The project is now expected to finish later, but nobody wants to change the approved date in the report. Update the forecast when the evidence changes. Replacing the baseline is a separate authorised decision about the reference plan, not the automatic consequence of an uncomfortable prediction.
A forecast describes the current expectation. A baseline records the approved reference used for comparison. APM's change-control guidance concerns changes to an approved baseline. Keeping those concepts separate allows the sponsor to see both the agreement and the current position.
Start with the reason for the movement
Ask whether scope changed, a planning assumption failed, work took longer or resource availability moved. A forecast can change even when nobody requested more scope. That is still relevant delivery information.
Check remaining work and dependencies with the responsible owners. Do not move every task by the same number of days if the actual sequence, calendars or available people have changed.
Use a short decision route
For a changed forecast:
Confirm the evidence and current expected result.
Retain the approved reference and show the variance.
Explain causes, uncertainty and affected commitments.
Identify feasible responses and their consequences.
Ask whether the proposed response changes an approved condition.
Obtain the authority required by the organisation's governance.
Update the working records after the actual decision.
A local process may require formal recovery or rebaselining after material variance. Follow that process rather than inventing a universal rule that baselines may never change or should always be reset.
An illustrative unchanged-scope delay
A small implementation project has the same agreed deliverables, but its reviewer becomes unavailable during the planned acceptance window. The current forecast moves by several working days. The original reference remains visible while the team checks alternatives.
The sponsor may authorise a revised commitment and, under the applicable governance, a new baseline. Or the team may retain the reference while implementing a recovery action. Either way, the report should already explain the credible forecast rather than continuing to show an unsupported finish.
This example does not determine contractual consequences. Client promises, supplier terms and commercial obligations need their appropriate owners involved.
Avoid two competing truths
A private revised spreadsheet and an unchanged sponsor slide create different expectations. Agree one authoritative forecast and distribute the relevant decision. Label dates clearly so a later reader understands which are approved, forecast or proposed.
When a new baseline is authorised, retain a bridge to the earlier version and the reason. Do not erase prior movement to make the project appear newly on time. The earlier history may still matter to learning, commercial discussions and portfolio decisions.
Keep the reporting question practical
Ask: what can the business decide differently now that it sees the variance? If the report only changes a colour, add the option or decision it should support.
The small-team planning guide provides the broader record of work and ownership. For the connected task, read How to Rebaseline a Project After an Approved Change. If an approved date has become a reason to hide the forecast, discuss your project requirements.
