· Harwinder Singh · PMP  · 3 min read

Project Schedule vs Schedule Baseline

Difference between Project Schedule and Schedule Baseline in Project Schedule Management based on PMBOK Guide.

Project Schedule vs Schedule Baseline for PMP Certification

What’s the difference between Project Schedule and Schedule Baseline? I’ve answered this question numerous times in emails, forums and blog comments. But it keeps coming back to me. It is high time I address it in a separate post, and settle it once and for all. If you have managed projects, it shouldn’t be hard for you to understand. The difference is similar to that between you and your photograph. Puzzled? Read on.

Difference between Project Schedule and Schedule Baseline

Just like your photograph is a snapshot of you, a Schedule Baseline is a snapshot of a Project Schedule. However, it’s not an ordinary snapshot.

Schedule Baseline is an "approved" version of the Project Schedule.

Key Differences

Let’s review the key differences.

  • Project Schedule is a "living" document, whereas Schedule Baseline is "frozen".
  • Project Schedule is the "actual", whereas Schedule Baseline is the "plan".
  • Project Schedule is a Project Document, whereas Schedule Baseline is a part of the Project Management Plan.
  • Project Schedule is updated as the project is being executed, whereas Schedule Baseline is revised only as a result of an approved change request.
  • Schedule performance is measured by comparing the actual (Project Schedule) vs the baseline (Schedule Baseline).
  • At the beginning of project execution, the Project Schedule is the same as the Schedule Baseline. As work is done on the project, the actual progress is updated on the project schedule. At any given date, the latest version of the actual (project) schedule is referred to as the "Project Schedule".

Quiz on Project Schedule and Project Baseline

Now before you read further, answer the quiz below.

Question


Quiz Stats

Update Jul 09, 2017: this quiz has been attempted by 2538 people and 2187 (86%) of them answered correctly.

Update Feb 17, 2016: this quiz has been attempted by 1760 people and 1518 (86%) of them answered correctly.

Answer

Let’s use the elimination technique to get the correct answer. You don’t touch the Schedule Baseline except for approved changes. So, that’s not the correct answer. Schedule Management Plan is a “plan” that documents the Project Schedule Management processes and their associated tools and techniques. Since it’s a plan, we can eliminate it too. Schedule Network Diagram is a schematic display of logical relationship between project schedule activities. So, that’s out as well. We are left with Project Schedule, which is indeed the right answer.

If you hear anyone asking this question again, point that person to this article. And don’t hesitate to use the Comments section below if you have further questions on this topic. Your comments enrich this blog, and I value your feedback.

Image credit: Flickr / Andrew Mason

36 Comments

Moderated — submissions appear after approval.

  • Anonymous imported

    I must say that your blog enrich our knowledge rather than other way round

  • Harwinder Singh imported

    Thank you, Anonymous :)

  • Badri imported

    Hello Harwinder, Easy artilcle. I aspire to write PMP in Jan. And I strongly hope this site would prove useful. Thank you for the great work.

  • Anonymous imported

    thanks for good way explanation !

  • Anonymous imported

    Very good post, thank you! It describes the differences between the two terms very clearly.

  • Anonymous imported

    Hi Harwinder, You explain confusing and complex concepts in very simple way... really nice. Thanks, Priya

  • Harwinder Singh imported

    Thank you, Priya.

  • Anonymous imported

    Sir, you are really gifted. Thank you so much for this simple explanation. It is so easy to understand the difference between these two words. You made the PMP seekers their life and study easier. May Allah bless you. MO

  • Anonymous imported

    I have a question regarding this post and another post titled "Progressive Elaboration vs. Rolling wave planning". I'm in the process of attempting to create a schedule baseline. I'm wondering how I'm suppose to use the "rolling wave planning" and still set a baseline to compare all my project actuals against later. The more detailed activities of further out work will be undefined at this point. Would I have to set another baseline as I learn more about the detailed activites required? Thanks, ElectraPM

  • Harwinder Singh imported

    Thanks for your comments and good wishes.

  • Harwinder Singh imported

    Hi, Yes, your baselines would have to be revised as your plan evolves (progressively elaborated). If an activity is not in the baselined plan, then there would be no "actuals" for that activity. Once you revise the baseline and add the activity, you should be able to compare baseline vs. actual for that activity. Does that answer your question? Best regards. P.S. Sorry for the late response.

  • Anonymous imported

    I give the course and the way you addressed it is really interesting. Thank you that was of great help

  • Yasser Abdel Halim Ibrahim imported

    That was really great, thorough but yet simple explanation of the difference between project schedule and schedule baseline. Perfect. Thanks a million !

  • Anonymous imported

    i like this blog very much

  • Anonymous imported

    impressed with you explanation.your posts are helping me a lot yo get mt confusions go away

  • Shakti imported

    Just one questions in the context of your explanation. If Schedule Performance is measured by comparing Project Schedule & Schedule Baseline then what is the need to put Work Performance Information as Input with Project Schedule for "Develop Schedule" process ? Now, I am confused. What Work Performance Information really mean ?

  • Omar imported

    You we should not be including the activities that are not planned in detail into the schedule baseline. But the problem is that how can we come up the project completion date if the schedule baseline is not including all the activities.

  • Nishad Tupe imported

    Amazing , understood which i could not understood through other materials.

  • Anonymous imported

    Thank you very much. Perfect explanation

  • Harwinder Singh imported

    Thanks for your feedback!

  • Pavankumar

    your explanation is fantastic and anybody can easily understood after reading this. thank you for your efforts.

  • Harwinder Singh

    Thank you, Pavan. I'm glad to be of help.

  • Shadi Al Khatib

    Actually I did not understood so I search for the answer and found that I am writing it again in my words As you explain above the difference between them is correct but the schedule is progressly updated while the baseline will be updated in two cases 1. If the changes related to critical path activities 2. If the changes exceed the threshold so it lead to change to baseline otherwise the "change" will shown only in project schedule Am I right

  • Harwinder Singh

    That's not the case. Any change has to go through a change approval process, and approved by a change review board. Once the change is approved and if it impacts the schedule, the schedule baseline is revised.

  • Steve Crain

    Both phrases used interchangeably in my former organization. I appreciate the improved clarity so that I use the phrases correctly to minimize confusion in future project work.

  • Payel Basu

    Excellent explanation. Simple yet crystal clear

  • Harwinder Singh

    Thank you, Payel.

  • Kathy Castle

    Thank you for sharing. Many people mix these two concepts all the time.

  • Harwinder Singh

    Thank you, Kathy.

  • Naren

    Project schedule ? but there is no such document, it sounds very generic term though elimination technique leave no option other than project schedule.

  • Harwinder Singh

    Hi, Project schedule is a project document (PMBOK Guide, 6th Edition, Pg 89).

  • Rik

    Yes it is, clearly you're not studying PMBOK properly...

  • Lukas

    I am looking for is the natural logical explanation that the Scope Baseline has a different abstraction level than the Project Schedule. For example, the Scope Baseline can contain milestones with objects to be delivered, start and end date of the milestones and project, while the Project Schedule can list additionally the individual activities for each WBS. Would means that the activities within the milestones can be changed flexibly and without change request as long the milestone objects are still meet. Because the activites are not a direct part of the Scope Baseline. Is that correct?

  • Lukas

    Scope Baseline = Schedule Baseline Sorry for the mistake.

  • Sumit

    Thanks a lot for making it very simple.

  • Harwinder Singh

    You are welcome, Sumit. Glad it helped.

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