'Baseline variance' quality metric
Use this metric to check the proportion of tasks in the live data with start or finish dates that differ from the corresponding dates in the current baseline by less than a given duration. If a task is progressed, its actual start date is compared against the start date in the baseline. A high proportion of tasks with dates that differ significantly from their baseline equivalents can indicate that a schedule is not proceeding according to plan and that action may need to be taken.
Examples of tasks with dates that differ significantly from their baseline equivalents
In the following illustration, the start and finish dates of Task 1 are identical to the dates of the corresponding task in the current baseline. If 5d was the given duration in the settings of this quality metric, Task 1 would pass the metric:
In the following illustration, the finish date of Task 1 differs from the finish date of the corresponding baseline task by 2d. If 5d was the given duration in the settings of this quality metric, Task 1 would pass the metric:
In the following illustration, the finish date of Task 1 differs from the finish date of the corresponding baseline task by 5d. If 5d was the given duration in the settings of this quality metric, Task 1 would fail the metric:
In the following illustration, the finish date of Task 1 differs from the finish date of the corresponding baseline task by 6d. If 5d was the given duration in the settings of this quality metric, Task 1 would fail the metric:
In the following illustration, the actual start date of Task 1 differs from the start date of the corresponding baseline task by 6d. If 5d was the given duration in the settings of this quality metric, Task 1 would fail the metric:
You can change the impact that this metric has on the weighted total result of a quality check by entering a factor by which the quality metric should be multiplied in the Weighting field. For the weighting to have any effect, a quality check must have more than one quality metric.
Pass and fail criteria
| Pass or fail? | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Pass |
A project passes this metric if the percentage of tasks in the live data with start or finish dates that differ from the equivalent dates in the current baseline by less than the given duration is greater than or equal to the pass boundary percentage.
For example, if the duration was set to 5d and the pass boundary was set to 100.00%, a project would pass this metric if 100% of its tasks had a start or finish date that differed from the corresponding date in the baseline by less than 5d. |
| Fail |
A project fails this metric if the percentage of tasks in the live data with start or finish dates that differ from the equivalent dates in the current baseline by less than the given duration is less than the fail boundary percentage.
For example, if the duration was set to 5d and the fail boundary was set to 100.00%, a project would fail this metric if less than 100% of its tasks had a start or finish date that differed from the corresponding date in the baseline by less than 5d. |
| Neither pass nor fail | If the percentage of tasks in the live data with start or finish dates that differ from the equivalent dates in the current baseline by less than the given duration falls between the pass and fail boundary, the result is neither a pass nor a fail, but somewhere in between. |
Suggested settings
- Duration: 5d.
- Pass boundary: 100.00%. A project will pass this metric if all tasks in the live data have start or finish dates that differ from the equivalent dates in the current baseline by less than 5d.
- Fail boundary: 100.00%. A project will fail this metric if any tasks in the live data have start or finish dates that differ from the equivalent dates in the current baseline by 5d or more.
The following table shows whether some example projects would pass or fail this metric using these settings:
| Percentage of tasks with dates that differ from the baseline by less than 5d | Pass or fail? |
|---|---|
| 0.00% | Fail |
| 50.00% | Fail |
| 99.99% | Fail |
| 100.00% | Pass |
Does the metric force a project to be rescheduled?
Yes. If you include this metric in a quality check, the charts and summary groups that are included in the scope of the quality check are rescheduled automatically when you execute the quality check.
Suggested actions if a project fails this metric
If a project fails this metric, select the metric in the Quality Check Results dialog and click Show Failing Tasks to view the tasks that have failed the metric.
You could take the following actions to remedy the failing tasks:
- Review the tasks in the live data to determine whether there is any way of shortening the project.
- Review the current baseline to determine whether the planned schedule is realistic.