Baseline Without a Project Baseline, or a

¶ … Baseline Without a project baseline, or a projected idea of the project's original "original scope, cost and schedule" it is impossible to assess whether a project is going well or poorly (Ortiz 2008). The baseline must be accurate to be useful and defined before the project is undertaken. Periodically, over the course of the project, the baseline can be referred to, to see if the project is going over budget or over its allotted time.

After the project has begun, Earned Value Analysis (EVA) can forecast how much it will cost and how long it will take to complete based upon where it 'in the here and now,' versus the original projected date of completion according to the baseline (Cullen 2010). Q1b. The baseline can also raise red flags if things are not proceeding according to schedule.

If there is no way the baseline can be met, based upon the first several weeks of projects, the issue can be immediately identified and 'flagged' rather than allowing costs to spiral out of control. However, this requires mindful attention to the original baseline on the part of the individuals participating in the project. Q1c. An accurate baseline is essential.

If the baseline is unrealistic, even if the project is being managed well, it might appear as though something is amiss or the project is not being well-handled because it seems as though the milestones are only being met in a very slow and deliberate fashion. If the project baseline is too generous, then the project might seem to be going very well, despite the fact the project is being mismanaged, simply by virtue of the low expectations that were set for it initially. Q2. Project communication Q2a.

Communication is essential during a project given that quite often specific phases of the project are contingent upon the completion of other phases. The project manager must keep the team well-informed of what their duties are and also facilitate communication between people on the team. The team should be able to easily share information (this can be accomplished via email or texting) and have a positive view of the ability of the team to make a contribution as a whole to the project's success.

Communication must contain "customer needs, objectives, plan, constraints, changes/risks and progress" (Importance of communication in project management, 2013, Goal Keeper). Q2b. One of the great things about advances in technology is that there is such a wide range of communication channels at our disposal, spanning from texting to email to video conferencing when face-to-face communication is not feasible. However, clear expectations for regular communication must be established at the onset, to ensure that there are no misunderstandings or frustrations due to unmet expectations.

Also communication for communication's sake is not always effective. The types of communication (such as once-weekly updates via email) must be clearly defined and have a purpose vs. extraneous emails that 'check in' to see if the project is going well. Q2c. I agree that everything is about communication regarding.