View and Compare Baselines

 The Baseline screen provides a comprehensive list of baseline versions created at different stages of the project. These baselines capture key schedule snapshots, allowing you to track changes and assess project progress over time.

• Compare the current schedule with any previous baseline to evaluate schedule deviations.
• Alternatively, compare baselines directly against each other for in-depth analysis of project adjustments.
• Compare up to three baselines for a side-by-side view, enhancing clarity and decision-making.
• View comparisons in the Gantt chart for a more intuitive and visually digestible analysis

To compare baselines

• Open the 'Baselines' screen as explained above
• Select the baselines you want to compare, a minimum of two
  • Click the serial number to select a baseline version
  • Use the 'Ctrl' or 'Shift' keys on your keyboard to select multiple items at once
• Click 'Compare' at the top

The comparison screen opens at the 'Grid and Gantt' view with the comparison table and the Gantt chart side-by-side. 

You can have three views:

• Grid View
• Gantt View
• Grid and Gantt View

Grid View

• Select 'Grid' from the view selector drop-down at the top.

The grid view presents selected baselines side by side with perfectly aligned rows, enabling seamless, row-wise comparison.

• Easily expand WBS branches by clicking the right arrows beside parent elements to reveal a more detailed, granular comparison. 

Note on Baseline Order: Select baselines in the exact order you want them to appear in the comparison screen. If the current version is included, it will always be positioned at the far left, regardless of the selection sequence.

• The 'Outline Number' and 'Task Name' columns are consistently displayed across all baselines being compared. 
• The task items that were present in the previous version(s) but removed in the successive version are shown at the bottom of the list with a pink highlight.

The following columns are shown by default for each version

• Plan Start: The planned start date of the task according to that schedule baseline version.
• Plan End: The planned completion date of the task according to that schedule baseline version.
• V-Days (Variance Days): The variance in days is calculated as the difference between the planned end date of the task in the current schedule version and its planned end date in the previous baseline version. This calculation accounts for site holidays.
• Progress: The percentage of completion of the task at the time the baseline version was created.

Note: Variance days for tasks in the current version are not calculated. To view variance days for the current version in comparison to previous baselines, save it as a new baseline and then compare it with the desired baselines.

Search and filter options:

The 'Default View' shows all the standard columns. However, you can customize the table by removing the columns you don't want to see, by right-clicking on the column header and deselecting the columns and re-arranging the columns in the order you want to view. See Customize Columns in List Views for more details.

• Use the 'Search' box located at the top left to find any task using any value from the table as search criteria 
• Right-click the column header and customize the display and order of the columns as you wish 
• The options at the top right allow you to filter the entries, create nested groups of entries, and manage personalized and customized views of the table. Use the links below to learn more about these:
  • Customize Columns in List Views
  • Filter Options in List Views
  • Group and Organize Items in a List View
  • Manage Custom List Views

Download as Excel Sheet

• Click the 'Download' button at the top-right to save a copy of the list in Excel format for sharing and record-keeping

• File Name - The filename is automatically set to the current date. Enter your preferred name in the text box to override the default.

Saving Options:

• Direct Download
  • Click the 'Direct Download' button to save the file directly to your device.
• Linarc's cloud-based project file repository -  Saving the file in the project's file repository allows you to share it with other team members. The folder's access permissions determine which team members can view or edit the file.
• Company Drive - Share with the project team members from your organization:
  • Select 'My Drive'.
  • Navigate to the desired folder within the project's cloud-based file repository to save the file on the company drive.
• Project Drive - Share with the construction team members from any stakeholder organization: 
  • Select 'Project Drive'.
  • Navigate to the appropriate folder within the project's cloud-based file repository to save the file on the project drive.

Gantt View

The Gantt view provides a visual comparison of multiple schedule versions using a Gantt chart, where task bars are color-coded to represent different baseline versions.

• Each baseline version is assigned a unique color during its creation or from the list view. For more details, See Create a Baseline Version. You can also customize the colors directly from the comparison view.
• In the stacked view, task bars from the compared versions are layered to highlight differences, allowing for a quick, at-a-glance assessment of schedule variances.
• To view the subtasks of selected parent tasks at the required level, expand them in the Grid view before switching to the Gantt view.

To see the comparison in Gantt view

• Select 'Gantt' from the view selector drop-down at the top.
• Use the filter at the top to choose between the day, weekly, or monthly view for the Gantt chart

• Parent-level tasks are displayed in black for a clear distinction.
• The current schedule version is always shown in gray, and this setting cannot be modified.
• Tasks that existed in previous versions but were removed in later versions are displayed at the bottom of the chart for easy identification.  

Change color of a baseline

You can change the color in which a baseline is shown in the Gantt chart. This is useful for example, if similar colors are used for successive versions of the baseline and the difference is not vivid in the stack. 

To change the representation color of a baseline

• Click the cog wheel icon at the top to open the Settings pane

• Click the color dot in the row of a baseline version
• Use the color picker to select the color
  • Alternatively, specify the color using HEX, RGB, or HSL codes.
  • Use the top and bottom arrows to select the color system
  • Enter the codes in the respective boxes

Grid and Gantt View

The 'Grid and Gantt' view shows the comparisons on both grid-view and the Gantt view side-by-side.

To see the comparison in Grid and Gantt view

• Select 'Grid and Gantt' from the view selector drop-down at the top.
• Use the filter at the top to choose between the day, weekly, or monthly view for the Gantt chart
• Expand the parent tasks to the required level in the grid view, to view their stripes in the Gantt view.

• See the descriptions above for the options available in both the grid and the Gantt views.