Target keywords: lag in project management, Gantt lag vs activities
Lag is common in professional scheduling.
It is also one of the most misunderstood features in project management tools.
Lag applies an offset directly to a dependency:
It modifies behavior — without adding a visible task.
Lag:
This makes schedules harder to review and explain.
An explicit wait activity:
From a modeling standpoint, it is clearer and safer.
Lag persists because:
The most effective approach is:
This preserves clarity without alienating experienced users.
Lag is not wrong — but hidden logic always is.