### P

Pane

A section of a window that contains a view A combination view consists of two panes, for example, the Gantt Chart view in the top pane and the Task Form view in the bottom pane.

Password

A combination of characters used to authorize access to a project, the WebInbox, and the TeamInbox. In Microsoft Project, passwords can have from 1 to 17 characters.

Path

A sequence of all folder names from the root to a file’s current folder, separated by backslash characters (\) in Microsoft Windows. For example, in Microsoft Windows 95, the path to a file called Gallery.mpp in the Projects folder of the WinProj folder on drive C would be C:\WinProj\Projects\.

Per-use cost

A cost that is incurred all at once when a resource is used, such as equipment rental.

Percent complete

A field you use to enter or display how much of a task has been completed.

PERT analysis

PERT (Program, Evaluation, and Review Technique) analysis is a process by which you evaluate a probable outcome based on three scenarios: best-case, expected-case, and worst-case. The outcome in question may be the duration of a task, its start date, or its finish date.

PERT chart

A flowchart that shows all tasks and task dependencies. Tasks are represented by boxes and task dependencies are represented by lines that connect the boxes.

Phase

A logical group of related tasks that completes a major step in a project.

Plan

A schedule of task start and finish dates and resource and cost information. A baseline plan is the original project plan that you save and use to monitor project progress. An interim plan is a set of dates you can save during the project to compare to the baseline plan and to other interim plans.

Predecessor task

A task that must start or finish before another task can start or finish. See successor task.

Priority

An indication of a task’s availability for leveling (resolving resource conflicts or overallocations by delaying certain tasks). Tasks with the lowest priority are delayed first. You can also sort and filter tasks based on priority.

Progress bar

On the Gantt Chart, a bar that shows how much of a task has been completed. The progress bar is overlaid on all tasks that are in progress or that have been completed.

Progress line

A visual representation of the progress of your project, displayed in the Gantt Chart view. For a given progress date, Microsoft Project draws a progress line connecting in-progress tasks, thereby creating a graph on the Gantt Chart with peaks pointing to the left for work that is behind schedule and peaks pointing to the right for work that is ahead of schedule. The distance of a peak from the vertical line indicates the degree to which the task is ahead of or behind schedule at the progress date.

Project calendar

The base calendar used by a project.

Prorated cost

A cost that is incurred in increments over time as a task or project progresses. See fixed cost, total cost.

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