This is how earliest dates and latest dates of activities are scheduled in the SAP Project System. Earliest dates are scheduled by forward scheduling, and latest dates by backward scheduling. Forward scheduling is a method of scheduling activities from the start date of the project to the end date. Backward scheduling is a method of scheduling activities from the end date of the project to the start date. The earliest dates are determined by forward scheduling and the latest dates are determined by backward scheduling. This ensures that the activities are scheduled within the project duration and that any slack time is distributed evenly