A project is a set of activities and associated information that constitutes a plan for creating a product or service. A project has a start and finish date, work breakdown structure (WBS), and any number of activities, relationships, baselines, expenses, risks, issues, thresholds, and work products and documents. A project may also have its own Website. While resources typically extend across all projects, each project has its own resource assignments. Calendars, reports, and activity codes may span projects, they can also be project-specific.
Activity
Activities are the fundamental work elements of a project. They are the lowest level of a work breakdown structure (WBS) and, as such, are the smallest subdivision of a project that directly concerns the project manager. Although you can divide activities into steps, an activity's primary resource is typically responsible for managing and tracking the progress of an activity's steps, while the project manager is typically responsible for managing and tracking the progress of the overall activity.
Data Date
The data date is the date up to which actual performance data is reported and the date from which future work is scheduled. The data date always starts at the beginning of the day. It is the date used as the starting point for remaining work schedule calculations.
Early Start
The earliest possible date the remaining work for the activity can begin. This date is calculated based on activity relationships, schedule constraints, and resource availability. The Early Start equals the Remaining Start unless you preserve the scheduled early dates when utilizing leveling.
Late Start
The latest possible date the remaining work for the activity must begin without delaying the project finish date. This date is calculated based on activity relationships, schedule constraints, and resource availability. The Late Start equals the Remaining Late Start unless you preserve the scheduled late dates when utilizing leveling.
Planned Start
For an activity that is not started the planned start is the date the activity id scheduled to begin. This date is set to equal the early start date by can be updated manually. This date is not changed once you apply an Actual Start Date.
Anticipated Start
Is the expected start date of the project, EPS node, or WBS level. This is used during the planning phase. This date is manually entered and is not affected by scheduling. An anticipated start date cannot be entered at the activity level.
Remaining Start
The earliest possible date the remaining work for the activity is scheduled to begin. This date is calculated but can be updated manually by the user. Before the activity is started, the Remaining Start is the same as the Planned Start. Once the activity has started, the Remaining Start is equal to the Data Date. When the activity is complete, the Remaining Start is blank.
Remaining Late Start
The latest possible date the remaining work for the activity must begin without delaying the project finish date. This date is calculated based on activity relationships, schedule constraints, and resource availability. When the activity is complete, the Remaining Late Start is blank.
Constraint
A date restriction used to reflect project requirements that cannot be built into the network logic.
Constraint Date
The constraint date for the activity is the date for which the activity's constraint applies. You can enter a primary and secondary constraint. Depending on the constraint type, this date could be a start date or a finish date. For example, if the constraint is a Start On constraint, the constraint date is the date on which the activity must start. If the activity does not have a constraint, this field will be empty.
Anticipated Finish
Is the expected finish date of the project, EPS node, or WBS level. This is used during the planning phase. This date is manually entered and is not affected by scheduling. An anticipated finish date cannot be entered at the activity level.
Remaining Finish
The earliest possible date the remaining work for the activity is scheduled to finish. This date is calculated but can be updated manually by the user. Before the activity is started, the Remaining Finish is the same as the Planned Finish. When the activity is complete, the Remaining Finish is blank.
Remaining Late Finish
The latest possible date the activity must finish without delaying the project finish date. This date is calculated based on activity relationships, schedule constraints, and resource availability. When the activity is complete, the Remaining Late Finish is blank.
Resources
Resources are classified as the labor, nonlabor and material required to carry out the work on activities across all projects. Labor and nonlabor resources are time-based and material resources use unit of measure. Create and assign resource calendars and define a resource’s roles, contact information, and time-varying prices.
Steps
Activity steps provide the functionality to break activities down into smaller units and track the completion of those units. These units can be used to control the percent complete recorded on the activities in the project file by using weights assigned to each step, or as a checklist to ensure that no steps are missed but have the activity percent complete controlled separately.
Predecessor
An activity that must occur before another activity. A predecessor activity controls the start or finish date of its successors depending on the relationship type assigned. An activity can have multiple predecessors, each with a different relationship to it.
Successor
An activity that must occur after another activity. An activity can have multiple successors, each with a different relationship to it.
Critical Path
The critical path is a series of activities that determines a project's completion date.
Free Float
The amount of time an activity can be delayed from its Early Start without delaying the activities that immediately follow (successor activities).
Total Float
The amount of time an activity can be delayed from its Early Start without delaying the project. It is the difference between an activity’s late dates and early dates and is automatically calculated each time the project is scheduled.
Enterprise Project Structure (EPS)
The Enterprise Project Structure (EPS) forms the hierarchical structure of your database of projects. Each EPS node (or folder) can be subdivided into multiple levels to represent the work that needs to be done in your organization. The number of levels and their structure depend on the scope of your projects and how you want to summarize data. Placement of a project in the hierarchy determines the summary level in which it is included.
Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS)
The organizational breakdown structure (OBS) is a global hierarchy that represents the managers or positions responsible for the projects in your enterprise. The OBS usually reflects the management structure of your organization, from top-level personnel down through the various levels constituting your business. You can associate the responsible managers with their areas of the EPS —either nodes or individual projects. When you associate a responsible manager with an EPS node any projects you add to that branch of the EPS are assigned that manager element by default. The OBS hierarchy is also used to grant users specific access privileges to projects and the WBS levels within projects.
Layout
Customized view of information in a window, combining all the visual elements that appear on the screen. Layouts are available in the Projects, WBS, Activities and Tracking windows.
Roles
Roles are project personnel job titles or skills, such as mechanical engineer, inspector, or carpenter. They represent a type of resource with a certain level of proficiency rather than a specific individual. Roles can also be assigned to specific resources to further identify that resource's skills.
WBS
A hierarchical arrangement of the products and services produced during and by a project. An element usually represents a deliverable, product or service and contains the activities needed to produce the deliverable. It enables division of a project into logical pieces for the purpose of planning and control.
Filter
A filter temporarily limits the projects or activities that appear on screen, according to criteria you establish. One example, you can view active projects or activities scheduled to start during the next three weeks. You can apply one or more filters to the layout at any time.
Network Logic Diagram
A network logic diagram is a graphic representation of all the activities in a project and their logical (dependent) relationships.
Lag
Lag specifies an offset or delay between an activity and its successor. It can be added to any relationship type and can be positive or negative. There are four calendar types available for scheduling lag, the predecessor activity calendar, the successor activity calendar, the 24-hour calendar and the project default calendar.
Work Product
Is a project document that is a project deliverable and will be turned over to the project’s end user or customer.
Reference Document
Is a project document that can be referenced by a project participant for the purpose of providing standards or guidelines for performing work.
Baseline
A baseline is a copy of the project plan used as a basis for comparison when evaluating progress of an updated project. The baseline provides a target against which to track a project’s cost, schedule and resource performance.
Task Dependent Activity
When using a task dependent activity, assigned resources schedule according to the activity’s calendar rather than according to their designated resource calendars.
Resource Dependent Activity
When using a resource dependent activity the resources assigned to this type of activity are scheduled to work according to the resources’ calendars rather than the activity’s calendar. The activity’s duration is determined by the availability of resources to work on the activity.
Level of Effort
A level of effort activity’s duration is dependent on its predecessor and/or successor activities. Level of effort activities cannot have constraints assigned to them. Level of effort activities are not included when leveling resources.
WBS Summary Activity
Used to summarize a WBS level. The WBS summary activity comprises a group of activities that share a common WBS level.
Start Milestone
A start milestone activity is used to mark the beginning of a major stage in the project. Since a start milestone activity has zero duration, it is sometimes referred to as a “zero duration activity.”
Finish Milestone
A finish milestone activity is used to mark the end of a major stage in the project. Since a finish milestone activity has zero duration, it is sometimes referred to as a “zero duration activity.”
Duration Type
The basis for estimating the selected activity's completion time. An activity's duration type can be Fixed Units/Time, Fixed Duration & Units/Time, Fixed Units, or Fixed Duration & Units. You can select a new duration type.
Fixed Units/Time
When using Fixed Units/Time the resource units per time are constant when the activity duration or units are changed. This type is used when an activity has fixed resources with fixed productivity output per time period. You most often choose this duration type when you are using resource dependent activities.
Fixed Duration & Units/Time
When using Fixed Duration & Units/Time the activity duration is constant and the units are changed. This type is used when the activity is to be completed within a fixed time period regardless of the resources assigned. You most often choose this duration type when you are using task dependent activities.
Fixed Units
When using Fixed Units the activity units are constant when the duration or resource units per time are changed. This type is used when the total amount of work is fixed, and increasing the resources can decrease the activity duration. You most often choose this duration type when you are using resource dependent activities.
Fixed Duration & Units
When using Fixed Duration & Units the activity duration is constant and the units/time are changed. This type is used when the activity is to be completed within a fixed time period and the total amount of work is fixed. You most often choose this duration type when you are using task dependent activities.
Percent Complete Type
The way in which the percent complete for the selected activity is determined. An activity's percent complete type can be Units, Duration, or Physical.
Duration % Complete
When using Duration % Complete to update an activity the selected activity's Activity % Complete is tied to its Duration % Complete.
Units % Complete
When using Units % Complete to update an activity the selected activity's Activity % Complete is tied to its Units % Complete.
Physical % Complete
When using Physical % Complete you may enter the selected activity's Activity % Complete in the Physical % field on the Status tab. Physical percent complete is not connected directly to remaining duration.
