---
title: Create baseline of a project
description: Create a schedule baseline and financial baseline of a project. A schedule baseline captures planned dates of all tasks and milestones at a particular moment in time. A financial baseline captures benefit and financial metric information \(snapshot of cost plan, benefit plan, and project-level financial metrics\) at a particular moment in time.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/it-business-management/project-management/t\_CreateAProjectBaseline.html
release: australia
product: Project Management
classification: project-management
topic_type: task
last_updated: "2026-09-10"
reading_time_minutes: 6
breadcrumb: [Starting a project, Using Project Management, Project Management, Project Portfolio Management, Strategic Portfolio Management]
---

# Create baseline of a project

Create a schedule baseline and financial baseline of a project. A schedule baseline captures planned dates of all tasks and milestones at a particular moment in time. A financial baseline captures benefit and financial metric information \(snapshot of cost plan, benefit plan, and project-level financial metrics\) at a particular moment in time.

## Before you begin

Role required: it\_project\_manager

## About this task

**Schedule baseline**

You can create as many schedule baselines as necessary and review the changes that have been made to the project since the previous baseline. If a project is not on schedule, you can create a schedule baseline to know how much schedule slippage has occurred. It also helps to view the real-time deviations between actual and planned values.

The baseline appears as a set of gray lines below the bars that represent the actual tasks on the Gantt chart. These baselines represent planned dates, while the task bars represent the actual dates. If the project tasks are shifted to the right of the baselines, the project is running behind schedule.

**Financial baseline**

You can create as many financial baselines as necessary and [compare them](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/project-management/compare-baselines-of-project.md) to review the financial changes that have been made to the project since the previous baseline. Any financial baseline does not capture actual cost component of the project.

**Note:** Nested projects cannot have baselines. Baselines are allowed for the top-level projects only.

## Procedure

1.  Navigate to **All** > **Project** > **Projects** > **All**.

2.  Select the required project.

3.  To create schedule and financial baselines of a project, use any of the following options.

<table id="choicetable_zvg_42n_1cb"><thead><tr><th align="left" id="d162867e121">

Option

</th><th align="left" id="d162867e124">

Steps

</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td id="d162867e130">

**From the Financials tab**

</td><td>

1.  Open a project from planning page in Project Workspace.
2.  Select the **Financials** and select **Create baseline**.
3.  In the Create Baseline pop-up, enter a suitable name and description.
4.  Select **Save**.


</td></tr><tr><td id="d162867e163">

**From the Project Workspace**

</td><td>

1.  Open a project from planning page in Project Workspace.
2.  Select the baseline icon \(\[Omitted image "icon-baselines.png"\] Alt text: baseline icon\).
3.  In the Create Baseline pop-up, enter a suitable name and description.
4.  Select **Save**.


</td></tr><tr><td id="d162867e196">

**From a related link**

</td><td>

1.  Select the **Create Baseline** related link.
2.  In the Create Baseline pop-up, enter a suitable description.
3.  Select **Save**.


</td></tr><tr><td id="d162867e223">

**From a related list**

</td><td>

1.  Select the **Baselines** related list.
2.  Select the **Create Baseline** button.
3.  In the Create Baseline pop-up, enter a suitable name and description.
4.  Select **Save**.


</td></tr></tbody>
</table>    **Note:** In the Create Baseline pop-up, the **Create Schedule Baseline** and the **Create Financial Baseline** check boxes are selected by default. Clear a check box if you do not intend to create a specific baseline.


-   **[Compare financial baselines of a project](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/project-management/compare-baselines-of-project.md)**  
Compare baselines to review the variances in the financial data of a project and see what changed.
-   **[Compare schedule baselines of a project](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/project-management/compare-schedule-baselines-prj.md)**  
Compare baselines to review variance between tasks and identify which task has variance from the current planned end date and the baseline end date. The baseline variance column displays the amount of variance between the two date comparisons.

**Parent Topic:**[Starting a project](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/project-management/t_CreateAProject.md)

**Related topics**  


[Create a project task from a project]()

[Create a parent-child relationship on the Project Task form]()

[Create a monetary benefit plan for a project]()

[Create a non-monetary benefit plan for a project]()

[Associate monetary and non-monetary benefit plans]()

[Create a project cost plan]()

[Recalculating costs of all resource plans in a project]()

[Create an expense line]()

[Create and manage waterfall projects]()

[Update a project]()

[Copy a project]()

[Assign a project schedule]()

[Create a milestone]()

[Activate project task email notifications]()

[Change the planned start date of a project]()

[Create a cost type definition]()

[Costing add-on in Project Management]()

[Generate labor costs]()

[Create a project status report]()

[Allocate budget to a project]()

[Migrate budget of active projects to Next Experience]()

[Migrate financial baselines of projects to Next Experience]()

[Compare financial baselines of a project](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/project-management/compare-baselines-of-project.md)

[Compare schedule baselines of a project](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/project-management/compare-schedule-baselines-prj.md)