A project baseline literally provides the groundwork for the success of the project. It is an essential tool for: Providing visibility into each team member's primary responsibilities Creating a fruitful outcome Monitoring the progress of the project as well as its performance Identifying possible challenges and areas for improvement In other words, the lack of a well-defined project baseline can result in scope creep, expense overruns, deadline delays, and, ultimately, project failure. This is why, throughout the project lifecycle, all partners, customers, and stakeholders must be aligned, aware of, and supportive of the project baseline.