Actual Cost (AC) – Incurred costs charged to the project budget for which payment has been made or accrued for payment.  See Earned Value Analysis. 

Actual Cost of Work Performed (ACWP)(Spent Costs) – Total costs incurred (direct and indirect) in accomplishing work during a given time period. See also earned value analysis.

Actual dates actual dates are entered as the project progresses. These are the dates that activities really started and finished as opposed to planned or projected dates.

Actual direct costs those costs specifically identified with a contract or project. See also direct costs.

Actual Finish Date (AF). The point in time that work actually ended on an activity. (Note: in some application areas, the activity is considered "finished" when work is "substantially complete.")

Actual Start Date (AS). The point in time that work actually started on an activity.

ACWP Actual Cost of Work Performed

AD Activity Description

AD  Active Directory

Adjourning the last stage of team building where the team disbands

ADM Arrow Diagramming Method

Administrative Closure. Generating, gathering, and disseminating information to formalize project completion.

Advanced material release a document used by organizations to initiate the purchase of long lead-time or time-critical materials prior to the final release of a design.

AF Actual Finish date

AND relationship logical relationship between two or more activities that converge on or diverge from an event. Note: the AND relationship indicates that every one of the activities has to be undertaken.

AOA Activity-On-Arrow

AON Activity-On-Node

Approved – Project status describing Governance or Steering Committee approval prior to the start of project activities.

AS Actual Start date

Assumption – Factors, for planning purposes, considered to be true, real, or certain.  Assumptions generally involve a degree of risk.

Accountability Matrix. See responsibility assignment matrix.

Activity. An element of work performed during the course of a project. An activity normally has an expected duration, an expected cost, and expected resource requirements. Activities are often subdivided into tasks.

Activity Definition. Identifying the specific activities that must be performed in order to produce the various project deliverables.

Activity Description (AD). A short phrase or label used in a project network diagram. The activity description normally describes the scope of work of the activity.

Activity Duration Estimating. Estimating the number of work periods which will be needed to complete individual activities.

Activity-On-Arrow (AOA). See arrow diagramming method.

Activity-On-Node (AON). See precedence diagramming method.

Actual Cost of Work Performed (ACWP). Total costs incurred (direct and indirect) in accomplishing work during a given time period. See also earned value.

Actual Finish Date (AF). The point in time that work actually ended on an activity. (Note: in some application areas, the activity is considered "finished" when work is "substantially complete.")

Actual Start Date (AS). The point in time that work actually started on an activity.

Administrative Closure. Generating, gathering, and disseminating information to formalize project completion.

APIs - Application Programming Interface

Application Area. A category of projects that have common elements not present in all projects. Application areas are usually defined in terms of either the product of the project (i.e., by similar technologies or industry sectors) or the type of customer (e.g., internal vs. external, government vs. commercial). Application areas often overlap.

Approval the term used when an individual accepts a deliverable as fit for purpose so that the project can continue.

Approval to proceed approval given to the project at initiation or prior to the beginning of the next stage.

Arrow The graphic presentation of an activity. See also arrow diagramming method.  A connecting line between two nodes in a network. 

Arrow Diagramming Method (ADM). A network diagramming technique in which activities are represented by arrows. The tail of the arrow represents the start and the head represents the finish of the activity (the length of the arrow does not represent the expected duration of the activity). Activities are connected at points called nodes (usually drawn as small circles) to illustrate the sequence in which the activities are expected to be performed. See also precedence diagramming method.

Arrow diagram See 'activity-on-arrow network'.

Arrow diagram method one of two conventions used to represent an activity in a project. Also known as activity-on-arrow.

AS Actual Start date

As late as possible (ALAP) an activity for which the early start date is set as late as possible without delaying the early dates of any successor.

As-of Date. See data date.

Associated revenue that part of a project cost that is of a revenue nature and therefore charged as incurred to the profit and loss account. Note: associated revenue differs from the capital element of the project in that the capital element is taken as an asset to the balance sheet and depreciated over future accounting periods.

As soon as possible (ASAP) an activity for which the early start date is set to be as soon as possible. This is the default activity type in most project management systems.

Assumptions - Assumptions are factors that, for planning purposes, are considered to be true, real, or certain.  Assumptions generally involve a degree of risk.

Audit systematic retrospective examination of the whole, or part, of a project or function to measure conformance with predetermined standards. Note: audit is usually qualified, for example financial audit, quality audit, design audit, project audit, health and safety audit.

Authorization the decision that triggers the allocation of funding needed to carry on the project

Authorized un-priced work any scope change for which authorization to proceed has been given, but for which the estimated costs are not yet settled.

Authorized work the effort which has been defined, plus that work for which authorization has been given, but for which defined contract costs have not been agreed upon.

Automatic decision event decision event where the decision depends only on the outcome of the preceding activities and that can be programmed or made automatic.

Backward Pass. The calculation of late finish dates and late start dates for the uncompleted portions of all network activities. Determined by working backwards through the network logic from the project’s end date. The end date may be calculated in a forward pass or set by the customer or sponsor. See also network analysis.

Bar Chart. A graphic display of schedule-related information. In the typical bar chart, activities or other project elements are listed down the left side of the chart, dates are shown across the top, and activity durations are shown as date-placed horizontal bars. Also called a Gantt chart.

Baseline. The original plan (for a project, a work package, or an activity), plus or minus approved changes. Usually used with a modifier (e.g., cost baseline, schedule baseline, performance measurement baseline).

Baseline Finish Date. See scheduled finish date.

Baseline Start Date. See scheduled start date.

BAC Budget At Completion

Backward Pass. The calculation of late finish dates and late start dates for the uncompleted portions of all network activities. Determined by working backwards through the network logic from the project’s end date. The end date may be calculated in a forward pass or set by the customer or sponsor. See also network analysis.

Balanced matrix an organizational matrix where functions and projects have the same priority.

Bar Chart. A graphic display of schedule-related information. In the typical bar chart, activities or other project elements are listed down the left side of the chart, dates are shown across the top, and activity durations are shown as date-placed horizontal bars. Also called a Gantt chart.

Baseline. The original plan (for a project, a work package, or an activity), plus or minus approved changes. Usually used with a modifier (e.g., cost baseline, schedule baseline, performance measurement baseline).

Baseline cost the amount of money an activity was intended to cost when the schedule was baselined.

Baseline dates original planned start and finish dates for an activity. Used to compare with current planned dates to determine any delays. Also used to calculate budgeted cost of work scheduled for earned-valued analysis.

Baseline Finish Date. See scheduled finish date.

Baseline review a customer review conducted to determine that a contractor is continuing to use the previously accepted performance system and is properly implementing a baseline on the contract or option under review.

Baseline schedule the baseline schedule is a fixed project schedule. It is the standard by which project performance is measured. The current schedule is copied into the baseline schedule which remains frozen until it is reset. Resetting the baseline is done when the scope of the project has been changed significantly, for example after a negotiated change. At that point, the original or current baseline becomes invalid and should not be compared with the current schedule.

Baseline Start Date. See scheduled start date.

BCWP Budgeted Cost of Work Performed

BCWS Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled

Benefits the enhanced efficiency, economy and effectiveness of future business or other operations to be delivered by a project or program.

Benefits framework an outline of the expected benefits of the project or program, the business operations affected and current and target performance measures.

Benefits management combined with project or program management, Benefits Management is the process for planning, managing, delivering and measuring the project or program benefits.

Benefits management plan specifies who is responsible for achieving the benefits set out in the benefit profiles and how achievement of the benefits is to be measured, managed and monitored.

Bid a tender, quotation or any offer to enter into a contract

Bid analysis an analysis of bids or tenders.

Bottom up cost estimating this is the method of making estimates for every activity in the work breakdown structure and summarizing them to provide a total project cost estimate.

Brainstorming the unstructured generation of ideas by a group of people.

Breakdown structure a hierarchical structure by which project elements are broken down, or decomposed. See also product breakdown structure (PBS), organizational breakdown structure (OBS) and work breakdown structure (WBS).

Budget quantification of resources needed to achieve a task by a set time, within which the task owners are required to work.  Note: a budget consists of a financial and/or quantitative statement, prepared and approved prior to a defined period, for the purpose of attaining a given objective for that period.  (The planned cost for an activity or project.)

Budget at completion (BAC) The sum total of the time-phased budgets. The estimated total cost of the project when done.

Budget cost the cost anticipated at the start of a project.

Budget Estimate. See estimate.

Budgetary control system of creating budgets, monitoring progress and taking appropriate action to achieve budgeted performance.
Note: a budget should provide the information necessary to enable approval, authorization and policy-making bodies to assess a project proposal and reach a rational decision.

Budget element budget elements are the same as resources - the people, materials, or other entities needed to do the work budget elements can be validated against a resource breakdown structure (RBS). They are typically assigned to a work package, but can also be defined at the cost account level.

Budget estimate an approximate estimate prepared in the early stages of a project to establish financial viability or secure resources.

Budgeting time phased financial requirements.

Budget unit the budget unit is the base unit for the calculation. For example, the engineer budget element might have a budget unit of hours. Since budget units are user defined, they can be any appropriate unit of measure. For example, a budget unit might be hours, pounds sterling, linear meters, or tons.

Burden overhead expenses distributed over appropriate direct labor and/or material base.

Business case information necessary to enable approval, authorization and policy making bodies to assess a project proposal and reach a reasoned decision

Calendar Unit. The smallest unit of time used in scheduling the project. Calendar units are generally in hours, days, or weeks, but can also be in shifts or even in minutes. Used primarily in relation to project management software.

Calendars a project calendar lists time intervals in which activities or resources can or cannot be scheduled. A project usually has one default calendar for the normal workweek (for example Monday to Friday), but may have other calendars as well. Each calendar can be customized with its own holidays and extra work days. Resources and activities can be attached to any of the calendars that are defined.

Cancelled – Project status given to a cancelled project.

Capital cost the carrying cost in a balance sheet of acquiring an asset and bringing it to the condition where it is capable of performing its intended function over a future series of periods.
Note: see also 'revenue cost'.

Capital employed amount of investment in an organization or project, normally the sum of fixed and current assets, less current liabilities at a particular date.

Cascade chart bar chart on which the vertical order of activities is such that each activity is dependent only on activities higher in the list.

Cash flow cash receipts and payments in a specified period.

Cash flow, net difference between cash received and payments made during a specific period.

CCB Change Control Board

Champion an end user representative often seconded into a project team. Someone who acts as an advocate for a proposal or project.

Change control process that ensures potential changes to the deliverables of a project or the sequence of work in a project, are recorded, evaluated, authorized, and managed.

Change Control Board (CCB) A formally constituted group of stakeholders responsible for approving or rejecting changes to the project baselines.

Change in Scope See scope change.

Change log a record of all project changes, proposed, authorized, or rejected.

Change management the formal process where changes to the project are introduced and approved.

Change Request – A request submitted to obtain formal approval for project changes (see Project Change Control).  Change requests may arise through changes in the business or because of issues in the project. Change requests should be documented, logged, analyzed, and approved before a change to the project can be made.

Chart of Accounts. Any numbering system used to monitor project costs by category (e.g., labor, supplies, materials). The project chart of accounts is usually based upon the corporate chart of accounts of the primary performing organization. See also code of accounts.

Charter. See project charter.

Child activity subordinate task belonging to a 'parent' task existing at a higher level in the work breakdown structure.

Client or Customer - the party to a contract who commissions the work and pays for it on completion. The client or customer also functions as a representative for the users and is a project stakeholder.

Close out the completion of work on a project.

Closure the formal end point of a project, either because it has been completed or because it has been terminated early.

CMM - Capability Maturity Model

Code of Accounts. Any numbering system used to uniquely identify each element of the work breakdown structure. See also chart of accounts.

Commissioning advancement of an installation from the stage of static completion to full working order and achievement of the specified operational requirements.

Commitment A binding financial obligation, typically in the form of a purchase order or contract.

Committed costs - costs legally committed even if delivery has not taken place with invoices neither raised nor paid.

Communication - the transmission of information so that the recipient understands clearly what the sender intends.

Communications planning - determining project stakeholders’ communication and information needs.

Completed – Project status describing work that has moved through the full project lifecycle and has been accepted as complete by the customer or client.

Completion date the date calculated by which the project could finish following careful estimating.

Compound risk a risk made up of a number of inter-related risks.

Conception phase the phase that triggers and captures new ideas or opportunities and identifies potential candidates for further development in the feasibility phase

Concurrent Engineering. An approach to project staffing that, in its most general form, calls for implementers to be involved in the design phase. Sometimes confused with fast tracking.

Configuration functional and physical characteristics of a product as defined in technical documents and achieved in the product. Note: in a project this should contain all items that can be identified as being relevant to the project and that should only be modified after authorization by the relevant manager (This includes documentation).

Configurations audit a check to ensure that all deliverable items on a project conform with one another and to the current specification. It ensures that relevant quality assurance procedures have been implemented and that there is consistency throughout project documentation.

Configurations control a system through which changes may be made to configuration items.

Configuration identification identifies uniquely all items within the configuration.

Configuration item a part of configuration that has a set function and is designated for configuration management. It identifies uniquely all items within the configuration.

Configuration management technical and administrative activities concerned with the creation, maintenance and controlled change of configuration throughout the life of the product.

Configuration status accounting records and reports the current status and history of all changes to the configuration. Provides a complete record of what happened to the configuration to date

Conflict management the ability to manage conflict creatively and effectively.

Constraint – Applicable restriction affecting the performance of the project.  Any factor affecting when an activity can be scheduled.

Consumable resource a type of resource that only remains available until consumed (for example, a material).

Contingencies. See reserve and contingency planning.

Contingency a contingency is the planned allotment of time and cost or other resources for unforeseeable elements with a project.

Contingency Allowance. See reserve.

Contingency plan - Alternative course(s) of action devised to cope with project risks.  Note: See risk plan.

Contingency planning the development of a management plan using alternative strategies to minimize or negate the adverse effects of a risk, should it occur.

Contingency Reserve. A separately planned quantity used to allow for future situations which may be planned for only in part (sometimes called "known unknowns"). For example, rework is certain, the amount of rework is not. Contingency reserves may involve cost, schedule, or both. Contingency reserves are intended to reduce the impact of missing cost or schedule objectives. Contingency reserves are normally included in the project’s cost and schedule baselines.

Contract. A contract is a mutually binding agreement which obligates the seller to provide the specified product and obligates the buyer to pay for it. Contracts generally fall into one of three broad categories:

·         Fixed price or lump sum contracts—this category of contract involves a fixed total price for a well-defined product. Fixed price contracts may also include incentives for meeting or exceeding selected project objectives such as schedule targets.

·         Cost reimbursable contracts—this category of contract involves payment (reimbursement) to the contractor for its actual costs. Costs are usually classified as direct costs (costs incurred directly by the project, such as wages for members of the project team) and indirect costs (costs allocated to the project by the performing organization as a cost of doing business, such as salaries for corporate executives). Indirect costs are usually calculated as a percentage of direct costs. Cost reimbursable contracts often include incentives for meeting or exceeding selected project objectives such as schedule targets or total cost.

·         Unit price contracts—the contractor is paid a preset amount per unit of service (e.g., $70 per hour for professional services or $1.08 per cubic yard of earth removed) and the total value of the contract is a function of the quantities needed to complete the work.

Contract Administration. Managing the relationship with the seller.

Contract budget base the negotiated contract cost value plus the estimated value of authorized but unpriced work.

Contract Close-out. Completion and settlement of the contract, including resolution of all outstanding items.

Contractor a person, company, or firm who holds a contract for carrying out the works and/or the supply of goods or services in connection with the project

Contract target cost the negotiated costs for the original defined contract and all contractual changes that have been agreed and approved, but excluding the estimated cost of any authorized, unpriced changes. The contract target cost equals the value of the budget at completion plus management or contingency reserve.

Contract target price the negotiated estimated costs plus profit or fee.

Control. The process of comparing actual performance with planned performance, analyzing variances, evaluating possible alternatives, and taking appropriate corrective action as needed.

Control Charts. Control charts are a graphic display of the results, over time and against established control limits, of a process. They are used to determine if the process is "in control" or in need of adjustment.

Coordination the act of ensuring that work carried out by different organizations and in different places fits together effectively. It involves technical matters, time, content, and cost in order to achieve the project objectives effectively.

Coordinated matrix an organizational structure where the project leader reports to the functional manager and doesn’t have authority over team members from other departments.

Corrective Action. Changes made to bring expected future performance of the project into line with the plan.

Cost account defines what work is to be performed who will perform it and who is to pay for it. Cost accounts are the focal point for the integration of scope, cost, and schedule. Another term for cost account is control account.

Cost account manager a member of a functional organization responsible for cost account performance, and for the management of resources to accomplish such tasks.

Cost benefit analysis an analysis of the relationship between the costs of undertaking a task or project, initial and recurrent, and the benefits likely to arise from the changed situation, initially and recurrently.
Note: the hard, tangible, readily measurable benefits may sometimes be accompanied by soft benefits which may be real but difficult to isolate, measure and value. (Allows comparison of the returns from alternative forms of investment.)

Cost breakdown structure hierarchical breakdown of a project into cost elements.

Cost budgeting allocating cost estimates to individual project components.

Cost center location, person, activity or project in respect of which costs may be ascertained and related to cost units.

Cost code unique identity for a specified element of work. (Code assigned to activities that allow costs to be consolidated according to the elements of a code structure.)

Cost Control. Controlling changes to the project budget.

Cost control point the point within a program at which costs are entered and controlled. Frequently, the cost control point for a project is either the cost account or the work package.

Cost control system any system of keeping costs within the bounds of budgets or standards based upon work actually performed.

Cost curve a graph plotted against a horizontal time scale and cumulative cost vertical scale.

Cost element
a unit of costs to perform a task or to acquire an item. The cost estimated may be a single value or a range of values.

Cost Estimating. Estimating the cost of the resources needed to complete project activities.

Cost incurred costs identified through the use of the accrued method of accounting or costs actually paid. Costs include direct labor, direct materials, and all allowable indirect costs.

Cost management the effective financial control of the project through evaluating, estimating, budgeting, monitoring, analyzing, forecasting and reporting the cost information.

Cost of Quality. The costs incurred to ensure quality. The cost of quality includes quality planning, quality control, quality assurance, and rework.

Cost overrun the amount by which a contractor exceeds or expects to exceed the estimated costs, and/or the final limitations (the ceiling) of a contract.

Cost Performance Index (CPI). The ratio of budgeted costs to actual costs (BCWP/ACWP). CPI is often used to predict the magnitude of a possible cost overrun using the following formula: original cost estimate/CPI = projected cost at completion. See also earned value.  The cost efficiency ratio of earned value to actual costs.  CPI is often used to predict the magnitude of a possible cost overrun.  See also earned value.

Cost performance report a regular cost report to reflect cost and schedule status information for management.

Cost plan A budget which shows the amounts and expected dates of incurring costs on the project or on a contract.

Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) Contract. A type of contract where the buyer reimburses the seller for the seller’s allowable costs (allowable costs are defined by the contract) plus a fixed amount of profit (fee).

Cost Plus Incentive Fee (CPIF) Contract. A type of contract where the buyer reimburses the seller for the seller’s allowable costs (allowable costs are defined by the contract), and the seller earns its profit if it meets defined performance criteria.

Cost reimbursement type contracts a category of contracts based on payments to a contractor for allowable estimated costs, normally requiring only a 'best efforts' performance standard from the contractor. Risk for all growth over the estimated value rests with the project owner.

Cost-time resource sheet (CTR) a document that describes each major element in the work breakdown structure, including a statement of work (SOW) describing the work content, resources required, the time frame of the work element and a cost estimate.

Cost Variance (CV). (1) Any difference between the estimated cost of an activity and the actual cost of that activity. (2) In earned value, BCWP less ACWP.

CPFF Cost Plus Fixed Fee

CPIF Cost Plus Incentive Fee

CPI Cost Performance Index

CPM Critical Path Method

Crashing.  A specific type of project schedule compression technique performed by taking action to decrease the total project schedule duration after analyzing a number of alternatives to determine how to get the maximum schedule duration compression for the least cost.  Typical approaches for crashing a schedule include reducing schedule activity durations and increasing the assignment of resources on schedule activities. 

Credited resource created by an activity or event and can then be used by the project.

Critical Activity. Any activity on a critical path with zero or negative float. Most commonly determined by using the critical path method. Although some activities are "critical" in the dictionary sense without being on the critical path, this meaning is seldom used in the project context.

Criticality index used in risk analysis, the criticality index represents the percentage of simulation trails that resulted in the activity being placed on the critical path.

Critical Path - In a project network diagram, the series of activities which determines the earliest completion of the project. The critical path will generally change from time to time as activities are completed ahead of or behind schedule. Although normally calculated for the entire project, the critical path can also be determined for a milestone or subproject. The critical path is usually defined as those activities with float less than or equal to a specified value, often zero. See critical path method.

Critical path analysis - procedure for calculating the critical path and floats in a network.

Critical Path Method (CPM). A network analysis technique used to predict project duration by analyzing which sequence of activities (which path) has the least amount of scheduling flexibility (the least amount of float). Early dates are calculated by means of a forward pass using a specified start date. Late dates are calculated by means of a backward pass starting from a specified completion date (usually the forward pass’s calculated project early finish date).

Critical performance indicator a critical factor against which aspects of project performance may be assessed

Critical success factor a factor considered to be most conducive to the achievement of a successful project

Current Finish Date. The current estimate of the point in time when an activity will be completed.

Current Start Date. The current estimate of the point in time when an activity will begin.

Customer any person who defines needs or wants, justifies or pays for part or the entire project, or evaluates or uses the results. Could be the project promoter, client, owner or employer

Cut-off date the ending date of a reporting period.

CV Cost Variance

Dangle an activity or network which has either no predecessors or no successors. If neither, it is referred to as an isolated activity.

Data Date (DD). The point in time that separates actual (historical) data from future (scheduled) data. Also called as-of date.

DD Data Date

Decision – The removal of uncertainty with respect to a course of action.

Decision event state in the progress of a project when a decision is required before the start of any succeeding activity. Note: the decision determines which of a number of alternative paths is to be followed.

Definitive Estimate. See estimate.

Delaying resource in resource scheduling, inadequate availability of one or more resources may require that the completion of an activity be delayed beyond the date on which it could otherwise be completed. The delaying resource is the first resource on an activity that causes the activity to be delayed.

Delegation the practice of effectively getting others to perform work which one chooses not to do oneself. The process by which authority and responsibility is distributed from project manager to subordinates.

Deliberate decision event decision event where the decision is made as a result of the outcomes of the preceding activities and possibly other information. A deliberate decision event cannot be made automatically

Deliverables end products of a project or the measurable results of intermediate activities within the project organization. Note: deliverables may be in the form of hardware, software, services, processes, documents, or any combination thereof.

Delphi technique a process where a consensus view is reached by consultation with experts. Often used as an estimating technique.

Denied – Project status describing proposed project work that will not be considered.

Dependency - precedence relationship. Restriction that one activity has to precede, either in part or in total, another activity. (Dependencies are relationships between products or tasks. For example, one product may be made up of several other ‘dependent’ products or a task may not begin until a ‘dependent’ task is complete.) See logical relationship

Dependency arrow A link arrow used in an activity on a node network to represent the interrelationships of activities in a project.

Design authority the person or organization with overall design responsibility for the products of the project

Design and development phase The time period in which facility and production processes are developed and designed.

Deterministic network contains paths, all of which have to be followed and whose durations are fixed. Note: deterministic network is a term used to distinguish traditional networking from probabilistic networking.

Direct costs are specifically attributable to an activity or group of activities without apportionment. (Direct costs are best contrasted with indirect costs that cannot be identified to a specific project.)

Discounted cash flow (DCF) concept of relating future cash inflows and outflows over the life of a project or operation to a common base value thereby allowing more validity to comparison of projects with different durations and rates of cash flow.

Discrete milestone a milestone that has a definite scheduled occurrence in time.
Logical link that may require time but no other resource.

Dummy activity in activity on arrow network an activity representing no actual work to be done but required for reasons of logic or nomenclature. Note: there are three uses for a dummy activity in 'activity-on-arrow network':  logic, time delay, and Uniqueness.

DU Duration

Dummy Activity. An activity of zero duration used to show a logical relationship in the arrow diagramming method. Dummy activities are used when logical relationships cannot be completely or correctly described with regular activity arrows. Dummies are shown graphically as a dashed line headed by an arrow.

Duration (DU). The number of work periods (not including holidays or other non-working periods) required to complete an activity or other project element. Usually expressed as workdays or workweeks. Sometimes incorrectly equated with elapsed time. See also effort.

Duration Compression. Shortening the project schedule without reducing the project scope. Duration compression is not always possible and often requires an increase in project cost.

EAC Estimate At Completion

Earliest feasible date The earliest date on which the activity could be scheduled to start based on the scheduled dates of all its predecessors, but in the absence of any resource constraints on the activity itself. This date is calculated by resource scheduling.

Early dates calculated in the forward pass of time analysis, early dates are the earliest dates on which an activity can start and finish.

Early Finish Date (EF). In the critical path method, the earliest possible point in time on which the uncompleted portions of an activity (or the project) can finish based on the network logic and any schedule constraints. Early finish dates can change as the project progresses and changes are made to the project plan.

Early Start Date (ES). In the critical path method, the earliest possible point in time on which the uncompleted portions of an activity (or the project) can start, based on the network logic and any schedule constraints. Early start dates can change as the project progresses and changes are made to the project plan.

Earned hours the time in standard hours credited as a result of the completion of a given task or a group of tasks.