{"id":51409,"date":"2025-03-24T11:30:09","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T16:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/?p=51409"},"modified":"2026-05-12T14:21:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T19:21:43","slug":"float-in-project-management","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/float-in-project-management","title":{"rendered":"A Guide to Float or Slack in Project Management: Scheduling Templates Included"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Projects are made up of a large number of tasks, and keeping track of those tasks is a primary role of a project manager. Sometimes, the tasks in a project all run smoothly and independently of each other, and there are no complexities. Other times, however, there will be a large chain of dependent tasks that make things more complicated.<\/p>\n<p>What happens if a task needs to be completed today, but the person responsible for it is waiting on another task that hasn\u2019t been completed yet? Delay happens. If you want to avoid delays in your projects, then it\u2019s time to familiarize yourself with float or slack in project management.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_63412\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-63412\" style=\"width: 1554px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/freetrial?edition=d\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-63412 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Construction-Gantt-light-mode-task-info-general-CTA-BUTTON-1.jpg\" alt=\"ProjectManager's Gantt chart\" width=\"1554\" height=\"833\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Construction-Gantt-light-mode-task-info-general-CTA-BUTTON-1.jpg 1554w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Construction-Gantt-light-mode-task-info-general-CTA-BUTTON-1-600x322.jpg 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Construction-Gantt-light-mode-task-info-general-CTA-BUTTON-1-300x161.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Construction-Gantt-light-mode-task-info-general-CTA-BUTTON-1-768x412.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Construction-Gantt-light-mode-task-info-general-CTA-BUTTON-1-1536x823.jpg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Construction-Gantt-light-mode-task-info-general-CTA-BUTTON-1-450x241.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1554px) 100vw, 1554px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-63412\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Calculate float automatically and in real time with ProjectManager&#8217;s Gantt charts. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/pricing\">Get started for free!<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>What Is Float or Slack in Project Management?<\/h2>\n<p>In project management, float, sometimes also referred to as \u201cslack,\u201d is a number that indicates the amount of time a task can be delayed without impacting subsequent tasks or the project\u2019s overall completion. It&#8217;s important to track when you are maintaining your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/project-schedule\">project schedule<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>There are two types of float in project management, free float (FF) and total float (TF).<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Free float<\/strong> is the amount of time that a task can be delayed without impacting the subsequent task.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Total float<\/strong> is the amount of time a task or a project can be delayed without impacting the overall project completion time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Float is a key piece of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/critical-path-method\">critical path method (CPM)<\/a>, a system used by project managers to efficiently schedule project activities.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_70489\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-70489\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/templates\/critical-path-template\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-70489 size-medium\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/critical-path-method-screenshot-600x205.png\" alt=\"Critical path template\" width=\"600\" height=\"205\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/critical-path-method-screenshot-600x205.png 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/critical-path-method-screenshot-1600x545.png 1600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/critical-path-method-screenshot-300x102.png 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/critical-path-method-screenshot-768x262.png 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/critical-path-method-screenshot-1536x524.png 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/critical-path-method-screenshot-450x153.png 450w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/critical-path-method-screenshot.png 1860w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-70489\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Critical path template <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/templates\/critical-path-template\">Free download<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>What Is the Critical Path?<\/h3>\n<p>The critical path is a sequence of dependent tasks that determines the duration of a project. Tasks on the critical path need to happen for the project to finish, and they need to be done in a specific order. Tasks on the critical path will have a float of zero, meaning there are no delays in the <a href=\"\/blog\/how-to-sequence-activities\">sequence<\/a>. There is no extra time to spare on these tasks, and if one is delayed, then the project is delayed too.<\/p>\n<p>When a task has a positive float number, it is considered part of the non-critical path, meaning that it has some flexibility to be moved or delayed from its planned start date without impacting the project&#8217;s completion.<\/p>\n<div class=\"template-download-holder\">\n\t<div class=\"template-download-image-holder\">\n\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gantt-Chart-Template-Excel-image.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Gantt Chart Template Excel Image\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gantt-Chart-Template-Excel-image.png 1600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gantt-Chart-Template-Excel-image-600x338.png 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gantt-Chart-Template-Excel-image-300x169.png 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gantt-Chart-Template-Excel-image-768x432.png 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gantt-Chart-Template-Excel-image-1536x864.png 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gantt-Chart-Template-Excel-image-450x253.png 450w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gantt-Chart-Template-Excel-image-384x216.png 384w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Gantt-Chart-Template-Excel-image-800x451.png 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/>\t<\/div><p class=\"intro\">Get your free<\/p>\n<h3>Gantt Chart Template<\/h3>\n<p class=\"subtitle\">\n\tUse this free Gantt Chart Template  for Excel to manage your projects better.<\/p>\n\t\t<button type=\"button\" data-file-id=\"65807\" data-categoryname=\"In blog post\" class=\"button green template-lightbox-trigger-65807\">Download Excel File<\/button>\n\t<\/div> \n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Difference Between Slack and Float in Project Management<\/h2>\n<p>To be clear, \u201cslack\u201d and \u201cfloat\u201d refer to the same concept in <a href=\"\/guides\/project-management\">project management<\/a>; the amount of time a task can be delayed without impacting other tasks or the project\u2019s overall completion date. Both represent flexibility within a project schedule.<\/p>\n<p>As we mentioned, there are two types of float; total float (or total slack) and free float. This distinction between \u201ctotal float\u201d and \u201cfree float\u201d is important for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.accidentalpm.online\/blog\/the-art-of-project-scheduling-creating-realistic-timelines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">precise project scheduling<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>How to Calculate Float<\/h2>\n<p>There are several different ways to calculate float. The technical calculations that are part of the critical path method will be confusing if you aren\u2019t up to speed on CPM and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/network-diagrams-free-tools\">network diagrams<\/a>, so we\u2019ll explain how to do these calculations in layman\u2019s terms.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to note that most project managers don\u2019t even do float calculations by hand because it would be extremely time-consuming, not to mention the project plan is always changing.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, the best way to get float numbers and other valuable calculations in real-time is to use professional project management software that automatically does the number crunching for you. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/software\">ProjectManager&#8217;s Gantt charts, dashboards and project reports<\/a> will automatically calculate and provide you with the data you need to track float, slippage, critical paths and more.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_70247\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-70247\" style=\"width: 1916px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"\/software\/critical-path\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-70247 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/critical-path-light-mode-gantt-construction-1.png\" alt=\"Filter for the critical path to manage float and slack in ProjectManager\" width=\"1916\" height=\"924\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/critical-path-light-mode-gantt-construction-1.png 1916w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/critical-path-light-mode-gantt-construction-1-600x289.png 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/critical-path-light-mode-gantt-construction-1-1600x772.png 1600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/critical-path-light-mode-gantt-construction-1-300x145.png 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/critical-path-light-mode-gantt-construction-1-768x370.png 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/critical-path-light-mode-gantt-construction-1-1536x741.png 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/critical-path-light-mode-gantt-construction-1-450x217.png 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1916px) 100vw, 1916px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-70247\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Filter for the critical path automatically with online Gantt charts. <a href=\"\/software\/critical-path\">Learn more<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>However, if you want to do the calculations manually, just follow the steps below.<\/p>\n<h3>Total Float Calculation<\/h3>\n<p>Total float can apply to the project as a whole, or to an individual task.<\/p>\n<p>A project\u2019s total float is the difference between the finish date of the last task on the critical path and the project completion date. This will tell you how much total time the critical tasks can be delayed before the entire project misses its completion target.<\/p>\n<p>To calculate a task\u2019s total float, simply take the difference between the finish date of the last task on the critical path and the planned finish date of the task you are calculating for.<\/p>\n<h3>Free Float Calculation<\/h3>\n<p>As you recall, free float is a number that shows how long a particular task can be delayed before it impacts the next sequential task. Therefore, to calculate the free float of a task, simply take the difference between the next task\u2019s planned start date, and the current task\u2019s end date.<\/p>\n<h2>An Example of Float in Project Management<\/h2>\n<p>So far, we\u2019ve defined what float is, but it will be much easier to understand what it is and why it\u2019s important once we look at an example.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s assume you\u2019re building your new kitchen, and you have 90 days to complete the process because you have a big party planned in three months. To complete the kitchen renovation project, the following things must happen in order:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">Drywall installation<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">Cabinet installation<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">Plumbing\/Electric<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">Floor installation<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>These activities make up the critical path and have zero float.<\/p>\n<p>Then there are additional tasks like painting and decorating that need to happen, but they have much more flexibility as to when they can be done. These tasks make up the non-critical path.<\/p>\n<p>Painting can be done any time after the drywall is installed, so it has a high float. Decorating can be done any time after the painting is done, so decorating has some float too.<\/p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-51410 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/float-example.jpg\" alt=\"how to calculate float in a project\" width=\"922\" height=\"527\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/float-example.jpg 922w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/float-example-600x343.jpg 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/float-example-300x171.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/float-example-768x439.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/float-example-450x257.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 922px) 100vw, 922px\" \/>\n<h2>Types of Float in Project Management<\/h2>\n<p>In addition to using a hypothetical project scenario to illustrate an example of float, let\u2019s explore how float might appear in different industries.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Float for IT Projects:<\/strong> IT projects\u00a0 are often complex and have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/gantt-chart-dependencies\">numerous dependencies<\/a>. If an IT team is rolling out a new employee onboarding system, setting up the database and core system infrastructure is a critical task that can\u2019t be delayed. User training videos aren\u2019t as pressing and there is more flexibility in when they are finalized.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Float in Manufacturing Projects:<\/strong> If a manufacturer is building a toy car assembly line, a critical task without float is getting the wheels delivered on time. If the wheels are late, the whole line stops. However, a task within this project with float may include painting the car bodies; there are a few days to paint them without delaying the product\u2019s final assembly and shipping.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Float for Construction Projects:<\/strong> When building a house in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/types-of-construction-projects\">construction project<\/a>, an example of a task without float is pouring the foundation. If bad weather delays this task, all other tasks will be delayed. A task such as installing the interior trim, on the other hand, has float. If it takes a few extra days, the final inspection and handover won\u2019t be delayed.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Float for Professional Services Projects:<\/strong> Let\u2019s say a consulting firm is implementing a new customer relationship management (CRM) system for a client. If the data isn\u2019t transferred accurately or on time, the go-live will be delayed. A task such as creating user training documentation has slack as the consultants have a few extra days to complete the manuals without pushing the project deadline.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Float in Event Planning:<\/strong> If an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/training\/how-to-plan-an-event\">event planning<\/a> company is planning a large corporate event, a critical task may be securing the keynote speaker. If the speaker suddenly backs out, the whole schedule will be thrown off. In terms of designing the conference brochures, there are likely a few days of slack or float that allow for unexpected changes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Why Float Matters for Projects<\/h2>\n<p>It might seem that float is just a technical number used <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/network-diagrams-free-tools\">in network diagrams, <\/a>but it is actually a very powerful tool that can help teams learn more about their work and help improve the productivity of projects.<\/p>\n<h3>Float Keeps Projects on Track<\/h3>\n<p>To start, monitoring a project\u2019s total float (TF) is crucial to ensuring that the overall project is going to be delivered on time. If you notice that a project\u2019s TF is getting close to zero, it\u2019s now crunch time to make sure the final remaining tasks are finished efficiently.<\/p>\n<p>You may even need to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/resource-allocation\">add extra resources<\/a> to help the project team finish the final tasks faster than originally planned. If the project isn\u2019t going to finish on time, then it\u2019s time to have a chat with your client or stakeholders to let them know that they should expect a delay.<\/p>\n<h3>Float Improves Prioritization<\/h3>\n<p>Free float (FF) is also a helpful number to monitor because it gives you a way to decide which tasks need to be prioritized and which can be pushed back to a later date. If a task has zero float or a low float number, then it should go to the top of the priority list so the project team can knock it out.<\/p>\n<p>Conversely, any tasks with high FF numbers can be pushed to the bottom of the priority list, because there is no rush to get them finished.<\/p>\n<h3>Managing Float can Boost Team Morale<\/h3>\n<p>Finally, free float can be used to help you keep different project teams happy and efficient. Let\u2019s say that task A is moving towards a very low free float number, meaning it is at risk of delaying task B. In this case, you can give the team working on Task A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/resource-management\">some extra resources<\/a> to help them finish their work.<\/p>\n<p>You could also let the team who will be working on task B know that they should prepare for a delay in their work. By monitoring FF, you can catch problems early and make sure that teams don\u2019t get frustrated by sudden delays. If team B knows to expect delays, then they can fill their time by working on something else.<\/p>\n<h2>Templates to Help You Manage Project Slack<\/h2>\n<p>There are several free project management templates for Excel and Word available on our website. Below are a handful that can improve how teams manage project float.<\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/templates\/critical-path-template\">Critical Path Template<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Use this free critical path template for Excel to calculate the critical path of any project. This makes it easy to see which tasks must be completed on time and which have more float.<\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/templates\/pert-chart-template\">PERT Chart Template<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Download this free PERT chart template for Excel to build a schedule and track its progress to ensure all activities are completed by the deadline. It helps schedule, organize and coordinate project tasks.<\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/templates\/gantt-chart-template\">Gantt Chart Template<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>This free Gantt chart template for Excel is the ideal way to visualize the tasks that make up a project schedule. It helps project managers organize which tasks are essential to finish on time and which have more float.<\/p>\n<h2>Project Management Tools for Monitoring Work<\/h2>\n<p>Calculating float on your tasks and projects can be extremely valuable, but doing the calculations by hand is out of the question for most people. If you would rather have a project management tool do all of the complex calculations for you, then <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/\">ProjectManager<\/a> has a suite of PM tools perfect for the job.<\/p>\n<h3>Gantt Charts For Critical Path<\/h3>\n<p>ProjectManager\u2019s Gantt chart is one of the most powerful tools on the market for scheduling work. Here, you can add tasks, create project milestones and automatically calculate the critical path of your project. Save hours of drawing network diagrams and making calculations, and instead let the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/software\/gantt-chart\">Gantt chart software<\/a> do all of the work for you.<\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/software\/gantt-chart\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-61513 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Gantt_Manufacturing_Wide_Zoom-175_Focus-on-Tasklist_Spreadsheet.jpg\" alt=\"ProjectManager's Gantt chart\" width=\"1568\" height=\"819\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Gantt_Manufacturing_Wide_Zoom-175_Focus-on-Tasklist_Spreadsheet.jpg 1568w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Gantt_Manufacturing_Wide_Zoom-175_Focus-on-Tasklist_Spreadsheet-600x313.jpg 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Gantt_Manufacturing_Wide_Zoom-175_Focus-on-Tasklist_Spreadsheet-300x157.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Gantt_Manufacturing_Wide_Zoom-175_Focus-on-Tasklist_Spreadsheet-768x401.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Gantt_Manufacturing_Wide_Zoom-175_Focus-on-Tasklist_Spreadsheet-1536x802.jpg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Gantt_Manufacturing_Wide_Zoom-175_Focus-on-Tasklist_Spreadsheet-450x235.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1568px) 100vw, 1568px\" \/><\/a>\n<h3>Real-Time Project Dashboards<\/h3>\n<p>ProjectManager\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/software\/dashboard\">real-time project dashboard<\/a> is a helpful way to stay on top of your projects at all times. Once you\u2019ve assigned tasks to your team, the project dashboard will begin to collect data automatically. When team members update their progress on tasks, the data is reflected in the dashboard\u2019s charts.<\/p>\n<p>All of the calculations are done automatically, so you can see progress in real-time. On the dashboard you will see the project\u2019s planned vs. actual progress as a percentage\u2014this is our own way of showing you the total project float.<\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/software\/dashboard\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-61502 size-full\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Dashboard_Construction_Wide_Zoom-150.jpg\" alt=\"ProjectManager\u2019s dashboard view, which shows six key metrics on a project\" width=\"1568\" height=\"816\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Dashboard_Construction_Wide_Zoom-150.jpg 1568w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Dashboard_Construction_Wide_Zoom-150-600x312.jpg 600w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Dashboard_Construction_Wide_Zoom-150-300x156.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Dashboard_Construction_Wide_Zoom-150-768x400.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Dashboard_Construction_Wide_Zoom-150-1536x799.jpg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Dashboard_Construction_Wide_Zoom-150-450x234.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1568px) 100vw, 1568px\" \/><\/a>\n<p>You can also, at-a-glance, see how many tasks are done and how many are still needing to be executed. The dashboard is the central command center for any project, giving you the information you need to keep all of your projects on track.<\/p>\n<h2>Related Content<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/how-to-make-a-project-schedule-in-excel\">How to Make a Project Schedule in Excel (Template Included)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/timeline-examples\">7 Timeline Examples with Templates<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/tentative-schedule\">What Is a Tentative Schedule? When to Use One in Project Management<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/project-proposal-timeline\">Project Proposal Timeline Explained (Example &#038; Template Included)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/schedule-of-rates-construction\">How to Make a Schedule of Rates for a Construction Project<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/es\/holgura-gestion-de-proyectos\">\u00bfQu\u00e9 es la holgura en un proyecto?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Take a free 30-day trial of ProjectManager today to see how easy it is to calculate float and plan, monitor and report on your projects. ProjectManager offers powerful PM tools, but it&#8217;s easy to get you and your team up and running quickly with no training required. The software stores all of your work in the cloud, so your team can stay synced no matter where they are. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/freetrial?edition=d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Get started with ProjectManager today for free.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Projects are made up of a large number of tasks, and keeping track of those tasks is a primary role&#8230;<br \/><a class=\"excerpt-read-more button blue\" href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/float-in-project-management\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":51809,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":0,"_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","head_code_insert":"<link rel=\"alternate\" hreflang=\"en-us\" href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/float-in-project-management\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"alternate\" hreflang=\"es\" href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/es\/holgura-gestion-de-proyectos\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"alternate\" hreflang=\"x-default\" href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/float-in-project-management\" \/>","footnotes":""},"categories":[193,131,252,212],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-project-management","category-blog","category-scheduling","category-task-management"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.3 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A Guide to Float or Slack in Project Management (Scheduling Templates Included)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Knowing how long you have to complete a task is essential for maintaining a project schedule. Calculating float will help you do just that.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.projectmanager.com\/blog\/float-in-project-management\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Guide to Float or Slack in Project Management: Scheduling Templates Included\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Knowing how long you have to complete a task is essential for maintaining a project schedule. 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