Early Finish Date (EF)
Scheduling Terms
Reviewed by forProject Technology - updated Sep 2026
Quick definition: The Early Finish Date is the earliest a task can finish: its Early Start Date advanced by the task's Duration across its working calendar.
Calculated during the Forward Pass, the Early Finish Date follows directly from the Early Start Date — it is that date plus the task's Duration, counted in working days rather than calendar days. It's paired with the Late Finish Date to determine a task's float.
Why it matters
Comparing a task's Early Finish Date to its Late Finish Date reveals how much scheduling flexibility (float) it has, which is essential for identifying the Critical Path. Tasks where the two dates are equal have zero float and are critical.
Also known as
N/A
Used in
Critical Path Method (CPM) Forward Pass calculations; Total Float and Free Float calculations
See also
FAQ
How is Early Finish Date different from Late Finish Date?
Early Finish Date is the soonest a task could finish; Late Finish Date is the latest it can finish without delaying the project — the gap between them is the task's float.
What is the Early Finish Date used to calculate?
It's a key input, along with the Late Finish Date, for calculating a task's float and for identifying which tasks fall on the Critical Path.
Definition maintained by forProject Technology.
© 2026 forProject Technology, Inc.
© 2026 forProject Technology, Inc.
