Glossary
Last updated: 17-Jul-2025
A
Activity
A single task, milestone, or work item in a schedule. Activities have durations, dates, relationships, and resource assignments.
Activity Code
A classification label assigned to activities for grouping and filtering (e.g., Phase, Discipline, Area). Activity codes can have hierarchical values.
Actual Finish (AF)
The date an activity actually completed.
Actual Start (AS)
The date work actually began on an activity.
At Completion
The total estimated cost or quantity when an activity finishes, combining actual to date plus remaining.
B
Backward Pass
The second phase of CPM calculation that determines late start and late finish dates by working from the project finish date backward.
Baseline
A saved snapshot of the schedule used for comparison. The baseline represents the "planned" state against which progress is measured.
C
Calendar
Defines working and non-working time for activities. A calendar specifies work days, hours per day, and exceptions (holidays).
Constraint
A restriction on an activity's dates. Common types include "Must Start On", "Start No Earlier Than", "Finish No Later Than", etc.
CPM (Critical Path Method)
A scheduling algorithm that calculates the longest path through the network to determine the minimum project duration, early/late dates, and float.
Critical Path
The sequence of activities that determines the minimum project duration. Activities on the critical path have zero or negative total float — any delay to them delays the project.
CRDT (Conflict-free Replicated Data Type)
A data structure that enables concurrent editing by multiple users without coordination. Used in Kazinex's collaboration feature via the Yjs library.
CSV (Comma-Separated Values)
A simple text format for tabular data. Kazinex can export grid and comparison data as CSV files.
D
Data Date
The date dividing completed work (in the past) from future planned work. Also called the "status date" or "as-of date".
DCMA (Defense Contract Management Agency)
A US Department of Defence agency that publishes the DCMA 14-Point Assessment, a widely used standard for schedule quality checks.
Driving Path
The chain of relationships that determines an activity's early dates. If any activity on the driving path is delayed, the driven activity is also delayed.
Duration
The time span for an activity, measured in working hours or days according to its calendar.
E
Early Finish (EF)
The earliest possible date an activity can finish, calculated by the forward pass.
Early Start (ES)
The earliest possible date an activity can start, calculated by the forward pass.
Earned Value
A project management technique measuring performance by comparing planned work, completed work, and actual costs.
F
FF (Finish-to-Finish)
A relationship type where the successor cannot finish until the predecessor finishes.
Float (Slack)
The amount of time an activity can be delayed without affecting the project finish date (total float) or the start of its successor (free float).
Forward Pass
The first phase of CPM calculation that determines early start and early finish dates by working from the project start date forward.
Free Float
The amount of time an activity can be delayed without affecting any immediate successor's early start.
FS (Finish-to-Start)
The most common relationship type. The successor cannot start until the predecessor finishes.
G
Gantt Chart
A bar chart showing activities plotted against a time axis. Bar length represents duration; bar position shows start and finish dates.
H
Hammock (LOE)
A Level of Effort activity whose duration is determined by its relationships rather than an assigned duration.
K
KAZ (.kaz)
Kazinex's native file format. A compact binary format with optional compression and AES encryption.
L
Lag
The delay time between related activities. A lag of 5 days on a FS relationship means the successor starts 5 days after the predecessor finishes.
Late Finish (LF)
The latest date an activity can finish without delaying the project, calculated by the backward pass.
Late Start (LS)
The latest date an activity can start without delaying the project, calculated by the backward pass.
Lead
A negative lag — the successor starts before the predecessor finishes.
LOE (Level of Effort)
An activity type whose dates are driven by its relationships to other activities, spanning from its earliest predecessor to its latest successor.
M
MFP (Multiple Float Path)
An analysis technique that identifies multiple near-critical paths through the schedule network, ranked by total float.
Milestone
An activity with zero duration that marks a significant event or deliverable.
MPP (.mpp)
Microsoft Project's native binary file format.
MSPDI
Microsoft Project Data Interchange — an XML format for exchanging schedule data with Microsoft Project.
N
Negative Float
Float below zero, indicating the activity is behind schedule and the project is delayed unless corrective action is taken.
P
P6
See "Primavera P6".
Percent Complete
The proportion of an activity's work that has been completed, expressed as a percentage.
PMXML
Primavera's XML export format using the APIBusinessObjects schema.
Predecessor
An activity that must start or finish before another activity (the successor) can start or finish.
Primavera P6
Oracle's enterprise project management software, widely used in construction, engineering, and infrastructure industries.
R
Relationship (Dependency)
A logical link between two activities that defines the order of work. Types: FS, SS, FF, SF.
Remaining Duration
The estimated time still needed to complete an in-progress activity.
Resource
A person, piece of equipment, or material assigned to an activity. Resources have types (Labour, Equipment, Material), rates, and calendars.
S
SF (Start-to-Finish)
A relationship type where the successor cannot finish until the predecessor starts. Rarely used.
SS (Start-to-Start)
A relationship type where the successor cannot start until the predecessor starts.
Successor
An activity that depends on another activity (the predecessor) to start or finish first.
T
Total Float
The amount of time an activity can be delayed without extending the project finish date.
U
UDF (User Defined Field)
A custom data field added to activities, WBS nodes, resources, or projects. UDFs can be text, numeric, date, cost, or indicator types.
W
WBS (Work Breakdown Structure)
A hierarchical decomposition of the project scope into manageable sections. Each WBS node can contain activities and child WBS nodes.
X
XER (.xer)
Primavera P6's tab-delimited text export format. The most common format for exchanging P6 schedule data.