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the plain-english glossary

Project words, translated

Look up 15 common project-planning terms. Each definition includes examples and links to related concepts.

From the studio behind ganttchart.ai. If you'd rather learn by doing, start with the guide: How to turn a plain-English plan into a Gantt chart. Or see the words in action in five worked Gantt chart examples.

The Lexicon

15 entries · A–Z
2 entries

  1. Baseline

    Plain-English entry

    A saved version of the approved project plan, used to compare the original schedule with current progress.

    See also Scope creep Milestone Buffer Full definition

  2. Buffer

    Plain-English entry

    Time deliberately added to a plan to absorb delays before they affect a deadline.

    See also Slack (float) Critical path Milestone Full definition
1 entry

  1. Critical path

    Plain-English entry

    The chain of dependent tasks that determines a project's earliest finish date. A delay on that path delays the project unless the time is recovered elsewhere on the path.

    See also Dependency Slack (float) Buffer Duration Full definition
3 entries

  1. Deliverable

    Plain-English entry

    A specific output a task or project must produce, such as an approved design or a working feature.

    See also Milestone Task Scope creep Full definition

  2. Dependency

    Plain-English entry

    A scheduling relationship between tasks: one task's start or finish depends on another task's start or finish.

    See also Finish-to-start Critical path Lead time & lag time Task Full definition

  3. Duration

    Plain-English entry

    How long a task takes in calendar time, start to finish — which is not the same as how much work it contains.

    See also Task Slack (float) Critical path Full definition
1 entry

  1. Finish-to-start

    Plain-English entry

    A dependency where task B cannot start until task A finishes. It is the most common relationship between scheduled tasks.

    See also Dependency Lead time & lag time Critical path Full definition
1 entry

  1. Gantt chart

    Plain-English entry

    A chart that shows a project as horizontal bars on a calendar — one bar per task — so you can see what happens when, what overlaps, and what's waiting on what.

    See also Task Dependency Milestone Timeline Full definition
1 entry

  1. Lead time & lag time

    Plain-English entry

    Adjustments on a dependency between tasks: lead lets the next task start early and overlap, lag forces a wait after the previous one finishes.

    See also Dependency Finish-to-start Duration Full definition
1 entry

  1. Milestone

    Plain-English entry

    A significant point in a project, such as a launch or an approval. A milestone has no duration and usually appears as a diamond on a Gantt chart.

    See also Deliverable Baseline Gantt chart Full definition
2 entries

  1. Scope creep

    Plain-English entry

    Project work expanding without an agreed adjustment to the schedule, budget, or resources.

    See also Baseline Deliverable Buffer Full definition

  2. Slack (float)

    also Also called: float, total float, free float

    Plain-English entry

    How long a task can be delayed without delaying a later task (free float) or the project's finish date (total float).

    See also Critical path Buffer Duration Full definition
2 entries

  1. Task

    Plain-English entry

    A piece of work with a start, finish, and duration. A high-level project chart may group detailed work into tasks such as 'Design' or 'Build'.

    See also Duration Deliverable Work breakdown structure Full definition

  2. Timeline

    Plain-English entry

    A timeline displays events against time. A Gantt chart is a type of timeline that shows task durations and can connect dependent tasks.

    See also Gantt chart Dependency Milestone Full definition
1 entry

  1. Work breakdown structure

    also Usually abbreviated: WBS

    Plain-English entry

    A breakdown of a project's work into smaller parts, used to check its scope and identify work that can be estimated and assigned.

    See also Task Deliverable Duration Full definition
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