Rebaselining a Schedule

Understanding when and how to update your project schedule within SmartPM is vital for accurate tracking and reporting. SmartPM offers two primary methods for updating your schedules: Rebaselining and Replacing. Each serves distinct purposes and is suitable for different scenarios. This article focuses on when and why you would rebaseline, and what that process looks like in SmartPM.

Rebaselining

Rebaselining involves creating a new baseline schedule when there are a considerable number of changes in the activities from a schedule update or if you’re simply looking to get a different perspective on the project from a new vantage point. This process establishes a fresh reference point for performance measurement and ensures that future tracking reflects the current state of the project.

Common Reasons to Rebaseline:

• Heavy Resequencing: Significant changes in the order or logic of activities.
• Significant Change Order: Major approved changes that impact scope or schedule.
• Time Extension: Adjustments to project duration due to delays or new requirements.
• Pull Planning or Considerable Detailing: Incorporating detailed planning or updates that affect activities.
• Marked Schedule Quality Improvement: Substantial improvements in the accuracy or quality of the schedule.

Rebaselining provides an updated reference for project performance and ensures the team is aligned with the current scope and schedule. This does not remove the initial baseline schedule. All rebaseline analyses are kept up to date with most recent schedules and you are able to toggle between the initial baseline schedule and any rebaselined schedules.

To rebaseline a schedule:

1. Navigate to the Project List and click on the ellipses next to the project name.
2. Click Manage Schedules
3. Identify the schedule you would like to mark as your new baseline
4. Scroll to the right and click the ‘Rebaseline to This Schedule’ Icon. 
5. Name your rebaselined schedule.
6. If you’d like to update all metrics in SmartPM to recalculate to this baseline, checkmark the Update Primary Scenario button.
7. Once options are selected, click confirm.
   
   

Use Rebaselining: When there are significant changes that affect the project's scope, methodology, or key milestones.