| A-0-A | activity-on-arrow; a network diagram convention in which arrows designate activities.
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| A-0-N | activity-on-node; a network diagram convention in which nodes designate activities.
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| activities | steps in the project that consume resources and/or time.
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| arrow | indicates the direction of flow in the precedence diagram.
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| beta distribution | in PERT with three time estimates for completion of an activity, the distribution form governing the calculation of the means and variances of activity completion times.
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| CPM (Critical Path Method) | PERT and CPM were developed separately at about the same time in the late 1950s. Both techniques are concerned with integrating and managing a project consisting of a number of different tasks.
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| crash | to shorten an activity.
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| crash time | the completion-time estimate for an activity resulting from crashing it.
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| critical activity | an activity on the critical path.
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| critical path | the path in a network diagram that takes the longest time for completion.
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| deterministic time estimate | a single time estimate for an activity, with no alternative estimates or probability distribution of estimates.
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| dummy activity | an artificial activity on an A-0-A network diagram, to facilitate distinguishing between two or more activities that both begin and end at the same node.
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| early finish (EF) | the earliest time that the activity can finish.
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| early start (ES) | the earliest time that an activity can start, assuming all preceding activities start as early as possible.
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| event | the starting and finishing of activities, designated by nodes in the AOA convention.
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| Gantt chart | visual aid used for scheduling simple projects.
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| independence | the assumption that activity duration times are not related to each other and that each activity is on only one path.
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| late finish (LF) | the latest time an activity can finish and not delay the project.
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| late start (LS) | the latest time an activity can start and not delay the project.
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| most likely time | the most probable length of time that will be required.
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| network (precedence) diagram | diagram of project activities that shows sequential relationships by the use of arrows and nodes.
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| optimistic time | the length of time required under optimal conditions; the shortest time.
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| path | a sequence of activities that leads from the starting node to the finishing node.
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| PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) | see CPM.
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| pessimistic time | the length of time required under the worst conditions; the longest time.
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| predecessor | for two activities joined at a node, the predecessor is the one that precedes, and the successor is the one that follows.
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| probabilistic | estimates of times that allow for variation.
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| project | unique, one time operations designed to a specific set of objectives in a limited time frame.
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| project champion | people within the company who promote and support the project.
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| sequence | the order in which tasks are to be performed.
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| slack | the allowable slippage for any activity; it is the difference between the length of a given path and the length of the critical path.
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| successor | see predecessor.
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| work breakdown structure | a hierarchical listing of what must be done during a project.
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