Lag & Lead

Developed by Helene Waldmann Jørgensen

Abstract

A project manager oversees that the project finishes on time and therefore the project manager must keep the project on schedule. A heavy project delay is often seen as a project management failure, therefore keeping a project on schedule is important for the success of the project management team. This article will present the concept of lag and lead and how a project manager can use this actively to help scheduling and adjusting the scheduling during the project. Lag and lead are used in the process of sequencing activities before the project starts. Task and activities are scheduled to take place at the same time or after each other. Using the concept of lag and lead task and activities can be scheduled to take place with the right overlap or time in between. A lead means an activity takes place while the previous is still going one and a lag means that an activity takes place after the previous have finish. Lag and lead are used in other different specific scheduling tools for example Critical Path Method and Network planning. Having an overview of the lag and lead needed between each task and activity means that project manager can optimize the schedule and know where to gain lost time to finish the project on time. There are some limitations with lag and lead as it is not a tool but rather a concept that are used in different tools.