How can I change the estimated dates value in MS Project 2010 without affecting plan dates?

Question

I want to include plan dates, estimated dates and actual dates in my MS project plan.The plan date should never change for a task, Whatever changes that will happen should be only done to estimated dates. Actual dates will be finished after the task is completed. How can I change the estimated dates value without affecting plan dates or how can I change the values of Actual dates (Start date and End date) without changing the values of Plan dates(Start and End Date) and Estimated dates (Start date and End Date) in MS project 2010?

Thanks

Answer 1

Once you have established your schedule and you are satisfied with everything, you need to create a schedule baseline. The dates in the start and finish columns will populate the baseline start and finish and these will not change unless you re-baseline. The actual start and finish column should reflect reality. The start and finish columns should reflect either your latest revised estimates for future work or the schedule results based on your logic and the actual performance you load. Once you add an actual start and finish, then those dates will also be reflected in the start and finish columns. If you want to re-plan and have those dates saved for whatever reason, you can strike a baseline 1 and baseline 2 and so on. The tool allows for multiple baselines.