MIDTERM PROJECT

PROJECT BASELINE SETTING

The main purpose of this project is to let your team commit to your project plan based on bottom-
up project information. The result of this activity is a solid basis for project tracking and control,
with project expectations, deadlines, and budgets aligned with reality.

REVIEW PLANS AND OBJECTIVE

Setting the project baseline is the final component of project plan development. In our previous
set of activities, you have assembled your own project plan components and verify that the
planning is thorough, realistic, and capable of delivering the results desired. You also have
inspected your plans for omissions, excessive optimism, and other defects. Compared the total
number of effort months your project plan required with the actual effort. Adjusted your
estimates and plans if the comparison seems too optimistic.

Also, you have identified many differences between your plan and the initial project objective in
terms of timing, budget, staffing, or other stated goals. If there were important goals that are not
consistent the the current plans, you met with your sponsorship and worked to remedy them
through constraints management and plan optimization. Lastly, you have summarized the data
and presented to your sponsor.

WHAT TO DO?
Now, you have to finalize your documentation.
1. Include an executive summary of the plan, as well as resource and cost analysis, schedule,
risk plans, and other pertinent information. Presenting great volumes of planning
information may be more distracting than helpful, so plan to bring detailed information
along mainly for reference.
2. If you will be negotiating project changes before setting a baseline, prepare to justify
necessary modifications with credible information, and develop two or more proposals
outlining realistic projects with solid business cases.
3. Set up a meeting with your sponsor, requesting sufficient time to discuss the project and
gain agreement in your plans. Before the meeting, practice your presentation with a team
member or two and encourage their criticism (Only the Project Manager will have a
meeting with the Sponsor). Following the planning process, you are the world authority
on your project; rehearse your presentation, and use your strengths: your project
experience, your background and skills, and your enthusiasm for the project.
4. When necessary, shift project objectives using fact-based negotiation and consensus-
building for your ideas Convince project sponsors and stakeholders to support a project
that makes sense and serves everyone’s interests.
5. Following presentation of the project plans, seek agreement on a specific deliverable, a
resource commitment, and a deadline, all consistent with a feasible plan.
6. Validate the plan and verify that the resulting objective is acceptable both to the project
sponsor and to your project team.
 7. Confirm stakeholder support and use your baseline for stakeholder-expectation
management.
8. Set the baseline plan of record using your project plans.
a. Publish the final version of the project document.
b. Communicate plans and arrange for distribution to and access by the project
team, online if possible.
c. Save a baseline schedule if you are using a software tool for project management
(try accessing project management tools online, i.e. Trello)
d. Freeze all specifications, and begin integrating change control and scope change
control.
9. Use the project baseline for Project Plan Execution (FINAL PROJECT). Structure status
collection with it, and use it as the foundation for performance reporting.
10. Never change a baseline without using your change control processes, and keep track of
any modifications made during the project.

Make sure that you have refined the contents of the following sections:
 Requirement Collection
 Scope Definition
 Work Breakdown Structure
 Activity Definition, Sequencing, Resource Estimates, & Duration Estimates
 Schedule Development
 Cost Budgeting
 Resource Leveling
 Risk Identification and Management Planning
 Qualitative and Quantitative Risk Analysis
 Risk Response Planning
 Project Plan Development

NOTE: Check the templates provided below.

 Requirements Matrix
Project Name:

Prepared by: Date:

Requirement Name Category Source Status

No.
 Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Date
Project Name:

1.0 Main category 1

1.1 Subcategory
1.2 Subcategory
1.2.1 Sub-subcategory
1.2.2 Sub-subcategory
1.3 Subcategory
1.4 Subcategory

2.0 Main category 2

2.1 Subcategory
2.2 Subcategory
2.2.1 Sub-subcategory
2.2.2 Sub-subcategory
2.3 Subcategory
2.4 Subcategory

3.0 Main category 3

3.1 Subcategory
3.2 Subcategory
3.2.1 Sub-subcategory
3.2.2 Sub-subcategory
3.3 Subcategory
3.4 Subcategory

4.0 Main category 4

4.1 Subcategory
4.2 Subcategory
4.2.1 Sub-subcategory
4.2.2 Sub-subcategory
4.3 Subcategory
4.4 Subcategory
 Activity List and Attributes
Date
Project name: (available in your schedule plan as WBS item number 1)
WBS item number: (available in your schedule plan as WBS column)
WBS item name: (available in your schedule plan as task name)
Predecessors: (available in your schedule plan as predecessor)
Successors:
Logical relationships:
Leads and Lags:
Resource requirements:
Constraints:
Imposed dates:
Assumptions:

Activity Resource Requirements

Date
Project name:
WBS item number:
WBS item name:
Description:
 Make-or-Buy Analysis
Date
Project Name:
Decision Being Analyzed:

Option 1: Make:

Total Cost:

Option 2: Buy:

Total Cost:

Cost Difference:

Recommendation:
 Change Request
Date
Project Name:
Date Request Submitted:
Title of Change Request:
Change Order Number:
Submitted by:
Change Category: Scope Schedule Cost Technology Other

Description of change requested:

Events that made this change necessary or desirable:

Justification for the change/why it is needed/desired to continue/complete the project:

Impact of the proposed change on:

Scope:
Schedule:
Cost:
Staffing:
Risk:
Other:

Suggested implementation if the change request is approved:

Required approvals:
Name/Title Date Approve/Reject
 Business Case for Project Name
Date
Project name:

1.0 Introduction and Background

2.0 Business Objective

3.0 Current Situation and Problem/Opportunity Statement

4.0 Critical Assumption and Constraints

.
5.0 Analysis of Options and Recommendation

6.0 Preliminary Project Requirements

7.0 Budget Estimate and Financial Analysis

8.0 Schedule Estimate

9.0 Potential Risks

10.0 Exhibits
 Risk Management Plan
Date
Project Name:

1. Methodology

2. Roles and Responsibilities

3. Budget and Schedule

4. Risk Categories

5. Risk Probability and Impact

6. Risk Documentation
 Project Management Plan Version 1.0
Date
Project Name:

Introduction/Overview of Project

Project Organization

Management and Technical Processes

Management Processes:

Technical Processes:

Work to Be Performed

Schedule Information

Budget Information

References to Other Project Planning Documents

 Company Name
Contract/Service Agreement
Date
Title of Work:
This is an Agreement made as of __________ by
_______________________________ (the “Seller”), and
__________________________________ (the “Buyer”).

THE SELLER AND THE BUYER AGREE THAT:

1. The Work: The Seller will create the Work as set forth in Exhibit A hereto. The Buyer
will provide the Seller with the format and specifications in which each element of the
Work is to be submitted. The Seller agrees to conform to such format and
specifications.

2. Delivery of the Work: The Seller agrees to deliver to the Buyer the Work in form and
content acceptable to the Buyer on or before the dates outlined in Exhibit B of this
Agreement, time being of the essence to the Buyer.

3. Right to Terminate: If the Seller materially departs from the agreed-upon schedule or
if the Work is not satisfactory to the Buyer (based on reviews of drafts, market
conditions, and/or other criteria as determined by the Buyer), the Buyer may at its
option:
A. Allow the Seller to finish, correct, or improve the Work by a date specified by the
Buyer;
B. Terminate this Agreement by giving written notice to the Seller.

4. Payments: The Buyer will pay the Seller _________________ upon accepted
completion of the Work.

5. Exhibit: The following Exhibit is hereby incorporated by reference into this

Agreement:

Exhibit A: Statement of Work

Exhibit B: Schedule

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, THE PARTIES HERETO HAVE EXECUTED THIS

Agreement as a sealed instrument as of the date first above written.

Buyer Seller
By: ________________________ ____________________________
Date: ________________________ ____________________________