Activity: A task or work item that needs to be completed as part of a project.
Actual Finish Date: The date on which an activity was actually completed.
Actual Start Date: The date on which an activity was actually started.
Activity Duration: The time required to complete an activity, including all necessary resources.
Agile: An iterative approach to project management that emphasizes flexibility and responsiveness to change.
Backward Pass: The process of calculating late start and late finish times for activities in a project schedule.
Baseline: A set of original project plans, schedules, and budgets used as a reference for future comparison.
Budget: The total amount of money allocated for a project.
Calendar: A schedule of working days and holidays used for planning and scheduling activities.
Cost Variance (CV): The difference between the earned value and the actual cost of a project.
Critical Path: The sequence of activities that must be completed on time for a project to finish on schedule.
Critical Chain Method: A project management technique that focuses on managing the availability of resources to minimize the duration of the project. 38
Deliverable: A tangible or intangible item that is produced as a result of completing an activity or a project.
Dependency: A relationship between two activities, where the completion of one activity depends on the completion of another.
Duration: The length of time required to complete an activity.
Earned Value: A method for measuring progress by comparing the actual cost and schedule performance against the planned values.
Effort: The amount of work required to complete an activity, typically measured in person-hours or person-days.
Early Start: The earliest possible start date for an activity, based on its dependencies and duration.
Estimate: An approximation of the time or cost required to complete an activity or a project.
Estimate to Complete (ETC): An estimate of the remaining cost to complete an activity or a project.
Estimate at Completion (EAC): An estimate of the total cost of completing a project based on actual performance to date.
Finish-to-Start (FS): A dependency relationship where the finish of one activity triggers the start of another.
Float: The amount of time an activity can be delayed without affecting the project deadline.
Forward Pass: The process of calculating early start and early finish times for activities in a project schedule.
Forecast: A prediction of future project performance based on current trends and historical data.
Gantt Chart: A visual representation of a project schedule that shows tasks, dependencies, durations, and milestones.
Hammock Activity: A summary activity that represents a group of related activities.
Lag Time: A period of delay between the completion of one activity and the start of another.
Late Start: The latest possible start date for an activity, based on its dependencies and duration.
Lead Time: The amount of time by which a successor activity can be advanced in relation to its predecessor activity.
Milestone: A significant event or achievement in a project that marks progress towards the project's goals.
Network Diagram: A graphical representation of a project schedule that shows activities as nodes and dependencies as arrows.
PERT Chart: A type of network diagram that uses three time estimates (optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely) to calculate the expected duration of an activity.
Predecessor: An activity that must be completed before another activity can begin.
Project Management: The process of planning, organizing, and controlling resources to achieve specific goals and objectives.
Project Plan: A document that outlines the scope, objectives, deliverables, resources, and schedule of a project.
Performance Index (PI): A measure of project efficiency that compares the value of work completed to the cost of work performed.
Planned Value (PV): The estimated value of the work that should have been completed to date, based on the project schedule.
Resource: A person, material, or equipment required to complete an activity.
Resource Allocation: The process of assigning resources to activities in a project.
Resource Leveling: The process of adjusting a project schedule to resolve resource conflicts and ensure optimal resource utilization.
Risk: A potential event or circumstance that could have a negative impact on a project.
Rolling Wave Planning: A technique used to plan project activities in detail for the near term while leaving activities further in the future at a higher level of detail.
Schedule: A plan that defines the start and finish dates of activities in a project.
Schedule Variance: The difference between the planned schedule and the actual schedule for a project.
Slack: The amount of time an activity can be delayed without affecting the overall project schedule.
Start-to-Start (SS): A dependency relationship where the start of one activity triggers the start of another.
Schedule Compression: A technique used to shorten the project schedule by reducing the duration of activities.
Schedule Variance (SV): The difference between the planned value and the earned value of a project.
Successor: An activity that cannot begin until another activity is completed.
Task: A specific work item or activity that needs to be completed as part of a project.
Timeline: A graphical representation of a project schedule that shows the start and finish dates of activities.
Total Float: The amount of time an activity can be delayed without affecting the start date of its successor.
Timebox: A fixed period of time allocated for completing a set of activities.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS): A hierarchical decomposition of a project into smaller, manageable work packages.
Lead Time: A period of overlap between the completion of one activity and the start of another.
Level of Effort (LOE): A type of activity that does not have a specific output or deliverable, but is required to support other activities in a project.
Schedule Compression: The process of shortening the duration of a project schedule without compromising its quality or scope.
Schedule Management Plan: A document that outlines the processes and procedures for managing a project schedule.
Schedule Performance Index (SPI): A measure of schedule efficiency in a project, calculated as the ratio of earned value to planned value.