Glossary
Project management glossary
This glossary defines the most frequently used terms in project planning in single sentences and indicates where each term appears in SmartPM.
- Gantt chart
- A plan view that displays tasks as horizontal bars on a timeline; the bar's start is the start date and end is the finish date. In SmartPM, you drag and resize bars (Gantt chart).
- Dependency (predecessor and successor)
- A rule linking the start or end of one task to another. There are four types: Finish-to-Start, Start-to-Start, Finish-to-Finish, and Start-to-Finish. SmartPM supports all four.
- Lag (waiting time)
- Mandatory delay between two linked tasks; for example, formwork is removed two working days after concrete pouring. In SmartPM, lag is entered in working days.
- Critical path
- The longest chain of dependent tasks determining the project's end date; if any task in this chain slips by one day, the entire project slips by one day. SmartPM highlights critical path tasks in red on the Gantt chart.
- Float
- The amount of time a task can be delayed without delaying the project's end date; tasks on the critical path have zero float.
- Automatic scheduling
- Automatic forward shifting of dependent tasks when a task's date changes. In SmartPM, successor tasks shift according to link rules and working days.
- Milestone
- A task with no duration that marks a significant point in the project, e.g., "Design approval". In SmartPM, any task can be set as a milestone, and the next milestone is shown in the portfolio.
- Kanban board
- A board that displays tasks as cards in columns according to workflow stages; work progresses as cards move from one column to another. In SmartPM, columns are project lists (Kanban and tasks).
- Sub-task
- A task that breaks a large task into smaller, trackable parts. In SmartPM, sub-tasks can nest up to five levels deep.
- Working days
- Days of the week considered productive for planning; durations and lags are calculated based on these days. In SmartPM, each project can select its own working days, e.g., including Saturday.
- Workload and capacity
- Comparison of the total duration of tasks assigned to a person against their weekly available hours. In SmartPM, workload is displayed per person and per week using estimated durations.
- Timeline
- A record showing how much time each person spent on which task weekly. In SmartPM, duration is entered via timer or manually and can be downloaded as CSV (Time tracking).
- Portfolio
- High-level view showing the status, progress, and risks of all projects in an organisation on a single screen. SmartPM's portfolio includes each project's latest status update, delayed tasks, and budget usage.
- Project status update
- Project manager marking the project's progress as On Track, At Risk, or Delayed and sharing a short note. In SmartPM, updates are stored with history and notified to the team.
- Automation rule
- Rule that automatically performs repetitive manual actions in an 'If this, then that' format. In SmartPM, a project can have up to 50 rules, with up to three actions defined per rule.
- Audit log
- Immutable history showing who changed what, in which project, and when. SmartPM retains audit logs for 400 days.
Start using these terms with your team
Gantt chart, critical path and Kanban in one panel.