Explain the difference between a baseline schedule and a progress schedule in PM software.

Explain the difference between a baseline schedule and a progress schedule in PM software.

• A. Baseline is the current plan; progress reflects the initial approved dates.
• B. The baseline is the approved reference; the progress schedule reflects current status and revised estimates.
• C. Both refer to the same schedule with different names.
• D. Baseline is used only for cost management.

Answer: (B)

Baseline schedule is the approved reference plan the team signs off on, capturing the originally planned start and finish dates, durations, and sequencing. It stays as a stable benchmark until a formal change is approved, and you use it to measure how the project is performing against what was agreed. The progress schedule, in contrast, is the current, updated view of the project’s timeline. It reflects actual progress to date, current status, and revised estimates for remaining work. It shows what’s happening now and what is forecasted to happen given new information, decisions, or delays. In practice, you keep both in PM software: the baseline as the fixed reference you compare against, and the progress schedule as the live plan you use to manage execution and communicate status. If progress diverges from the baseline, you analyze variances, and if the changes are approved, you may re-baseline to reflect the new approved plan. For example, if a task was planned to finish on January 5, the baseline shows January 5. If work is delayed and the forecast now ends January 10, the progress schedule shows that new forecast, while the baseline remains January 5. This distinction is what makes the progress schedule a tool for current planning and forecasting, separate from the original, approved plan.

Baseline schedule is the approved reference plan the team signs off on, capturing the originally planned start and finish dates, durations, and sequencing. It stays as a stable benchmark until a formal change is approved, and you use it to measure how the project is performing against what was agreed.

The progress schedule, in contrast, is the current, updated view of the project’s timeline. It reflects actual progress to date, current status, and revised estimates for remaining work. It shows what’s happening now and what is forecasted to happen given new information, decisions, or delays.

In practice, you keep both in PM software: the baseline as the fixed reference you compare against, and the progress schedule as the live plan you use to manage execution and communicate status. If progress diverges from the baseline, you analyze variances, and if the changes are approved, you may re-baseline to reflect the new approved plan.

For example, if a task was planned to finish on January 5, the baseline shows January 5. If work is delayed and the forecast now ends January 10, the progress schedule shows that new forecast, while the baseline remains January 5. This distinction is what makes the progress schedule a tool for current planning and forecasting, separate from the original, approved plan.