project management glossary

early finish date (ef)

 In the critical path method, the earliest possible date 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.

 The earliest time an activity may be completed equal to the early start of the activity plus its remaining duration.

early start

 The Early Start date is defined as the earliest calculated date on which an activity can begin. It is dependent on when all predecessor activities finish. Most PM software calculates early dates with a forward pass from the beginning of the project to the end.

early start date (es)

 In the critical path method, the earliest possible date 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.

 The earliest time any activity may begin as logically constrained by the network for a given data date.