleagues regarding baseline.
Joey,
A baseline programme is essential if you are to measure the variance of current actual & forecast work with what you had planned in the baseline schedule and understand the consequences of such impacts. As to the s curve, do you have a particular one in mind? There can be many eg. actual/planned installed quantities, earned value etc. The basis of these curves is a whole subject on its own. Remember that, essentialy, the actual data shown on the curves is historical (its already happened) and, at best, may indicate future trends; a good planner should already know the variances impacting on the schedule before any s curves are published after the update period.Curves based on resources can be useful if, for example, a contractor is keeping to the critical path but his actual curve is falling behind the planned curve, indicating that he is not scheduling non-critical tasks as per the baseline ie. he probably has insufficient manpower on the job.
The better you plan and organize your project, the more chances that you have in completing the scope, time and budget constrains.
Without planning you will have chaos on your site. For large sites, a plan is essential.
As the guys stated, you will have to engage all your team members with you to form your plan. If they dont work together and produce the plan, then they will not use it and wont know whats in it.
The project manager has the responsibility to achieve the plan and communicate clearly with all parties to complete the project.
Joey
A project always is based on an agreement. This will contain target budget, frames for time, resources and others. During the time of execution responsible persons need to know: Target still available within the constraints? So a copy of the project plan is made in the beginning and signed by the parties. Out of this plan, an s-curve to be created were you easily can see, which part of the project must be achieved at a certain date. The data which create the s-curve(s) must be agrred at the projects start. During execution you can compare current with planned status.
--> Target still realistic?
This is on aspect of controlling; there are more, e.g. milestones, earned value, different kinds of percent complete, ...
First reader of the s-curve must be the project manager.
Regards
Dieter
1. for both!
2. A Baseline Plan is supposed to be a product of a collective thinking / effort of the project team supposed to be headed by the Project Manager during the initial stage of the project.
RE: Is Baseline Develped only for Mangement
Hi Joey,
I value your questioning in the personal level of once thinking. Just remember that once you finally draw that baseline and s-curve in your program, it is your reputation, your legacy, and the whole of you that will be talked about in the entire duration of the work program issues. You maybe will be gone in that project before it ends, and yet you will still leave that foot prints with your name on it. So make it real good.
It is yours and not for anybody else.
Cheers!
Ferdinand
RE: Is Baseline Develped only for Mangement
It is the planners responsibility to put together a baseline programme with inputs from the construction team and your PM on how you plan to execute the works (methodology and sequence) and this should conform with the contract requirements in terms of duration, key dates and milestone dates that you need to meet, which is usually stipulated in the contract.
It is absolutely imperative that you have a baseline programme so you have a basis for measuring performance.
This is also necessary when doing analysis for ,delay and disruption, delay due to changes, access and interface with other trade contractors, material deliveries, etc.
Without a good baseline programme, you have absolutely no idea of where you are and where you are going?
Cheers,
Daniel
RE: Is Baseline Develped only for Mangement
Dear All,
I believe the s curves are appreciated in the high level. We at the work front deals with the details.
Regards,
Nestor
RE: Is Baseline Develped only for Mangement
Dear Joey,
The best thing that you can do is to start a new project with good planning and continue monitoring it and updating the progress as you go. Subsequently, you will feel the important of management and the meaning of the Curves.
Best Regards,
Samer
RE: Is Baseline Develped only for Mangement
Joey,
I do not think you are lost in the whole planning process.
I do believe that You might be in a project with the wrong PM or the wrong team. I have been in projects where all the planning rules have been violated BUT we must move forward.
Being in a chaotic project, please keep in mind that you might be doing things to please PM or team BUT do not take this project as an example to follow.
I do agree with comments from my colleagues regarding baseline.
Cheers,
RE: Is Baseline Develped only for Mangement
I think most Project Managers wont agree that baselining is merely to impress upper management, however, I do agree that some are skeptical about it.
I have published a few months ago an article about the <a href="http://www.pmhut.com/3-main-benefits-of-project-baselining">benefits of project baseline</a>. Take a look, it might answer your questions.
RE: Is Baseline Develped only for Mangement
Dear JOey,
I think you are lost in the whole planning process.
Baseline program is very important in project management.
I do share the frustration of planners in the event the BL plan becomes some sort of decoration in meeting room.
The only reason behind this is your project team inability to sustain any progress as plan using your BL program/schedule.
Why hang on to such project team culture. move on and look for the best since only the best can sustain the project of BL program/schedule.
Regards,
Charlie
RE: Is Baseline Develped only for Mangement
Joey,
A baseline programme is essential if you are to measure the variance of current actual & forecast work with what you had planned in the baseline schedule and understand the consequences of such impacts. As to the s curve, do you have a particular one in mind? There can be many eg. actual/planned installed quantities, earned value etc. The basis of these curves is a whole subject on its own. Remember that, essentialy, the actual data shown on the curves is historical (its already happened) and, at best, may indicate future trends; a good planner should already know the variances impacting on the schedule before any s curves are published after the update period.Curves based on resources can be useful if, for example, a contractor is keeping to the critical path but his actual curve is falling behind the planned curve, indicating that he is not scheduling non-critical tasks as per the baseline ie. he probably has insufficient manpower on the job.
cheers,
Omar
RE: Is Baseline Develped only for Mangement
Dear Joey,
The better you plan and organize your project, the more chances that you have in completing the scope, time and budget constrains.
Without planning you will have chaos on your site. For large sites, a plan is essential.
As the guys stated, you will have to engage all your team members with you to form your plan. If they dont work together and produce the plan, then they will not use it and wont know whats in it.
The project manager has the responsibility to achieve the plan and communicate clearly with all parties to complete the project.
Good luck,
Samer
RE: Is Baseline Develped only for Mangement
Joey
A project always is based on an agreement. This will contain target budget, frames for time, resources and others. During the time of execution responsible persons need to know: Target still available within the constraints? So a copy of the project plan is made in the beginning and signed by the parties. Out of this plan, an s-curve to be created were you easily can see, which part of the project must be achieved at a certain date. The data which create the s-curve(s) must be agrred at the projects start. During execution you can compare current with planned status.
--> Target still realistic?
This is on aspect of controlling; there are more, e.g. milestones, earned value, different kinds of percent complete, ...
First reader of the s-curve must be the project manager.
Regards
Dieter
RE: Is Baseline Develped only for Mangement
1. for both!
2. A Baseline Plan is supposed to be a product of a collective thinking / effort of the project team supposed to be headed by the Project Manager during the initial stage of the project.