164 Project Management
deliverables. The estimates embodied in these documents create
the basis from which variance is measured.
The fact that the baseline is an estimate, however, poses a
problem with regard to maintaining control.
What if an estimate is wrong? What if an element of your
baseline is a poor representation of what’s actually achievable?
When you encounter a variance, it can sometimes be diffi-
cult to know whether it’s because of the estimator or because of
the task performer. This can be one of the greatest difficulties in
maintaining proper control. Knowing the source of the variance
is very important. If you’re able to distinguish an estimating
problem from a performanceproblem, you’re in a better posi-
tion to take the appropriate corrective action. Unless you
uncover specific estimating errors, however, you should assume
that your baseline is reasonably accurate and use it as your
basis for measuring variance and taking corrective action.
What Information Do You Need?
So exactly what kind of information should you be gathering to
evaluate your current variance and to maintain control of your
project? Below are listed the specific pieces of information you
should be requesting.
Schedule:
- Date that each completed activity was scheduled to start
and finish - Date that each completed activity actually started and
finished - Anticipated start date of each activity currently under way
- Actual start date of each activity currently under way
- Originally scheduled completion date of each activity
currently under way - Estimated completion date of each activity currently
under way - Description of the progress made on each activity cur-
rently under way