Actual Usage

A measure of the resource expended in completing or partially completing a task.

ALAP

Refers to a task that should be started ‘As Late As Possible’, using all the free-float time available.

ASAP

Used to indicate a task that should be started ‘As Soon As Possible’, taking into account the start date of the project and its predecessor tasks.

Baseline

The original project plan, including the time schedule and resource and cost allocations.  The baseline is used for comparing projected values to actuals, and facilitates the tracking and analysing of a project’s progress.

Cost Variance

A project tracking function recording the difference between the budgeted cost of the work performed and the actual cost.  Values below the baseline show an overspend and positive values denote cost savings.

Critical Path

The sequence of tasks or activities whose schedules and durations directly affect the date of overall project completion.

Earned Value

This is a measure of a project’s performance, and is calculated by multiplying a task’s planned cost by the percentage of work completed.

Float (slack)

The amount of time by which a non-critical task can be delayed before it affects another task’s schedule.

Gantt chart

A graphical representation of a project schedule showing each task as a bar, the length of which is proportional to its duration.  Many project management packages use a spreadsheet section to the left of the Gantt chart to display additional information.

Hammock Task

A task whose duration is calculated based on the time span between its predecessor and successor activities.

Histogram

A bar chart that shows resource workloads over a time period.

Lag

The amount of time between the finish of a predecessor task and the start of a successor task.

Lead

The amount of time that a task is permitted to start before its predecessor is finished.

Loading

A measurement of resource usage on a task per unit of time.  Different methods of loading may be used depending on what’s available in your project management application and what’s applicable for your particular project.

Loading(back)

A loading pattern that allocates resource usage as late in the task as possible.

Loading (contour)

The contour-loading pattern assesses which resources are left over after allocation to the critical tasks and spreads these resources among the remainder.

Loading(fixed)

When using fixed-loading algorithms, you specify the actual amount of resource allocated to the encompassing tasks.

Loading(front)

Front loading systems will attempt to allocate resources as early in the task as possible.

Loading(uniform)

This loading pattern allocates the resource usage on a by day basis in a task.  This will usually be done without causing any one task to be over committed.

Milestone

A project event that represents a checkpoint, a major accomplishment or a measurable goal.

Negative float

Refers to an unscheduled delay before an actual task start time that must be recovered if the project is not to be delayed.

OBS codes

Organisational Breakdown Structure codes are used to identify tasks by resource groups in a hierarchical format.  OBS codes are often used to reflect departmental structure in a company or code of accounts, and can also be used for filtering tasks.

Network Diagram

Project Evaluation and Resource Tracking charts, also called network diagrams.  Network Diagrams are a graphical depiction of task dependencies, and resemble flow charts.  Dependencies are shown by connecting lines or arrows indicating the work flow.

Predecessor

In dependency relationships, the predecessor is the task that must be started or completed first.

Project Management

Best defined as a body of knowledge, a set of principles, or techniques dealing with the planning and control of projects.

Resource

Any person, group of people, item or equipment, service or material used in accomplishing a project task.

Resource Levelling

The process of resolving resource conflicts.  Most project management programs offer an automated resource levelling routine that delays tasks until the resources assigned to them are available.

Resource Driven

Task durations determined by the program and based on the number of an allocation of resources, rather than the time available.  Both individual tasks and entire projects can be resource-driven.

Sub-project

A group of activities which are treated as a single task in a master project schedule.  Subprojects are a way of working with multiple projects that keep all the data in one file rather than in independent files.

Successor

In a dependency relationship between two tasks, the successor is the task that must await the start or completion of the other.

WBS codes

Work Breakdown Structure codes are used to identify tasks in a hierarchy.  Many project management applications associate these codes with an outline structure.  WBS codes can be used to filter the project schedule for tracking and reporting purposes.