Baselines: comparing with the original plan
A baseline is a snapshot of the plan as it was agreed: every task’s start, end and estimated cost. Afterwards you can see which tasks have slipped, and by how much.
How to set a baseline#
Get the plan the way it was agreed.
Choose Project › Set baseline.
Every task’s current start, end and estimated cost is copied into its baseline. A task with no Estimated cost typed gets what its people cost instead. There is one baseline per plan. Setting it again replaces the old one, and Desktop Plan asks first.
What you see#
The baseline is drawn as a thin strip above each bar (grey, unless you have changed its colour). While the plan sticks to it, the strip lines up exactly with the bar. When a task slips, its bar moves to the right of its strip.
Here the roof took one day longer than agreed (4 days instead of 3). The roof bar now ends a day after its grey strip. Every task after it has moved a day to the right of its strip too.
The orange strips below the finished bars are the actual dates. See Tracking progress.
To hide either kind of strip, see Changing the look.
How to see the figures#
Switch on any of these columns in Settings › Columns:
| Column | Shows |
|---|---|
| Baseline start / Baseline end / Baseline duration | The dates and length from the snapshot. |
| Baseline cost | The cost from the snapshot. |
| Days late | How many working days the task now finishes after its baseline end. +1 is one day late, -2 two days early, 0 on time. |
You can also type in the baseline columns, for example to enter an original plan from somewhere else. The Baseline section of the task form has the same boxes, plus a button that copies the current dates in.
How to clear the baseline#
Choose Project › Clear baseline. Desktop Plan asks first. Ctrl+Z brings it back.
The baseline on the dashboard#
The Finish dial on the dashboard page compares the plan’s finish date with the baseline’s. It says, for example, 3 working days behind baseline. See The dashboard.