Baseline Plan
EVM Terms
Reviewed by forProject Technology - updated Sep 2026
Quick definition: The Baseline Plan is the approved, integrated cost, schedule, and technical plan for a project, used as the standard for measuring performance.
The Baseline Plan brings together the approved scope, schedule, and budget into a single reference plan against which actual performance is tracked. It's closely related to — and often implemented through — the Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB).
Why it matters
Every earned value calculation depends on comparing actual progress to this approved plan, so an accurate, stable Baseline Plan is what makes performance measurement meaningful in the first place. Without it, there'd be nothing consistent to measure progress against.
Also known as
N/A
Used in
Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB) construction
FAQ
How is the Baseline Plan different from the Performance Measurement Baseline?
The Baseline Plan is the broader, overall approved plan; the PMB is the specific time-phased budget structure used day-to-day to measure performance.
Can the Baseline Plan change during a project?
Yes, but only through a controlled process like Baseline Change Control, not informally.
Definition maintained by forProject Technology.
© 2026 forProject Technology, Inc.
© 2026 forProject Technology, Inc.
