Baseline

Location on ribbon: Tab DVD Cons → Group Schedule → Menu Reports & Snapshot

Command ID: btnBaseline

PRO feature

This command is part of the PRO plan. STANDARD accounts activated before 01/07/2026 keep access until their licence expires; other Standard accounts get an upgrade prompt when they click it.

What it does

Opens the Schedule Baseline manager. A baseline is a frozen copy of the schedule at one point in time — usually when the plan is approved — stored in a hidden _BL_* sheet inside the same workbook. That turns every "but what was the original date" argument into a matter of evidence, and lets the compare function measure exactly how many days each activity has slipped. A project can hold several baselines: BL1 at contract signature, BL2 after a major re-plan.

How to use

1. Open a workbook whose schedule sheet is visible (the source sheet must not be hidden, otherwise the dialog reports that it cannot find it).
2. Go to Tab DVD Cons → group Schedule → menu Reports & Snapshot → click Baseline.
3. Save a new baseline: type a Name (e.g. BL1 — Phase 1 kickoff) and a Description (e.g. After management approval on 15/04/2026), then click Save baseline now. If the name already exists the dialog asks whether to overwrite.
4. The saved baseline appears in the Saved baselines grid with Baseline name, Description, Saved at, Tasks and Project columns.
5. Compare: select a row in the grid, pick a Compare Status Date in the date box below it, then click Compare with selected baseline.
6. The dialog generates a BL Compare sheet and reports the summary: total tasks, slipped, early, new, removed, average slip and maximum slip. The sheet holds 8 KPIs plus a 12-column detail table (BL Start/Finish/Dur against current, with ΔSlip).
7. The two buttons on the right handle housekeeping: Show sheet (debug) unhides the selected _BL_* sheet, Delete baseline removes it entirely. Click Close when finished.

Example

A school project signs its contract in April and the planner saves BL1 — Contract plan. At the end of August, preparing the management report, he reopens the dialog, selects BL1, sets the Status Date to 31/08/2026 and compares. The BL Compare sheet reports 240 tasks: 37 slipped, 12 early, 8 new, 3 removed, average slip 6 days, maximum slip 21 days on the HVAC package. The detail table goes straight into the monthly report appendix as the basis for an extension of time request.

Notes

• Deleting a baseline cannot be undone — the hidden sheet is removed permanently and Ctrl+Z will not recover it.
• The source sheet must be visible when saving; a hidden Gantt sheet makes the command report that no source sheet was found.
• Baselines live inside the workbook, so sending the file sends the whole baseline history with it; conversely, a "Save As" copy with the hidden sheets stripped loses them.
• Show sheet (debug) is for inspecting the raw data only — never hand-edit a _BL_* sheet, or the baseline stops being a faithful record.
• The BL Compare sheet is overwritten on each comparison; rename it first if you want to keep more than one version.

Related

• Health Check — the BEI metric only scores when a baseline exists.
• Snapshot — periodic weekly snapshots, as opposed to a fixed plan-of-record baseline.
• Variance Dashboard — the management summary to produce after comparing against the baseline.
• Update Status — bring current progress up to date before comparing.