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Project Management vocabulary · Schedule & Time

Fast-track

Meaning in project management, with examples

/ˈfæst træk/verbAdvanced term

In project management, fast-track means: To shorten a schedule by doing tasks at the same time that were planned to be done one after the other. It saves time but increases the risk of rework.

In Turkish: hızlandırmak, paralel yürütmek, işleri örtüştürmek

How it is used

A formal schedule compression technique, together with crashing (adding more resources). In general business English, fast-track also simply means to make something happen faster than usual: fast-track an approval.

Example sentences

  1. To meet the opening date, we fast-tracked the interior work so it started before the roof was finished.

  2. If we fast-track design and development, some screens may need to be rebuilt later.

Common collocations

  • fast-track the schedule
  • fast-track an approval
  • fast-tracking and crashing
  • critical pathThe longest chain of dependent tasks in a project. It sets the shortest possible finish date, so any delay to a task on it delays the whole project.
  • dependencyA link between two tasks or deliverables where one cannot start or finish until the other has started or finished.
  • bufferExtra time added to a schedule, or extra money or capacity kept aside, to absorb delays and surprises without missing the final date.
  • behind scheduleLater than planned; not progressing as fast as the schedule says it should.

More terms: Schedule & Time

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