Program management
Award-winning consulting solutions for complex, high-value program delivery including program governance, PMOs, procurement, market engagement and project management.
No Content Set
Exception:
Website.Models.ViewModels.Components.General.Banners.BannerComponentVm
Services
Technical services and consulting solutions for clients in the property, energy, transport, water, resources, defence and government sectors.
Advisory and management consulting
Communications, creative and digital
Design and development
Environment
Exploration and development
Health, safety and risk
Laboratories
Oceans and coastal
Planning and approvals
Project and program management
Training
Water services
Advisory and management consulting
RPS advisory and management consulting services for businesses and projects, including economics, due diligence, transaction advisory, ESG and more.
Communications, creative and digital
Communications, creative and digital solutions for governments and businesses including community engagement, design, research, data and software development.
Design and development
Technical and consulting services for buildings, infrastructure and cities including architecture, engineering, surveying, landscape architecture and urban design.
Environment
Environmental consulting solutions for responsible, resilient and sustainable development including impact assessment, ecology and contamination management.
Exploration and development
Technical services for energy projects including seismic operations, drilling and wellsite geology, reservoir management, independent reporting and more.
Health, safety and risk
From safety case development to emergency response strategy, discover services and expertise to reduce your risk profile and keep people safe.
Laboratories
Scientific analysis services for AgroScience, food safety, workplace exposure, environmental analysis and contaminants of concern in Europe and the UK.
Oceans and coastal
RPS technical solutions for marine infrastructure and offshore development including coastal engineering, marine biology metocean science, and emergency response.
Planning and approvals
Development strategy, planning and approval solutions for buildings, infrastructure, transport and city projects and investments.
Project and program management
Project management solutions for the most complex building, infrastructure, organisational change, and systems projects.
Training
Specialist training services, programs and accreditation for health, safety and risk, project management, and energy sector capability development.
Water services
Solutions for the water sector including quality monitoring, modelling, infrastructure design, engineering and asset management.
Sectors
World-leading technical and consulting solutions for clients in the property, energy, transport, resources, water, defence and government sectors.
Property
Energy
Transport
Defence and government services
Water
Resources
Property
Design, technical and advisory services for the property sector, including residential, commercial, retail, industrial, health, education and data centre projects.
Energy
Energy exploration, development and optimisation solutions for renewables, power and gas networks, energy storage, oil and gas and nuclear facilties.
Transport
Smart, safe and sustainable transport infrastructure development services and advice for rail, aviation, port and road clients and projects.
Defence and government services
Expertise for defence capability and infrastructure investments, security and safety projects, and information and telecommunications initatives.
Water
Discover our industry-leading strategy, design and management solutions for wastewater, groundwater, flooding, drainage and network infrastructure.
Resources
Commercial data, design advice and technical management solutions for safe and environmentally responsible resource exploration and operations.
Technical services and consulting solutions for clients in the property, energy, transport, water, resources, defence and government sectors.
Advisory and management consulting
Communications, creative and digital
RPS advisory and management consulting services for businesses and projects, including economics, due diligence, transaction advisory, ESG and more.
Project investment and finance
Explore Advisory and management consultingCommunications, creative and digital solutions for governments and businesses including community engagement, design, research, data and software development.
Creative, visualisation and immersive design
Data management, analytics and insights
Explore Communications, creative and digitalTechnical and consulting services for buildings, infrastructure and cities including architecture, engineering, surveying, landscape architecture and urban design.
Environmental consulting solutions for responsible, resilient and sustainable development including impact assessment, ecology and contamination management.
Acoustics, noise and vibration
Contaminated land and remediation
Environmental Impact Assessment
Environmental permitting and compliance
Sustainability and climate resilience
Explore EnvironmentTechnical services for energy projects including seismic operations, drilling and wellsite geology, reservoir management, independent reporting and more.
Asset and reservoir management
Drilling support and wellsite geology
Field development planning and operations
Reserves and independent reporting
Seismic operations management and support
Exploration and appraisal studies
Unitisation and equity determination
Unexploded ordnances (UXO) and Explosive remnants of war (ERW)
Explore Exploration and developmentFrom safety case development to emergency response strategy, discover services and expertise to reduce your risk profile and keep people safe.
Asbestos and hazardous materials management
Construction (design and management) principal designer
Health, safety, risk assessment and management
Explore Health, safety and riskScientific analysis services for AgroScience, food safety, workplace exposure, environmental analysis and contaminants of concern in Europe and the UK.
RPS technical solutions for marine infrastructure and offshore development including coastal engineering, marine biology metocean science, and emergency response.
Commercial fisheries advice and services
24/7 response modelling and support services
Marine life mitigation - PSOs, MMOs and PAM
Metocean, Science and Technology
Explore Oceans and coastalDevelopment strategy, planning and approval solutions for buildings, infrastructure, transport and city projects and investments.
Project management solutions for the most complex building, infrastructure, organisational change, and systems projects.
Cost management / quantity surveying
Explore Project and program managementSpecialist training services, programs and accreditation for health, safety and risk, project management, and energy sector capability development.
Capability development and training for the energy sector
Explore TrainingSolutions for the water sector including quality monitoring, modelling, infrastructure design, engineering and asset management.
Water quality modelling and monitoring
Water and wastewater network modelling and asset management
Water and wastewater infrastructure design
Explore Water services
World-leading technical and consulting solutions for clients in the property, energy, transport, resources, water, defence and government sectors.
Design, technical and advisory services for the property sector, including residential, commercial, retail, industrial, health, education and data centre projects.
Energy exploration, development and optimisation solutions for renewables, power and gas networks, energy storage, oil and gas and nuclear facilties.
Smart, safe and sustainable transport infrastructure development services and advice for rail, aviation, port and road clients and projects.
Expertise for defence capability and infrastructure investments, security and safety projects, and information and telecommunications initatives.
Information and telecommunications
Explore Defence and government servicesDiscover our industry-leading strategy, design and management solutions for wastewater, groundwater, flooding, drainage and network infrastructure.
UK and Ireland regulated water asset management
Explore WaterCommercial data, design advice and technical management solutions for safe and environmentally responsible resource exploration and operations.
We define, design and manage projects that create shared value to a complex, urbanising and resource-scarce world.
Brilliant minds finding solutions to complex problems, made easy to understand. Making complex easy.
Australia
The baseline is a reference point for all the things that are true about a project at a particular point in time – the approved scope, cost, schedule and risks. It’s a vital document that allows project teams to measure how initiatives are progressing and ensure the end-product meets the objectives set at the start.
In many ways, creating the initial baseline is the easy part. Good project control managers have rigorous processes to identify project variables and document what is required to achieve outcomes on time, on budget and to the highest possible quality.
Great project control managers recognise that the minute work begins a baseline needs to be in a constant state of review and revision.
When pilots navigate, they adhere to a principle known as the ‘one in sixty’ rule. If a plane’s directional heading is off by one degree, then by the time the plane has travelled 60 nautical miles it will be one nautical mile from where it should be. The further the plane travels, the further off course it gets.
While today’s aviators have sophisticated navigation technologies, the one in sixty rule is the mathematical mechanism through which errors can be successfully identified and corrected.
When implemented and maintained properly, the baseline acts a project’s one in sixty rule. No matter the type of initiative, an accurate baseline allows a project to start its journey towards completion under a state of ‘configuration control’ – where all aspects of scope, schedule, cost and risk are known and accounted for.
When things change, the baseline must move in response. Because just like in aviation, small changes can lead to major deviations over a project’s entire journey.
While the responsibility for managing the baseline sits with the project controls team (at least in the case of larger projects with an established project management office), development and management of it should be approached from the top down and the bottom up. It needs to be informed by the teams engaged to deliver the work, along with the project’s owner, sponsor and stakeholders.
A good baseline is all about understanding where you started, where you want to go and the current status of the project in relation to both the beginning and end point. It forms the basis for more accurate forecasting for the current initiative and a vital benchmark for planning future projects.
Project reporting systems should use the current baseline for performance measurements to provide a realistic assessment of performance KPIs. Effective baseline change management is key and assigning a change manager who ensures that updates are managed and communicated is crucial.
Many projects fall into the trap of only updating the baseline at intervals or when larger changes occur. In fact, baseline updates should incorporate all approved changes. This is an insurance policy against the problems that occur when project delivery teams are working to different plans and with different goals.
Change is inevitable on any project and it’s important to always have one eye on the horizon. If the baseline represents everything that’s true about a project right now, forecasting represents everything that we can reasonably anticipate will be true about it in the future.
Potential changes should be included within forecasts as well as those under review (such as claims received from contractors or third parties). The more realistic a forecast is, the better prepared the team is to address problems, prioritise deliverables and directing resources and making informed decisions.
The sooner a client knows about potential variances — be that a delay or an increase to the scope of work — the quicker they can start enacting their ‘one in sixty rule’. Evaluating options, managing risks and keeping projects on track.