An accepted schedule, a key goal of the review process, establishes a baseline for the project.

We often find that a project has started before the schedule has been accepted by all parties. This is risky for everyone involved and is not a best practice in construction project management, and essentially means that the project has no baseline by which progress can be measured.

When this happens, changes to the schedule (due to the manifestation of risks or adverse weather) cannot be properly tracked or evaluated. This is an important and fundamental aspect of the construction project controls function, which cannot be performed properly without an accepted schedule.

A baseline schedule is used to:

  1. Manage the project – What work must be completed, and by what date? How much work has been completed, compared to the amount of work that was planned or projected?
  2. Assess risk – Quantitative schedule risk is dependent on an accurate schedule model.
  3. Ascertain timely completion – Without a baseline plan in place, there is no way to judge progress, which in turn is used to determine estimated completion of the project.