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Early finish (EF)

The earliest an activity can finish based on adding the activity's duration to its early start (ES + duration.).

Early start (ES)

The earliest an activity can start based on the project network.

Earned value analysis

A powerful trend analysis and decision support tool used by many project managers.

Effort estimate

The actual amount of effort that is needed to accomplish an assignment.

Eighty-hour rule

A best practice that suggests breaking down the work until it will take no more than 80 hours of work effort and no less than eight hours of work effort to accomplish the activity.

Elapsed time

The number of calendar days over which an activity occurs between an activity's start and finish.

Even loading

An even distribution of budget over an activity or project's duration.

Expense

This cost includes travel, training, food, and lodging associated with the project.

Executing

The third of the five processes of project management. During this process, the project manager directs the resources to carry out the plan and the schedule ensuring all activities are effectively resourced. According to the PMBOK^® Guide, executing consists of coordinating people and other resources to carry out the plan.

Executive summary

A comprehensive restatement of the project's purpose, scope, methods, results, conclusions, findings and recommendations. The purpose of the executive summary is to consolidate the principal points of a report or proposal in one place. It must cover the information in the report in enough detail to accurately reflect its contents, but concisely enough to permit an executive to digest the significance of the report without having to read it in full. (Student Handbook: Spring 1997. EPD 397 Technical Writing Section 308, Steven B. Zwickel, Instructor.)

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Fast tracking

A technique that compresses the critical path by overlapping activities that would normally be done in sequence, such as design and construction.

Float

The time an activity may be delayed from its early start without delaying the project completion. It can be determined by subtracting an activity's early finish from its late finish (LF - EF). This is also known as slack.

Finish-to-finish dependency

According to the PMBOK^® Guide, the predecessor activity must be finished before the successor(s) can finish.

Finish-to-start dependency

According to the PMBOK^® Guide, the predecessor activity must be complete before the successor(s) can start.

Fixed loading

The budget is distributed based on fixed points of time over the life of the activity or project.

Forecast

Management's projection or assessment of how the Company will perform relative to the objectives that are established in the budget or outlook.

Front loading

Distributes more budget at the start of an activity or project than toward the end.

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Gantt chart

A time-scaled (calendar) bar chart depicting the project's schedule.

Gap

see lag

Hanger dependency error

An unintended break in a network path usually caused by missing activities or missing logical relationships.

Hard logic

see mandatory dependency

Human resources management

According to the PMBOK^® Guide, project human resource management includes all the processes required to make the most effective use of people involved with the project.

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