CAPM Practice: Demonstrate an understanding of a project management plan schedule

When the project sponsor (or authorized authority) formally approves the schedule baseline, it becomes the official reference for performance measurement. Actual dates are compared to the baseline to calculate schedule variance. Any change to the baseline must go through formal change control — making approval a governance and accountability mechanism, not just a communication step.

**Why not A:** Notifying stakeholders of the project start date is a communication activity, not the purpose of schedule baseline approval. While stakeholders are informed of the approved schedule, the approval itself establishes the formal reference for performance measurement and change control.

**Why not B:** Getting team member commitment to individual durations may be a byproduct of the planning process, but it is not the purpose of formal baseline approval. Baseline approval creates an official governance mechanism for measuring performance and controlling changes at the project level.

**Why not D:** Locking the schedule so no one can modify it is incorrect. An approved baseline can be changed — but only through formal change control. The purpose is not to prevent changes but to establish a reference point against which all changes are measured and governed.