PMI-SP key terms

The high-level approach an organization chooses for building, maintaining, and using project schedules, covering the selected method, tools, level of detail, review cadence, and governance expectations.

The specific technique or rule set, such as critical path method or critical chain, used to calculate activity dates and float inside a schedule model.

A document that defines how the schedule will be developed, monitored, controlled, and communicated, including formats, roles, thresholds, and reporting frequency.

The roles, decision rights, review gates, and audit practices an organization uses to approve, change, and assure the quality of project schedules.

Conditions outside the project team's control, such as organizational culture, market conditions, and available software, that influence how a schedule is built and used.

The organization's stored knowledge and standard processes, including templates, historical schedules, policies, and lessons learned, that shape scheduling decisions.

A dynamic representation of the project plan that combines activities, logic, durations, resources, and calendars, and which yields calculated dates and float when processed by a scheduling tool.

A scheduling technique that calculates early and late dates for every activity and identifies the longest path through the network, which sets the shortest possible project duration.

A scheduling technique that removes float from individual activities and aggregates it into buffers that protect the project completion date from uncertainty and resource contention.

A technique for building a network of activities drawn as nodes connected by arrows that show logical relationships, supporting several relationship types and lags.

A planned waiting period inserted between a predecessor and a successor activity to reflect a real constraint, such as curing time or a required approval.

A significant point or event in the project that has zero duration and marks completion of a deliverable, an approval, or a phase boundary.

An iterative planning approach in which near-term work is scheduled in detail while more distant work stays at a summary level until better information becomes available.

The approved version of the schedule model against which actual progress and performance are compared, changed only through formal change control.

The amount of time an activity can be delayed from its early dates without delaying the project finish date.

The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start of any of its successors.

A network calculation that moves from project start toward project finish to establish early start and early finish dates for each activity.

A network calculation that moves from project finish toward project start to establish late finish and late start dates, from which float values are derived.

A technique that adjusts start and finish dates to resolve resource over-allocation or to respect resource limits, which frequently extends the project duration.

A schedule compression technique that overlaps activities normally done in sequence, shortening duration but increasing the risk of rework and coordination problems.

A schedule compression technique that adds resources, overtime, or extra shifts to critical path activities to shorten duration, usually at additional cost.

A measure of schedule performance calculated as earned value minus planned value, showing in cost terms whether work is ahead of or behind the plan.

Earned value divided by planned value, expressing how efficiently schedule work is being accomplished; a result below one indicates slower than planned progress.

The approved, time-phased scope, schedule, and budget against which project execution is measured, formed from the scope, schedule, and cost baselines.

Comparing planned dates, durations, or work content with actual results to understand why performance deviated and to decide whether corrective action is needed.

An estimate of future activity dates or the project completion date, derived from current progress, remaining work, and expected performance.

The point in time at which the schedule's status is recorded, separating work already performed from work still planned.

A condition in which an activity reports progress or completion before its predecessor has finished, which can distort float values and forecasts if left unresolved.

The formal process for reviewing, approving, documenting, and communicating modifications to the schedule baseline or to approved schedule data.

A structured review of a schedule model's quality attributes, such as logic links, missing durations, excessive constraints, and float distribution, to confirm the forecast can be trusted.

The formally authorized replacement of the schedule baseline, usually after a significant scope or strategy change, and used only with proper approval.

The process of finalizing the schedule at project or phase end, confirming all activities are complete or transferred, and archiving records for future use.

A record version of the schedule that shows the actual dates and sequence in which work was performed, kept for analysis and historical reference.

Documented insights about scheduling practices that helped or hindered the project, captured so future teams can repeat successes and avoid mistakes.

A record identifying project stakeholders along with their interests, influence, and information needs, used to decide who receives which schedule information.

A document that defines who receives schedule information, in what format, how often, and through which channel, including escalation paths for schedule issues.

A written summary that accompanies a schedule report and explains major changes, variances, assumptions, and upcoming risks in plain language for readers.

A visual summary of key schedule metrics and status indicators, designed so executives and other stakeholders can grasp schedule health quickly.

A recurring session where the project team and stakeholders examine current schedule status, discuss variances and risks, and agree on actions and updates.