Difference between CPM Schedule and Baseline Schedule

There are numerous differences between the CPM Schedule and the Baseline Schedule. However, they differentiate with the primary differences between the two types of project management schedule procedures are deliberately mentioned below. Their key differences are:

• CPM Schedule is a live document, whereas Baseline Schedule is a fixed, frozen schedule document.
• CPM Schedule displays as Actual, and Schedule Baseline is the Plan.
• CPM Schedule is a project document, whereas Baseline Schedule is an essential part of the Project Management Plan.
• CPM Schedule gets an update as the project gets executed, whereas Baseline Schedule revised due to the approved change request.
• Schedule performance acquires useful measurement through comparing the CPM Schedule and Baseline Schedule.
• At the beginning of a project, CPM Schedule is similar to the baseline schedule later on the project’s continuation progress, emphasizing the CPM Schedule. At a specific date, the latest version of the Schedule refers to CPM Schedule.

Project management of a construction project demands a time management scheme in which it is essential to deal with the project’s life cycle. Time management involves comprehensive planning and organizing activities to complete the task at a specific time. Time management involves a proactive technique to increase the effectiveness and productive resources. Otherwise, its lacking will cause drastic effects on any particular project’s goals. Project management regulates creating and maintaining a work schedule as an effective plan to list and organize all the tasks in a specific chart that helps to complete the project. Work schedule works with two co-related concepts: CPM Schedule and Baseline Schedule. They both differ in their visions.

A CPM Schedule is a crucial project document that quickly communicates several activities to complete it with the resources that need to be assigned and completed within a specific period. A project schedule displays the planned dates of activities to fulfill the project milestones. It also compiles a few details that need to be fulfilled along with the resources. We need to perform tasks within a specific period.

Several activities identify the sequences that define the estimated duration of any task in the Project Schedules. It also complies with the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), Engineering, Procurement, and Execution.

Baseline Schedule is an approved version of the Project Schedule that is also known as Target Schedule. It is the second version of the CPM Schedule that enables a comparison between the planned and actual status of a project. Baseline delivers a specific target against tracking a project’s resource, cost, and schedule performance. Baseline Schedule efficiently manages to estimate Cost and Schedule variances. Baseline Schedules are generated before the CPM Schedule, and at the beginning of the project, the baseline schedule is similar to the CPM Schedule. CPM Schedule gets updated along with the progression of different tasks.

Acquiring effective CPM Scheduling delivers you key benefits like meeting deadlines and managing several numbers tasks. It also improves your schedule to have effective project management with the help of following practices.

• Identify all the required activities
• Be reasonable and realistic.
• Assign essential relationships
• Analyze critical path
• Keep your floats under control