Baseline artifacts are a key part of project management, and are used to establish a reference point for measuring a project's performance against the planned one. In order to create a baseline, project managers will typically use project management artifacts such as models, methods, and artifacts. By doing so, they can establish a consistent foundation for their project and make it easier to track changes and deviations.
In order to ensure that a project is actually a project, key stakeholders need to approve key artifacts that make up the project management plan (PMP). These artifacts can be baselined, which means they are set in stone (or at least as close as you can get in the ever-changing world of project management). The baseline establishes the core of the project and without it, there is no project. This means that all projects have a baseline and they should be well understood, well communicated, and approved by the key stakeholders.
Project management is all about change, but that doesn't mean that everything is in a state of constant flux. There are some aspects of a project that can be locked down and made immutable. This allows everyone involved in the project to have a common understanding of what is happening and what is expected to happen. It also creates a foundation that can be built upon.
The project baseline typically consists of;
- Budget baseline
- Schedule baseline
- Scope baseline