Glossary
8/80 rule A general guideline regarding the estimation of task duration. Task durations between 8 hours (or one day) and 80 hours (10 working days, or two weeks) are generally sized to a manageable duration. See Chapter 4.
accrual The method by which a plan incurs the cost of a task or a resource. The three types of accrual are start, prorated, and end. See Chapter 10.
actual A detail about task progress recorded in a plan in Project. Before actuals are recorded, the plan contains scheduled or planned information. Comparing planned project information to actuals helps the project manager better control project execution. See Chapters 8 and 14.
allocation The portion of the capacity of a resource devoted to work on a specific task. See Chapter 12.
assignment The matching of a work resource (a person or a piece of equipment) to a task. You can also assign a material or cost resource to a task, but those resources have no effect on work or duration. See Chapters 6 and 11.
AutoFilter In a table, a quick way to view or organize only the task or resource information that meets the criteria you choose. See Chapter 13.
automatically scheduled task A task for which Project dynamically adjusts the start or finish date to account for schedule changes in a plan. See Chapter 4.
Backstage view The view accessed from the File tab that is standardized across most Office 2016 programs. This view contains customization and sharing options, in addition to the essential commands for file management like Open, New, and Save. See Chapter 2.
base calendar A calendar that can serve as the project calendar or a task calendar. A base calendar also defines the default working times for resource calendars. Project includes three base calendars named Standard, 24 Hours, and Night Shift. You can customize these, or you can use them as a basis for your own base calendar. See Chapter 3.
baseline The original plan, saved for later comparison with the revised or updated plan. The baseline includes the planned start and finish dates, durations and work values of tasks and assignments, and their planned costs. Plans can have up to 11 baselines. See Chapters 8, 14, and 15.
bottom-up planning A method of developing a plan that starts with the lowest-level tasks and organizes them into broad phases. See Chapter 4.
calendar The settings that define the working days and time for a plan, resources, and tasks. See Chapter 11.
Calendar view A simple view in Project that shows tasks in a “month-at-a-glance” layout. See Chapter 16.
consolidated plan A plan in Project that contains one or more inserted plans. The inserted plans are linked to the consolidated plan so that any changes to the inserted plans are reflected in the consolidated plan, and vice versa. A consolidated plan is also known as a consolidated project or master project. See Chapter 20.
constraint A restriction, such as Must Start On (MSO) or Finish No Later Than (FNLT), that you can place on the start or finish date of a task. See Chapter 9.
contour The manner in which a resource’s work on a task is scheduled over time. Project includes several predefined work contours that you can apply to an assignment. For example, a back-loaded contour schedules a small amount of work at the beginning of an assignment and then schedules increasing amounts of work as time progresses. Applying a predefined contour or manually contouring an assignment causes Project to display a work contour icon in the Indicators column. See Chapter 11.
contouring Manually editing work values for an assignment in a usage view, such as the Resource Usage view, to create a custom contour. See Chapter 11.
cost The resources required to carry out a plan, including the people who do the work, the equipment used, and the materials consumed as the work is completed. Cost is one side of the project triangle model. See Chapter 15 and Appendix A.
cost rate table The resource pay rates that are stored on the Costs tab of the Resource Information dialog box. You can have up to five separate cost rate tables per resource. See Chapter 11.
cost resource A type of resource used to represent financial costs associated with tasks in a plan. Use cost resources to account for standard categories of costs that you want to track in a plan, such as costs for travel or catering. A cost resource does no work and has no effect on the scheduling of a task to which it is assigned. See Chapters 5 and 6.
critical path A series of tasks that, if delayed, will push out the end date of a plan. See Chapters 10 and 15.
deadline A date value that you can enter for a task that indicates the latest date by which you want the task to be completed. If the scheduled completion date of a task is later than its deadline, Project notifies you. The benefit of entering deadline dates is that they do not constrain tasks. See Chapter 10.
deliverable The final product, service, or event that a plan is intended to produce. See Chapter 4 and Appendix A.
dependency A link between a predecessor task and a successor task. A dependency controls the start or finish of one task relative to the start or finish of the other task. The most common dependency is finish-to-start (FS), in which the finish date of the predecessor task determines the start date of the successor task. See Chapter 4.
destination program The program into which you place the data when exchanging data between Project and another program. See Chapter 19.
driving predecessor A predecessor task that directly affects, or drives, the scheduling of its successor task. See Chapter 9.
duration The span of working time that you expect it will take to complete a task. See Chapter 4.
effort-driven scheduling A scheduling method in which the work of a task remains constant regardless of the number of resources assigned to it. As resources are added to a task, the duration decreases, but the total work remains the same and is distributed among the assigned resources. Effort-driven scheduling is turned off by default, but it can be turned on for fixed-unit or fixed-duration tasks. Effort-driven scheduling is always turned on for fixed-work tasks. See Chapter 6.
elapsed duration The uninterrupted span of time that it will take to finish a task, based on a 24-hour day and a 7-day week. Elapsed duration is not limited by project, resource, or task calendars; it is continuous. See Chapter 4.
Entry table The grid on the left side of the default Gantt Chart view. See Chapter 2.
export map The specifications for exporting fields from Project to other file formats, such as a tab-delimited format. Project includes several export maps, which you can use as they are or modify. Import maps and export maps are sometimes referred to as data maps. See Chapter 19.
field The lowest-level information about a task, resource, or assignment. See Chapter 2.
filtering In a view, a way to see or highlight only the task or resource information that meets the criteria you choose. See Chapter 13.
fixed consumption rate A fixed quantity of a material resource to be consumed in the completion of an assignment. See Chapter 11.
fixed cost A set amount of money budgeted for a task. This amount is independent of resource costs and task duration. See Chapter 10.
fixed duration A task type in which the duration value is fixed. If you change the amount of work that you expect a task to require, Project recalculates the resource assignment’s peak units for each resource. If you change duration or units, Project recalculates the work. See Chapter 9.
fixed units A task type in which a resource assignment’s units value is fixed. If you change the duration of a task, Project recalculates the amount of work scheduled for the task. If you change units or work, Project recalculates the duration. See Chapter 9.
fixed work A task type in which the work value is fixed. If you change the duration of the task, Project recalculates the resource assignment’s peak units for each resource. If you change units or work, Project recalculates the duration. See Chapter 9.
flexible constraint A constraint type that gives Project the flexibility to change the start or finish dates (but not the duration) of a task. As Soon As Possible (ASAP) and As Late As Possible (ALAP) are examples of flexible constraints. See Chapter 9.
free slack The amount of time that a task can be delayed without delaying the start date of another task. See Chapter 10.
fully allocated The condition of a resource when the total work of his or her task assignments is exactly equal to his or her work capacity. See Chapter 12.
Gantt Chart view A predefined view in Project consisting of a table (the Entry table, by default) on the left and a graphical bar chart on the right that shows the plan over time. See Chapter 16.
global template A template in Project named Global.mpt that contains the default views, tables, filters, and other items that Project uses. See Chapter 18.
group A way to reorder task or resource information in a table and display summary values for each group. You can specify several levels of groups. (The term group is also used to refer to the Resource Group field, which is unrelated.) See Chapter 13.
Group field A resource field in which you can specify a group name (such as a department) with which you want to associate a resource. If you organize resources into groups, you can sort, filter, or group resources by group. See Chapter 13.
hyperlink A link to another file, a specific location in a file, a page on the Internet, or a page on an intranet. See Chapter 4.
import map A set of specifications for importing specific data to fields in Project. Project includes several built-in maps, which you can modify or use as they are. Import maps and export maps are sometimes referred to as data maps. See Chapter 19.
inflexible constraint A constraint type that forces a task to begin or end on a certain date. Must Start On (MSO) and Must Finish On (MFO) are both inflexible constraints. See Chapter 9.
inserted plan In Project, a plan that is inserted into another plan, called a consolidated plan. An inserted plan is also known as a subproject. See Chapter 20.
interim plan A task’s start and finish values, saved for later comparison. Each plan in Project can have, at most, 10 interim plans. See Chapter 14.
lag time A delay between tasks that have a task relationship. For example, lag time causes the successor task in a finish-to-start (FS) relationship to begin some time after its predecessor task concludes. See Chapter 9.
lead time An overlap between tasks that have a task relationship. For example, lead time causes the successor task in a finish-to-start (FS) relationship to begin before its predecessor task concludes. In Project, you enter lead time as negative lag time. See Chapter 9.
line manager A manager of a group of resources; also called a functional manager. A line manager might also have project management skills and responsibilities, depending on the organization’s structure. See Chapter 20.
link A logical relationship between tasks that controls sequence and dependency. In the Gantt Chart and Network Diagram views, links appear as lines between tasks. See Chapters 4 and 9.
macro A recorded or programmed set of instructions that carry out a specific action when initiated. Macros in Project use Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). See Chapter 18.
manually scheduled task A task for which Project does not set a start or finish date or duration automatically. Such a task can include any type of value you want in most fields. See Chapter 4.
material resources The consumables that are used up as a plan progresses. As with work resources, you assign material resources to tasks. Unlike work resources, material resources have no effect on the total amount of work scheduled on a task. See Chapter 11.
maximum units The maximum capacity (as entered in the Max. Units field) of a resource to accomplish tasks. If you allocate the resource beyond its capacity, Project alerts you that the resource is overallocated. See Chapters 5 and 6.
milestone A significant event that is reached within the plan or imposed upon the plan. In Project, milestones normally are represented as tasks with zero duration. See Chapter 4.
negative slack The amount of time that tasks overlap due to a conflict between task relationships and constraints. See Chapter 9.
Network Diagram view A Project view that focuses on activities and their relationships. Tasks are represented as nodes, and the relationships between tasks are drawn as lines connecting the nodes. See Chapter 16.
Night Shift base calendar A base calendar included with Project designed to accommodate an 11:00 P.M.–8:00 A.M. “graveyard” work shift. See Chapter 3.
noncritical task A task that has slack. Noncritical tasks can finish within their slack time without affecting the plan’s completion date. See Chapter 10.
note The information (including linked or embedded files) that you want to associate with a task, resource, or assignment. See Chapters 4 and 5.
ongoing operation An activity that has no planned end date and is repetitive in nature. Examples include accounting, managing human resources, and some manufacturing tasks. See Chapter 1 and Appendix A.
Organizer In Project, a dialog box containing commands you can use to copy views, tables, filters, and other items between the Global.mpt template and other plans or between two different plans. See Chapter 18.
outline A hierarchy of summary tasks and subtasks within Project, usually corresponding to major phases of work. See Chapter 4.
overallocated The condition of resources when they are assigned to do more work than is their normal work capacity. See Chapter 5.
phase A sequence of tasks that represent a major portion of the plan’s work. In Project, phases are represented by summary tasks. See Chapter 4.
plan The Project document type, also referred to as a schedule, project, or MPP. Project plans have an .mpp file extension. See Chapter 3.
planning The first major phase of project management work. Planning includes all the work in developing a schedule up to the point where the tracking of actual work begins. See Chapter 14.
predecessor task A task whose start or end date determines the start or finish of another task or tasks, called successor tasks. See Chapters 4 and 9.
product scope The quality, features, and functions (often called specifications) of the deliverable of the plan. See Chapter 4 and Appendix A.
progress bar A graphical representation on a bar in the Gantt Chart view that shows how much of a task has been completed. See Chapter 8.
project A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service. See Chapter 1.
project calendar The base calendar that is used by the entire plan. The project calendar defines normal working and nonworking days and times. See Chapter 3.
project portfolio management (PPM) Project management practiced in a formal, consistent way throughout an organization. See Appendix C.
project scope The work required to produce a deliverable with agreed-upon quality, features, and functions. See Chapter 4 and Appendix A.
project summary task A summary task that contains top-level information such as duration, work, and costs for the entire plan. The project summary task has a task ID of 0 and is displayed through the Show/Hide group of the Format tab. See Chapter 4.
project triangle A popular model of project management in which time, cost, and scope are represented as the three sides of a triangle. A change to one side will affect at least one of the other two sides. There are many variations on this model. See Appendix A.
Project Web App (PWA) The browser-based interface to Project Server running on-premises, or to Project Online hosted in the cloud. See Appendix C.
recurring task A task that repeats at established intervals. You can create a recurring task that repeats for a fixed number of times or that ends by a specific date. See Chapter 10.
relationship The type of dependency between two tasks, visually indicated by a link line. The types of relationships include finish-to-start (FS), start-to-start (SS), finish-to-finish (FF), and start-to-finish (SF). Also known as a link, a logical relationship, a task dependency, or a precedence relationship. See Chapters 4 and 9.
report A view-like format that includes a dynamic mix of tables, charts, and textual content, and is highly customizable. Project includes several predefined reports, each focusing on specific aspects of your plan. You can also define your own reports. Another type of report is a visual report, which exports structured data to Microsoft Excel or Visio for graphical representation and analysis. See Chapters 2, 7, and 17.
resource calendar The working and nonworking days and times of an individual work resource. See Chapter 5.
resource leveling A method of resolving resource overallocation by delaying the start date of an assignment or an entire task or splitting up the work on a task. Project can level resources automatically, or you can do it manually. See Chapter 12.
resource manager A person who oversees resource usage in a plan’s activities, specifically to manage the time allocation and costs of resources. A resource manager might also have project management skills and responsibilities, depending on the organization’s structure. See Chapter 15.
resource pool In Project, a plan that other plans use for their resource information. Resource pools contain information about resources’ task assignments from all plans (called sharer plans) linked to the resource pool. See Chapter 20.
resources People, equipment, and material (and the associated costs of each) needed to complete the work on a plan. See Chapter 5.
ribbon interface A user interface design used by Microsoft Office programs. In the ribbon interface, commands are organized into groups and tabs for quick access. See Chapters 2 and 18.
risk An event that decreases the likelihood of completing the plan on time, within budget, and to specification (or, less likely, an opportunity to improve project performance). See Chapter 4.
scheduling formula A representation of how Project calculates work, based on the duration and resource units of an assignment. The scheduling formula is Duration × Assignment Units = Work. See Chapters 6 and 9.
scope The products or services to be provided by a project and the work required to deliver it. For planning, it’s useful to distinguish between product scope and project scope. Scope is one side of the project triangle model. See Appendix A.
semi-flexible constraint A constraint type that gives Project the flexibility to change the start and finish dates of a task within one date boundary. Start No Earlier Than (SNET), Start No Later Than (SNLT), Finish No Earlier Than (FNET), and Finish No Later Than (FNLT) are all semi-flexible constraints. See Chapter 9.
sequence The chronological order in which tasks occur. A sequence is ordered from left to right in most views that include a timescale, such as the Gantt Chart view. See Chapter 4.
sharer plan A plan that is linked to a resource pool. Sharer plans use resources from a resource pool. See Chapter 20.
shortcut menu A menu that you display by pointing to an item on the screen and then right-clicking. Shortcut menus contain only the commands that apply to the item to which you are pointing. See Chapter 2.
slack The amount of time that a task can be delayed without delaying a successor task (free slack) or the plan end date (total slack). Slack is also known as float. See Chapter 10.
sorting A way of ordering task or resource information in a view by the criteria you choose. See Chapter 13.
source program When exchanging data between Project and another program, the program in which the data resided originally. See Chapter 19.
split An interruption in a task, represented in the Gantt bar as a dotted line between segments of a task. You can split a task multiple times. See Chapter 9.
sponsor An individual or organization that both provides financial support and champions the project team within the larger organization. See Chapter 6.
stakeholder A person or organization that might be affected by project activities (those who “have a stake” in its success). These also include the resources working on the plan in addition to others (such as customers) external to the plan’s work. See Chapter 15.
Standard base calendar A base calendar included with Project designed to accommodate an 8:00 A.M.–5:00 P.M., Monday-through-Friday work shift. See Chapter 3.
status date The date that you specify (not necessarily the current date) that determines how Project calculates earned value data. See Chapter 8.
subtask A task that is indented below a summary task. Summary tasks and subtasks make up a plan’s outline structure. See Chapter 4.
successor task A task whose start or finish is driven by another task or tasks, called predecessor tasks. See Chapters 4, 9, and 10.
summary task A task that is made up of and summarizes the subtasks below it. In Project, phases of a plan’s work are represented by summary tasks. See Chapter 4.
table A spreadsheet-like presentation of a plan’s data, organized in vertical columns and horizontal rows. Each column represents one of the many fields in Project, and each row represents a single task or resource. In a usage view, additional rows represent assignments. See Chapter 13.
task An activity that has a starting and finishing point. A task is the basic building block of a plan. See Chapter 4.
task calendar The base calendar that is used by a single task. A task calendar defines working and nonworking times for a task, regardless of settings in the project calendar. See Chapter 9.
task ID A unique number that Project assigns to each task in a plan. In the Entry table, the task ID appears in the far-left column. See Chapter 4.
task priority A numeric ranking between 0 and 1000 of a task’s importance and appropriateness for resource leveling. Tasks with the lowest priority are delayed or split first if necessary. The default value is 500. See Chapter 12.
task type A setting applied to a task that determines how Project schedules the task, based on which of the three scheduling formula values is fixed. The three task types are fixed duration, fixed units, and fixed work. See Chapter 9.
template In Project, a file format that enables you to reuse existing plans as the basis for new plans. Project includes several templates that relate to a variety of industries, and you can create your own templates. See Chapter 2.
throughput metric A measurement of the quantity of a deliverable that can be completed over a specified time period, usually expressed as a ratio. For example, “paint one wall per day” describes a quantity of a deliverable (a painted wall) that can be produced in a given time period (a day). Note that the time period used in a metric is work, not elapsed duration. See Chapter 14.
time The scheduled durations of individual tasks and the overall plan. Time is one side of the project triangle model. See Appendix A.
Timeline view A Project view in which you can display select tasks and milestones against a simple timeline. See Chapters 7 and 16.
timephased field A task, resource, or assignment value that is distributed over time. The values of timephased fields appear in the timescale grid on the right side of a view, such as the Task Usage or Resource Usage view. See Chapter 14.
timescale The timescale appears in a view, such as the Gantt Chart or Resource Usage view, as a band across the top of the grid and denotes units of time. See Chapter 2.
top-down planning A method of developing a plan by identifying the highest-level phases or summary tasks before breaking them into lower-level components or subtasks. See Chapter 4.
total slack The amount of time that a task can be delayed without delaying the plan’s end date. See Chapter 10.
tracking The second major phase of project management work. Tracking includes all the collecting, entering, and analyzing of actual performance values, such as work on tasks and actual durations. See Chapters 8 and 14.
underallocated The condition of resources when they are assigned to do less work than their normal work capacity. For example, a full- time resource who has only 25 hours of work assigned in a 40-hour work week is underallocated. See Chapter 12.
units A standard way of measuring the capacity of a resource to work when you assign the resource to a task in Project. Units are one variable in the scheduling formula: Duration × Units = Work. See Chapter 5.
variable consumption rate A quantity of a material resource to be consumed that will change if the duration of the task to which it is assigned changes. See Chapter 11.
variance A deviation from the schedule or budget established by the baseline plan. See Chapters 14 and 15.
view A visual representation of the tasks or resources in your plan. The three categories of views are charts, sheets, and forms. Views enable you to enter, organize, and examine information in a variety of formats. See Chapters 2 and 13.
work The total scheduled effort for a task, a resource, a resource assignment, or an entire plan. Work is measured in person-hours and might not match the duration of the task. Work is one variable in the scheduling formula: Duration × Units = Work. See Chapters 4 and 6.
work breakdown structure (WBS) The identification of every task in a plan that reflects that task’s location in the hierarchy of the plan. See Chapter 16.
work resources The people and equipment that do the work of the plan. See Chapters 5 and 11.