Before we change anything, we write down what today costs. That one document does more work than any deck we could build.
No Baseline, No Result
Without a baseline, every result is an opinion. "The process feels faster" is not a result. "Payment now takes 2 to 3 days against a measured starting point of about 10" is. The baseline is what turns delivery into evidence.
What a Good Baseline Contains
It fits on a page or two: volumes, time per item, cost per item, the exception share, and cycle time, each with its source named and ranges where the data is thin. Hedged numbers with named assumptions beat precise numbers nobody can defend.
Measure Against It Weekly
The baseline is not a report you file. It is the yardstick the whole engagement answers to.
- Set it in week one, before any change lands.
- Agree it with the client in writing. It is confirmed, not assumed.
- Report against it weekly, including when the news is bad.
- Close the engagement with the same yardstick you opened it with.
If a consultant cannot show you their baseline, they are grading their own homework.