Planning States in Project Management – Definition and Meaning
Planning states are defined, saved versions or conditions of a project plan at different points in time. They are used to track the evolution and changes of planning over time and to enable comparisons, typically realized by setting baselines (reference plans) or creating snapshots, thereby documenting changes and adjustments to the plan.
Example, best practice, and further information
In a construction project, an initial planning state might represent the originally approved schedule (baseline), while later planning states document necessary adjustments due to delays. A best practice is the systematic versioning of planning states to ensure traceability of changes. This is consistent with the principles of configuration management according to the PMBOK Guide and version control as practiced in agile environments, enabling complete traceability and comparisons between different versions of the plan.