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The baseline schedule is a critical document that defines the scope, sequence, and duration of the project and its activities. It also serves as a basis for measuring and reporting the project progress and performance. The interaction between a contractor and owner of a project during the creation and review of the baseline schedule is an important process that requires collaboration, communication, and mutual agreement. The contractor is responsible for developing a realistic and achievable baseline schedule that reflects their plan to complete the work while meeting the owner's requirements and expectations. The owner is responsible for reviewing and approving the baseline schedule, as well as providing timely feedback and input to the contractor. The contractor and owner should work together to resolve any issues or discrepancies that may arise during the creation and review of the baseline schedule, and to ensure that the schedule is aligned with the project objectives, scope, and budget if applicable.

One of the common challenges is to develop and approve a baseline schedule in a timely manner. Creating a realistic and reliable baseline schedule requires a lot of effort and coordination from the project team, stakeholders, and owners. Some of the factors that contribute to the limited time available for developing and approving a baseline schedule are:

·        Lack of communication and collaboration

·        Conflicting or competing priorities and interests

·        Delayed or insufficient feedback and approval

These factors can cause delays, rework, and revisions in the schedule development process, which can affect the quality and accuracy of the baseline schedule. Therefore, it is important to plan ahead, involve the right people, and to use appropriate tools and techniques to create a feasible and acceptable baseline schedule within the available time frame.

A formal schedule review worksheet is a simple but very useful tool for documenting the feedback and actions taken during the schedule development and submittal process. It helps to ensure that the schedule is accurate, realistic, and consistent with the project scope and objectives. A typical formal schedule review worksheet should include a row for each comment and columns for:

·        A unique number for each comment

·        Type of Comment (Logic, Activity, Resource, etc.)

·        Requirement (Specification, Special Provision, Best Practices)

·        Actual Comment (verbatim)

·        Commenter’s Initials

·        Date of Comment

·        Contractor’s Response to the comment

·        Disposition (Done, Pending, Disputed, etc.)

·        Responder’s Initials

·        Date of Response.

A formal schedule review worksheet takes a little time to initially develop but can greatly facilitate the communication and collaboration between the contractor and the owner, ultimately saving time in achieving the ultimate goal of an approved baseline schedule. (It can also provide a record of the schedule review process and its results which can be useful for future reference or audits)

If you deal with the creation and/or review of baseline schedules, this a free excel workbook merits your attention. To get a copy, email me at doughtycpmservices@outlook.com an include "baseline review template" in the subject line.

A similar review worksheet for Schedule Updates is also a useful tool during the execution phase of the project.