ABSTRACT

Changes in the project cost and schedule baselines are as much political problems as technical problems. Even with high-quality trend analysis, as illustrated in Chapter 9, changing the baseline requires the understanding, support, and commitment of all parties to the project, especially the client or customer. This support and commitment can only be achieved when both project manager and project control analysts have competence, credibility, and effective communication channels with project parties. It is recommended that when current baselines are no longer realistic, revised baseline targets should be developed. There can be endless discussions about the definition of "realistic," but the setting of programs to unrealistic or impossible baselines is to be avoided, since it leads to reduced management credibility and poor project morale.