How you develop baseline estimates for a project will depend on the WBS you are using and whether you are developing the baseline in a proposal or contract environment.
In a proposal environment, there is no requirement that estimating be done at a particular level of the WBS. With MPM, you have the flexibility to estimate on any level with any element within your WBS structure. However, it is recommended that estimating for proposals be done at the level at which you would manage a project, usually the work package level. Doing this eliminates a great deal of duplication of effort when you move from proposal to contract once the award is made. You can use the proposal baseline as the management tool for the contract setup.
In a contract environment, work content typically is estimated at the lowest level of the WBS. This lowest level of effort usually is assigned to a single performing organization responsible for an element of work. In government contracting, this element of work is referred to as the work package.
MPM lets you create a Baseline estimate and an Estimate to Complete (ETC). The two estimates allow you to compare your original plan against the actual progress on a project. MPM gives you the option to create the initial ETC as you create the baseline estimate.
For information on creating the ETC as you create the baseline estimate, see Saving Estimates.
To access the Baseline View, complete the following steps:
Click the Projects tab in Menu Manager and do one of the following:
Double-click the Integrated Planning icon
Click File » Projects » Integrated Planning
Select the WBS elements you want downloaded.
Select Baseline as the starting view. For details on opening the Baseline view, see Accessing the Views.