How do you establish and maintain a project baseline and a change control system?

In simple terms, a project baseline is like a starting point or a snapshot of the project's scope, schedule, and budget at a particular moment in time. It serves as a reference for measuring progress and managing changes throughout the project.

To establish and maintain a project baseline and change control system: Define the Baseline: Set initial scope, schedule, and cost baselines through detailed planning and stakeholder agreement. Document Baseline: Clearly document the baselines and obtain formal approval from key stakeholders. Change Control System: Implement a process for managing changes, including a Change Control Board (CCB) to review and approve changes. Change Request Process: Use standardized forms for submitting change requests, assessing impacts on scope, time, and cost. Impact Analysis: Evaluate the effects of proposed changes on the project baseline.

This is absolutely essential If you want to mesure progress and earned value. Depending of the type of project you may want to add what would be the strategy of execution.

Establish a project baseline by defining scope, schedule, and budget. Maintain it through regular monitoring. Institute a change control system with clear procedures for requesting, reviewing, and approving changes. Ensure thorough impact assessments before accepting modifications, preventing scope creep and maintaining project stability. Regularly revisit and update the baseline as needed.

The baseline is the detailed description of the scope, schedule, and budget of a project approved by all stakeholders, which can only be altered through a formal change request procedure. It is a set of essential documents for the alignment among responsible parties regarding short- and medium-term objectives, execution strategies, and it serves as the fundamental reference for monitoring and controlling performance at the tactical and strategic levels.

A change control system is a structured process used to manage and evaluate proposed changes to a project's scope, schedule, or budget.

Establishing and maintaining a project baseline and change control system is an essential aspect of project management. Here are the steps to do it effectively: Define the project scope: Clearly define the project scope, objectives, deliverables, timelines, and budget. This information will serve as the foundation for the project baseline. Establish the baseline: Create a baseline by documenting the project scope, objectives, and other critical aspects that will not change during the project's execution. This documentation serves as a reference point to compare the project's progress against. Bassam Ahram

Continuation Identify the stakeholders: Identify all stakeholders who need to be involved in the change control process. This includes the project sponsor, project team, and other stakeholders who will be impacted by the project. Define the change control process: Create a process for managing changes to the project scope, objectives, and other aspects of the baseline. This process should include roles and responsibilities, criteria for assessing the impact of changes, and procedures for approving or rejecting changes. Document changes: Document all changes to the project baseline, including the reason for the change, the impact on the project, and the approval or rejection of the change. Bassam ahram

Continuation Communicate changes: Communicate all changes to the project baseline to stakeholders and team members who will be impacted by the change. This ensures that everyone is aware of the change and how it will impact the project. Monitor the baseline: Monitor the project against the established baseline regularly. This allows the project manager to assess whether the project is progressing as planned, and if not, take corrective action. Review the baseline: Regularly review the project baseline to ensure that it remains relevant and up-to-date. This includes reviewing the project scope, objectives, deliverables, timelines, and budget. Bassam ahram

Changes must be approved by the relevant approuver before it can be implemented. Generally speaking, we are not good in evaluating the full impact of the change on the project so it would be a good thing to resist to changes as much as possible.

Sometimes project baseline take time to get approved and in a fast track project if you want to meet the schedule you need to carry on with the work while you waiting for approval. Usually, this is the period where a lot of good ideas are found and there is no tools yet to get the changes approved and implemented. This is when a temporary baseline come handy. Temporary baseline need to be communicate has such to the team and the changes process can start. When the official baseline come back approved the adjustment is made to reflect the current situation and a new change register is create to capture the future good change idea.

To establish a project baseline, define scope, objectives, and milestones, develop a detailed plan, communicate with stakeholders, implement change control, and monitor progress, ensuring all changes are documented and approved. I baseline in MS Project also.

Define Project Scope: Clearly articulate the project's scope, including deliverables, objectives, and constraints. Develop a Project Plan: Create a comprehensive project plan outlining tasks, milestones, timelines, and resource allocation. Document Budget and Resources: Clearly specify the budget and resources required for the project. Get Stakeholder Approval: Present the baseline to stakeholders for review and approval, ensuring alignment with project goals.

To establish a project baseline, finalize the project scope, schedule, and budget. Obtain approval from key stakeholders and document the baseline in the project management plan. Ensure all team members are aware of and understand the baseline.

To maintain a project baseline, regularly track progress against the baseline, document any changes or deviations, communicate updates to stakeholders, and adjust the baseline as needed to reflect changes in project scope or objectives.

Regular Monitoring: Continuously monitor project performance against the baseline to identify any variances. Document Changes: If changes are necessary, document them thoroughly and ensure that stakeholders are informed. Rebaseline as Needed: In certain cases, especially if significant changes occur, it may be necessary to reestablish a new baseline with stakeholder approval.

Regularly monitor project progress against the baseline. Use the change control system to manage any deviations, ensuring all changes are documented, reviewed, and approved before implementation. Update the baseline as necessary to reflect approved changes.

On mega projects, 3 interrelated change control processes were established. 1. Technical or scope changes (What). 2. Budget and schedule changes, including execution issues (How). 3. Contract changes (Who). Change board 1 included all project groups for reviewing change affects. Change board 2 was the PM and Project Control Mgr., with others when needed. Owner controlled changes, period.

Define Change Request Process: Clearly outline the process for submitting, reviewing, and approving change requests. Establish Change Control Board (CCB): Form a CCB with representatives from key project stakeholders to assess and approve changes. Document Change Procedures: Create a detailed set of procedures outlining how change requests will be documented, assessed, and communicated.

Submit Change Requests: Project team members or stakeholders submit change requests with detailed information about the proposed modifications. Review and Assessment: The CCB reviews change requests to assess their impact on scope, schedule, and budget. Approval or Rejection: The CCB approves or rejects change requests based on their alignment with project objectives and constraints. Communication: Communicate approved changes to the project team and stakeholders, updating relevant project documentation.

Communication and stakeholder management skills to key to gain the right information. P6 proficiency is key as well. Power BI important to present data.

Defining and communicating project scope involves clearly outlining deliverables, boundaries, and objectives to all stakeholders. For instance, in offshore wind power projects, defining scope may include specifying the number of turbines and their locations. Continuous communication ensures alignment and helps prevent scope creep, such as adding extra turbines mid-project. Similarly, in battery energy storage system manufacturing, defining scope entails detailing product specifications and production timelines to mitigate scope expansion.

It is critical that the CCB or Change Control Process have a sign-off authority level "AT LEAST" equal to the approval authority for the original scope. Failure to set the Change Control authority bar to equal or higher level will always result in people using the Change Control process to circumvent the Original Risk Based Scope Review.

Communication Plan: Develop a robust communication plan to ensure all stakeholders are informed of baseline changes and the reasons behind them. Training: Provide training to the project team and stakeholders on the change control process to ensure everyone understands their roles and responsibilities. Documentation Repository: Maintain a centralized repository for all project documentation, including baseline versions and change control records. Continuous Improvement: Regularly review the change control process to identify areas for improvement and implement lessons learned.