Integrated Baseline Review Blog Series, Part 1: Training

An Integrated Baseline Review (IBR) can be an extremely daunting and stressful activity to prepare for. Your project execution team will be interacting jointly with the customer team to assess the realism and achievability of the project baseline, as well as identifying risks and opportunities.

The IBR is treated as a formal event, involving considerable preparation, and lays the foundation for project success.

We have identified four key IBR component services to set your organization up for success:

• IBR Training
• Practice Interviews
• Control Account Manager (CAM) Notebook preparation
• Corrective Action Planning

This is part one of a four-part blog series. In this article, I would like to focus on IBR training and how we can help your team be fully prepared for an Integrated Baseline Review.

During the IBR, your project team members will be interviewed by the customer and must show that they have a thorough understanding of the project data. They will be looking to the CAM to have a solid grasp of the scope that they are responsible for and how that scope has been scheduled. The CAM will also be asked to explain how the budget was developed, hours and dollars planned, assumptions made, and what Earned Value Techniques (EVT) are being used and why.

The CAM plays a critical role in an IBR as they are responsible for the development and management of the scope, schedule, and budget for all work in the control account. In the webinar “Three Attributes to be an Effective CAM” I dove into three conditions necessary to be a successful CAM - responsibility, authority, and accountability. These three attributes are expected from each and every CAM and need to be demonstrated during the IBR interview.

Our team-based workshops prepare your project execution team by educating them about Earned Value Management (EVM) data, components of the Project Management Baseline (PMB), and proper terms to use during the interview. We set your team up for success by training them how to effectively interpret and present project data. Imaging the CAM being interviewed, by the customer, and not being able to explain the scope, schedule, and budget that they are responsible for. Lack of confidence in a CAM leads to lack of confidence in the entire project. Our IBR training gives your team the confidence they need to explain the data which shows the customer that your team is positioned for success.

Investing in your most important resource, your employees, is critical to your company’s success. This investment leads to higher retention rates, more engaged staff, and ultimately improves the reputation and morale of the organization. Utilize Pinnacle’s training resources for your organization. 

Whether you are looking to prepare your team for an upcoming Integrated Baseline Review or enhance the skills of your organization, Pinnacle has training and learning solutions to meet your needs. You can find a complete list of our training classes here.

Find out how we can help improve core competencies of your staff while improving productivity throughout your organization.

Please to see Pinnacle's other blog posts, including the future parts to this article series.

or for help with training for your Integrated Baseline Review.