P

phase

A sequence of tasks that represent a major portion of the project’s work. In Project, phases are represented by summary tasks.

planning

The first major phase of project management work. Planning includes all the work in developing a project schedule up to the point where the tracking of actual work begins.

predecessor

A task whose start or end date determines the start or finish of another task or tasks, called successor tasks.

product scope

The quality, features, and functions (often called specifications) of the deliverable of the project.

program office

A department within an organization that oversees a collection of projects (such as producing wings and producing engines), each of which contributes to a complete deliverable (such as an airplane) and the organization’s strategic objectives.

progress bar

A graphical representation on a bar in the Gantt Chart view that shows how much of a task has been completed.

project

A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service.

project calendar

The base calendar that is used by the entire project. The project calendar defines normal working and nonworking days and times.

project scope

The work required to produce a deliverable with agreed-upon quality, features, and functions.

project summary task

A summary task that contains top-level information such as duration, work, and costs for the entire project. The project summary task has a task ID of 0 and is displayed through the View tab of the Options dialog box, which is available by clicking the Options command on the Tools menu.

project triangle

A popular model of project management in which time, cost, and scope are represented as the three sides of a triangle. A change to one side will affect at least one of the other two sides. There are many variations on this model.