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531 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
Acceptance Criteria
A set of conditions that is required to be met before deliverables are accepted.
Accepted Deliverables
Products, results, or capabilities produced by a project and validated by the project customer or sponsors as meeting their specified acceptance criteria.
Accuracy
Within the quality management system, - is an assessment of correctness.
Acquire Project Team
The process of confirming human resource availability and obtaining the team necessary to complete project activities.
Acquisition
Obtaining human and material resources necessary to perform project activities. -implies a cost of resources, and is not necessarily financial.
Activity
A distinct, scheduled portion of work performed during the course of a project.
Activity Attributes
Multiples attributes associated with each schedule activity that can be included within the activity list. Activity Attributes include activity codes, predecessor activities, successor activities, logical relationships, leads and lags, resource requirements, imposed dates, constraints, and assumptions.
Activity Code
One or more numerical or text values that identify characteristics of the work or in some way categorize the schedule activity that allows filtering and ordering of activities within reports.
Activity Cost Estimates
The projected cost of the schedule activity that includes the cost for all resources required to perform and complete the activity, including all cost types and cost components.
Activity Duration
The time in calendar units between the start and finish of a schedule activity. See also duration.
Activity Duration
Estimate A quantitative assessment of the likely amount or outcome for the duration of an activity.
Activity identifier
A short, unique numeric or text identification assigned to each schedule activity to differentiate that project activity from other activities. Typically unique within any one project schedule network diagram.
Activity List
A documented tabulation of schedule activities that shows the activity description, activity identifier, and a sufficiently detailed scope of work description so project team members understand what work is to be performed.
Activity Network Diagrams
See project schedule network diagram.
Activity-on-Node (AON)
A technique used for constructing a schedule model in which activities are represented by nodes and are graphically linked by one or more logical relationships to show the sequence in which the activities are to be performed.
Activity Resource Requirements
The types and quantities of resources required for each activity in a work package.
Actual Cost (AC)
The realized cost incurred for the work performed on an activity during a specific time period.
Actual Duration
The time in calendar units between the actual start date of the schedule activity and either the data date of the project schedule if the schedule activity is in progress or the actual finish date if the schedule activity is complete.
Adaptive Life Cycle
A project life cycle, also known as change-driven or agile methods, that is intended to facilitate change and require a high degree of ongoing stakeholder involvement. - are also iterative an incremental, but differ in that iterations are very rapid (usually2-4 weeks in length) and are fixed in time and resources.
Additional Quality Planning Tools
A set of tools used to define the quality requirements and to plan effective quality management activities. They include, but are not limited to: brainstorming, force field analysis, nominal group techniques and quality management and control tools.
Adjusting Leads and Lags
A technique used to find ways to bring project activities that are behind into alignment with plan during project execution.
Advertising
The process of calling public attention to a project or effort.
Affinity Diagram
A group creativity technique that allows large numbers of ideas to be classified into groups for review and analysis.
Agreements
Any document or communication that defines the initial intentions of a project. This can take the form of a contract, memorandum of understanding (MOU) letters of agreement, verbal agreements, emails, etc.
Alternative Analysis
A technique used to evaluate identified options in order to select which options or approaches to use to execute and perform the work of the project.
Alternatives Generation
A technique used to develop as many potential options as possible in order to identify different approaches to execute and perform the work of the project.
Analogous estimating
A technique for estimating the duration or cost of an activity or a project using historical data from a similar activity or project.
Analytical Techniques
Various techniques used to evaluate, analyze, or forecast potential outcomes bases on possible variations of project or environmental variables and their relationships with other variables.
Application Area
A category of projects that have common components significant in such projects, but are not needed or present in all projects. Application Area are usually defined in terms of either the product (i.e., by similar technologies or production methods) or the type of customer (i.e., internal versus external, government versus commercial) or industry sector (i.e., utilities, automotive, aerospace, information technologies, etc.). -can overlap.
Applying Leads and Lags
A technique that is used to adjust the amount of time between predecessor and successor activities.
Apportioned Effort
An activity where effort is allotted proportionately across certain discrete efforts and not divisible into discrete efforts. [Note: -is one of three earned value management (EVM) types of activities used to measure work performance.]
Approved Change Request
A -that has been processed through the integrated change control process and approved.
Approved Change Requests Review
A review of the -to verify that these were implemented as approved.
Assumption
A factor in the planning process that is considered to be true, real, or certain, without proof or demonstration.
Assumptions Analysis .
A technique that explores the accuracy of assumptions and identifies risks to the project from inaccuracy, inconsistency, or incompleteness of assumptions
Attribute Sampling
Method of measuring quality that consists of noting the presence (or absence) of some characteristic (attribute) in each of the units under consideration. After each unit is inspected, the decision is made to accept a lot, reject it, or inspect another unit.
Authority
The right to apply project resources, expend funds, make decisions, or give approvals.
Backlog
A listing of product requirements and deliverables to be completed, written as stories, and prioritized by the business to manage and organize the project's work.
Backward Pass
A critical path method technique for calculating the late start and late finish dates by working backward through the schedule model from the project end date.
Bar Chart
A graphic display of schedule-related information. In the typical Bar Chart, schedule activities or work breakdown structure components are listed down the left side of the chart, dates are shown across the top, and activity durations are shown as date-placed horizontal bars.
Baseline
The approved version of a work product that can be changed only through formal change control procedures and is used as a basis for comparison.
Basis of Estimates
Supporting documentation outlining the details used in establishing project estimates such as assumptions, constraints, level of detail, ranges, and confidence levels.
Benchmarking
Benchmarking Is the comparison of actual or planned practices, such as processes and operations, to those of comparable organizations to identify best practices, generate ideas for improvement, and provide a basis for measuring performance.
Bidder Conference
The meetings with prospective sellers prior to the preparation of a bid or proposal to ensure all prospective vendors have a clear and common understanding of the procurement.
Bottom-Up Estimating
A method of estimating project duration or cost by aggregating the estimates of the lower-level components of the work breakdown structure (WBS)
Brainstorming
A general data gathering and creativity technique that can be used to identify risks, ideas, or solutions to issues by using a group of team members or subject matter experts.
Budget
The approved estimate for the project or any work breakdown structure component or any schedule activity.
Budget at Completion (BAC)
The sum of all budgets established for the work to be performed.
Business Case
A documented economic feasibility study used to establish validity of the benefits of a selected component lacking sufficient definition and that is used as a basis for the authorization of further project management activities.
Business Value
A concept that is unique to each organization and includes tangible and intangible elements. Through the effective use of project, program, and portfolio management disciplines, organizations will possess the ability to employ reliable, established processes to meet enterprise objectives
Buyer
The acquirer of products, Services, or results for an organization.
Cause and Effect Diagram
A decomposition technique that helps trace an undesirable effect back to its root cause.
Central Tendency
A property of the central Limit Theorem predicting that the data observations in a distribution will tend to Group around a central Location. The three typical measures of -are the mean, median and mode.
Change Control
a
Change Control Board (CCB)
A formally chartered Group responsible for reviewing, evaluating, approving, delaying, or rejecting changes to the Project, and for recording and communicating such decisions.
Change Control System
A set of procedures that describes how modifications to the project deliverables and documentation are managed and controlled.
Change Control Tools
Manual or automated tools to assist with change and/or configuration management. At a minimum, the tools should support the activities of the CCB.
Change Log
A comprehensive list of changes made during the project. This typically includes dates of the change and impacts in term of time, cost, and risks.
Change Request
A formal proposal to modify any document, deliverable, or baseline.
Checklist Analysis
A technique for systematically reviewing materials using a list for accuracy and completeness.
Check sheets
A tally sheet that can be used as a checklist when gathering data.
Claim
A request, demand, or assertion of rights by a seller against buyer, or vice versa, for consideration, compensation, or payment under the terms of a legally binding contract, such as for a disputed Change.
Claims Administration
The process of processing, adjudicating, and communicating contract claims.
Close Procurements
The process of completing each project procurement.
Close Project or Phase
The process of finalizing all activities across all of the Project Management Process Groups to formally complete a project or phase.
Closed Procurements
Project contracts or other procurement agreement that have been formally acknowledged by the proper authorizing agent as being finalized and signed off.
Closing Process Group
Those processes performed to finalize all activities across all Process Groups to formally close a project or phase.
Code of Accounts
A numbering System used to uniquely identify each component of the work breakdown structure (WBS).
Collect Requirements
The process of determining, documenting, and managing stakeholder needs and requirements to meet project objectives.
Colocation
An organizational placement strategy where the project team members are physically located close to one another in order to improve communication, working relationships, and productivity.
Communication Constraints
Restrictions on the content, timing, audience, or individual who will deliver a communication usually stemming from specific legislation, technology, or organizational policies.
Communication Methods
A systematic procedure, technique, or process used to transfer Information among project stakeholders.
Communication Models
A description, analogy or schematic used to represent how the communication process will be performed for the project.
Communication Requirements
Analysis An analytical technique to determine the Information needs of the project stakeholders through interviews, workshops, study of lessons learned from previous projects, etc...
Communication Technology
Specific tools, systems, computer programs, etc..., used to transfer Information among project stakeholders.
Communications Management Plan
A component of the project, program, or portfolio management plan that describes how, when, and by whom Information about the project will be administered and disseminated.
Compliance
A general concept of conforming to a rule, standard, law, or requirement such that the assessment of compliance results in a binomial result stated as "compliant" or "noncompliant".
Conduct Procurements
The process of obtaining seller Responses, selecting a seller, and awarding a contract.
Configuration Management System
A subsystem of the overall project management system. It is a collection of formal documented procedures used to apply technical and administrative direction and surveillance to: identify and document the functional and physical characteristics of a product, result, service, or component; control any changes to such characteristics; record and report each change and its implementation status; and Support Audit of the products, result, or components to verify conformance to requirements. It includes the documentation, tracking systems, and defined approval Levels necessary for authorizing and controlling changes.
Conflict Management
Handling, Controlling, and guiding a conflictual Situation to achieve a resolution.
Conformance
Within the quality management system, conformance is a general concept of delivering results that fall within the Limits that define acceptable variation for a quality requirements.
Conformance Work
In the cost of Quality Framework, conformance work is done to compensate for imperfections that prevent organizations form completing planned activities correctly as essential first-time work. -consists of Actions that are related to prevention and inspection.
Constraint
A limiting factor that effects the execution of a project, program, portfolio, or process.
Context Diagrams
A visual depiction of the product scope showing a business system (process, equipment, computer system, etc.), and how people and other systems (actors) interact with it.
Contingency
An event or occurrence that could affect the execution of the project that may be accounted for with a reserve.
Contingency Reserve Budget
Within the cost baseline or performance measurement baseline that is allocated for identified risks that are accepted and for which contingent or mitigating responses are developed.
Contingent Response Strategies
Responses provided which may be used in the event that a specific trigger occurs.
Contract
A contract is a mutually binding agreement that obligates the seller to provide the specified product or service or result and obligates the buyer to pay for it.
Contract Change Control System
The system used to collect, track, adjudicate, and communicate changes to a contract.
Control Account
A management control point where scope, budget, actual cost, and schedule are integrated and compared to earned value for performance measurement.
Control Chart
A graphic display of process data over time and against established control limits, which has a centerline that assists in detecting a trend of plotted values toward either control limit.
Control Communications
The process of monitoring and -throughout the entire project life cycle to ensure the information needs of the project stakeholders are met.
Control Costs
The process of monitoring the status of the project to update the project costs and managing changes to the baseline.
Control Limits
The area composed of three standard deviations on either side of the centerline or mean of a normal distribution of data plotted on a control chart, which reflects the expected variation in the data.
Control Procurements
The process of managing procurement relationships, monitoring contract performance, and making changes and corrections as appropriate.
Control Quality
The process of monitoring and recording results of executing the quality activities to assess performance and recommend necessary changes.
Control Risks
The process of implementing risk response plans, tracking identified risks, monitoring residual risks, identifying new risks, and evaluating risk process effectiveness throughout the project.
Control Schedule
The process of monitoring the status of project activities to update project progress and manage changes to the schedule baseline to achieve the plan.
Control Scope
The process of monitoring the status of the project and product scope and managing changes to the scope baseline.
Control Stakeholder Engagement
The process of monitoring overall project stakeholder relationships and adjusting strategies and plans for engaging stakeholders.
Corrective Action
An intentional activity that realigns the performance of the project work with the project management plan.
Cost Aggregation
Summing the lower-level cost estimates associated with the various work packages for a given level within the projects WBS or for a given cost control account.
Cost Baseline
The approved version of the time-phased project budget, excluding any management reserves, which can be changed only through formal change control procedures and is used as a basis for comparison to actual results.
Cost Management Plan
A component of a project or program management plan that describes how costs will be planned, structured, and controlled.
Cost of Quality
A method of determining the costs incurred to ensure quality. Prevention and appraisal costs (cost of conformance) include costs for quality planning, quality control (QC), and quality assurance to ensure compliance to requirements (i.e., training, QC systems, etc.). Failure costs (cost of nonconformance) include costs to rework products, components, or processes that are non-compliant, costs of warranty work and waste, and loss of reputation.
Cost Performance Index (CPI)
A measure of the cost efficiency of budgeted resources expressed as the ratio of earned value to actual cost.
Cost Plus Award Fee Contracts (CPAF)
A category of contract that involves payments to the seller for all legitimate actual costs incurred for completed work, plus an award fee representing seller profit.
Cost Plus Fixed Fee Contract (CPFF)
A type of cost-reimbursable contract where the buyer reimburses the seller for the seller's allowable costs (allowable costs are defined by the contract) plus a fixed amount of profit (fee).
Cost Plus Incentive Fee Contract (CPIF)
A type of cost-reimbursable contract where the buyer reimburses the seller for the seller's allowable costs (allowable costs are defined by the contract), and the seller earns its profit if it meets defined performance criteria.
Cost Variance (CV)
The amount of budget deficit or surplus at a given point in time, expressed as the difference between the earned value and the actual cost.
Cost-Benefit Analysis
A financial analysis tool used to determine the benefits provided by a project against its costs.
Cost-Reimbursable Contract
A type of contract involving payment to the seller for the seller's actual costs, plus a fee typically representing seller's profit. Cost-reimbursable contracts often include incentive clauses where, if the seller meets or exceeds selected project objectives, such as schedule targets or total cost, the seller receives from the buyer an incentive or bonus payment.
Crashing
A technique used to shorten the schedule duration for the least incremental cost by adding resources.
Create WBS
The process of subdividing project deliverables and project work into smaller, more manageable components.
Criteria
Standards, rules, or tests on which a judgment or decision can be based or by which a product, service, result, or process can be evaluated.
Critical Chain Method
A schedule method that allows the project team to place buffers on any project schedule path to account for limited resources and project uncertainties.
Critical Path
The sequence of activities that represents the longest path through a project, which determines the shortest possible duration.
Critical Path Activity
Any activity on the critical path in a project schedule.
Customer
Customer Is the person(s) or organization(s) that will pay for the project's product, service, or result. Can be internal or external to the performing organization.
Customer Satisfaction
Within the quality management system, a state of fulfillment in which the needs of a customer are met or exceeded for the customer's expected experiences as assessed by the customer at the moment of evaluation.
Data Date
A point in time when the status of the project is recorded.
Data Gathering and Representation Techniques
Techniques used to collect, organize, and present data and information.
Decision Tree Analysis
A diagramming and calculation technique for evaluating the implications of a chain of multiple options in the presence of uncertainty.
Decomposition
A technique used for dividing and subdividing the project scope and project deliverables into smaller, more manageable parts.
Defect
An imperfection or deficiency in a project component where that component does not meet its requirements or specifications and needs to be either repaired or replaced.
Defect Repair
An intentional activity to modify a nonconforming product or product component.
Define Activities
The process of identifying and documenting the specific actions to be performed to produce the project deliverables.
Define Scope
The process of developing a detailed description of the project and product.
Deliverable
Any unique and verifiable product, result, or capability to perform a service that is required to be produced to complete a process, phase, or project.
Delphi Technique
An information gathering technique used as a way to reach a consensus of experts on a subject. Experts on the subject participate in this technique anonymously. A facilitator uses a questionnaire to solicit ideas about the important project points related to the subject. The responses are summarized and are then recirculated to the experts for further comment. Consensus may be reached in a few rounds of this process. The -helps reduce bias in the data and keeps any one person from having undue influence on the outcome.
Dependency Determination
A technique used to identify the type of dependency that is used to create the logical relationships between predecessor and successor activities.
Design of Experiments
A statistical method for identifying which factors may influence specific variables of a product or process under development or in production.
Determine Budget
The process of aggregating the estimated costs of individual activities or work packages to establish an authorized cost baseline.
Develop Project Charter
The process of developing a document that formally authorizes the existence of a project and provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities.
Develop Project Management Plan
The process of defining, preparing, and coordinating all subsidiary plans and integrating them into a comprehensive project management plan.
Develop Project Team
The process of improving competencies, team member interaction, and overall team environment to enhance project performance.
Develop Schedule
The process of analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constraints to create the project schedule model.
Diagramming Techniques
Approaches to presenting information with logical linkages that aid in understanding.
Dictatorship
A group decision-making technique in which one individual males the decision for the group.
Direct and Manage Project
Work The process of leading and performing the work defined in the project management plan and implementing approved changes to achieve the project's objectives.
Discrete Effort
An activity that can be planned and measured and that yields a specific output. [Note: Discrete effort is one of three earned value management (EVM) types of activities used to measure work performance.]
Discretionary Dependency
A relationship that is established base on knowledge of best practices within a particular application area or an aspect of the project where a specific sequence is desired.
Document
Analysis An elicitation technique that analyzes existing documentation and identifies information relevant to the requirements.
Documentation Reviews
The process of gathering a corpus of information and reviewing it to determine accuracy and completeness.
Duration (DU or DUR)
The total number of work periods (not including holidays or other nonworking periods) required to complete a schedule activity or work breakdown structure component. Usually expressed as workdays or workweeks. Sometimes incorrectly equated with elapsed time. Contrast with effort.
Early Finish Date (EF)
In the critical path method, the earliest possible point in time when the uncompleted portions of a schedule activity can start based on the schedule network logic, the data date, and any schedule constraints.
Early Start Date (ES)
In the critical path method, the earliest possible point in time when the uncompleted portions of a schedule activity can start based on the schedule network logic, the data date and any schedule constraints.
Earned Value (EV)
The measure of work performed expressed in terms of the budget authorized for that work.
Earned Value Management
A methodology that combines scope, schedule, and resource measurements to assess project performance and progress.
Effort
The number of labor units required to complete a schedule activity or work breakdown structure component, often expressed in hours, days, or weeks.
Emotional Intelligence
The capability to identify, assess, and manage the personal emotions of oneself and other people, as well as the collective emotions of groups of people.
Enterprise Environmental Factors
Conditions, not under the immediate control of the team, that influence, constrain, or direct the project, program, or portfolio.
Estimate
A quantitative assessment of the likely amount or outcome. Usually applied to project costs, resources, effort, and durations and is usually preceded by a modifier (i.e., preliminary, conceptual, feasibility, order-of-magnitude, definitive). It should always include some indication of accuracy (e.g., +/- x percent).
Estimate Activity Durations
The process of estimating the number of work periods needed to complete individual activities with estimated resources.
Estimate Activity Resources
The process of estimating the type and quantities of material, human resources, equipment, or supplies required to perform each activity.
Estimate as Completion (EAC)
The expected total cost of completing all work expressed as the sum of the actual cost to date and the estimate to complete.
Estimate Costs
The process of developing an approximation of the monetary resources needed to complete project activities.
Estimate to Complete (ETC)
The expected cost to finish all the remaining project work.
Execute
Directing, managing, performing, and accomplishing the project work; providing the deliverables; and providing work performance information.
Executing Process Group
Those processes performed to complete the work defined in the project management plan to satisfy the project specifications.
Expected Monetary Value (EMV.
) Analysis A statistical technique that calculates the average outcome when the future includes scenarios that may or may not happen. A common use of this technique is within decision tree analysis
Expert Judgment
Judgement provided based upon expertise in an application area, knowledge area, discipline, industry, etc., as appropriate for the activity being performed. Such expertise may be provided by any group or person with specialized education, knowledge, skill, experience, or training.
External Dependency.
A relationship between project activities and non-project activities
Facilitated Workshops
An elicitation technique using focused sessions that bring key cross-functional stakeholder together to define product requirements.
Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA)
An analytical procedure in which each potential failure mode in every component of a product is analyzed to determine its effect on the reliability of that component and, by itself or in combination with other possible failure modes, on the reliability of the product or system and on the required function of the component; or the examination of a product (at the system and/or lower levels) for all ways that a failure may occur. For each potential failure, an estimate is made of its effect on the total system and of its impact. In addition, a review is undertaken of the action planned to minimize the probability of failure and to minimize its effects.
Fallback
Plan Fallback plans include an alternative set of actions and tasks available in the event that the primary plan needs to be abandoned because of issues, risks, or other causes.
Fast Tracking
A schedule compression technique in which activities or phases normally done in sequence are performed in parallel for at least a portion of their duration.
Fee
Represents profit as a component of compensation to as seller.
Finish Date
A point in time associated with a schedule activity's completion. Usually qualified by one of the following: actual, planned, estimated, scheduled, early, late, baseline, target, or current.
Finish-to-Finish (FF
) A logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot finish until a predecessor activity has finished.
Finish-to Start (FS
) A logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot start until a predecessor activity has finished.
Firm-Fixed-Price Contract (FFP)
A type of fixed price contract where buyer pays the seller a set amount (as defined by the contract), regardless of the seller's costs.
Fixed Formula Method
An earned value method for assigning a specified percentage of budget value for a work package to the start milestone of the work package with the remaining budget value percentage assigned when the work package is complete.
Fixed Price Incentive Fee Contract (FPIF)
A type of contract where the buyer pays the seller a set amount (as defined by the contract), and the seller can earn an additional amount if the seller meets defined performance criteria.
Fixed Price with Economic Price Adjustment Contracts (FP-EPA)
A fixed-price contract, but with a special provision allowing for predefined final adjustments to the contract price due to changed conditions, such as inflation changes, or cost increases (or decreases) for specific commodities.
Fixed-Price Contracts
An agreement that sets the fee that will be paid for a defined scope of work regardless of the cost or effort to deliver it.
Flowchart.
The depiction in a diagram format of the inputs, process actions, and outputs of one or more processes within a system
Focus Groups
An elicitation technique that brings together prequalified stakeholders and subject matter experts to learn about their expectations and attitudes about a proposed product, service, or result.
Forecast
An estimate or prediction of conditions and events in the project's future based on information and knowledge available at the time of the forecast. The information is based on the project's past performance and expected future performance, and includes information that could impact the project in the future, such as estimate at completion and estimate to complete.
Forward Pass.
A critical patch method technique for calculating the early start and early finish dates by working forward through the schedule model from the project start date or a given point in time
Free Float
The amount of time that a schedule activity can be delayed without delaying the early start date of any successor or violating a schedule constraint.
Functional Manager
Someone with management authority over an organizational unit within a functional organization. The manager of any group that actually makes a product or performs a service. Sometimes called a line manager.
Functional.
Organization A hierarchical organization where employee has one clear superior, and staff are grouped by areas of specialization and managed by a person with expertise in that area
Funding Limit Reconciliation.
The process of comparing the planned expenditure of project funds against any limits on the commitment of funds for the project to identify any variances between the funding limits and the planned expenditures
Gantt Chart.
A bar chart of schedule information where activities are listed on the vertical axis, dates are shown on the horizontal axis, and activity durations are shown as horizontal bars placed according to start and finish dates
Grade
A category or rank used to distinguish items that have the same functional use (e.g., "hammer") but do not share the same requirements for quality (e.g., different hammers may need to withstand different amounts of force).
Ground Rules.
Expectations regarding acceptable behavior by project team members
Group Creativity Techniques
Techniques that are used to generate ideas within a group of stakeholders.
Group Decision-Making Techniques
Techniques to assess multiple alternatives that will be used to generate, classify, and prioritize product requirements.
Guideline.
An official recommendation or advice that indicates policies, standards, or procedures for how something should be accomplished
Histogram
A special form of bar chart used to describe the central tendency, dispersion, and shape of a statistical distribution.
Historical Information
Documents and data on prior projects including project files, records, correspondence, closed contracts, and closed projects.
Human Resource Management Plan
A component of the project management plan that describes how the roles and responsibilities, reporting relationships, and staff management will be addressed and structured.
Idea/Mind Mapping
Technique used to consolidate ideas created through individual brainstorming sessions into a single map to reflect commonality and differences in understanding and to generate new ideas.
Identify Risks
The process of determining which risks may affect the project and documenting their characteristics.
Identify Stakeholders
The process of identifying the people, groups, or organizations that could impact or be impacted by a decision, activity, or outcome of the project; and analyzing and documenting relevant information regarding their interest, involvement, interdependencies, influence, and potential impact on project success.
Imposed Date
A fixed date imposed on a schedule activity or schedule milestone, usually in the form of a "start no earlier than" and "finish no later than" date.
Incentive Fee
A set of financial incentives related to cost, schedule, or technical performance of the seller.
Incremental Life Cycle
A project life cycle where the project scope is generally determined early in the project life cycle, but time and cost estimates are routinely modified as the project team's understanding of the product increases. Iterations develop the product through a series of repeated cycles, while increments successively add to the functionality of the product.
Independent Estimates
A process of using a third party to obtain and analyze information to support prediction of cost, schedule, or other items.
Influence Diagram
A graphical representation of situations showing causal influences, time ordering of events, and other relationships among variables and outcomes.
Information Gathering Techniques
Repeatable processes used to assemble and organize data across a spectrum of sources.
Information Management Systems
Facilities, processes, and procedures used to collect, store, and distribute information between producers and consumers of information in physical or electronic format.
Initiating Process Group
Those processes performed to define a new project or a new phase of an existing project by obtaining authorization to start the project or phase.
Input.
Anything, whether internal or external to the project that is required by a process before that process proceeds. May be an output from a predecessor process
Inspection.
Examining or measuring to verify whether an activity, component, product, result, or service conforms to specified requirements
Inspections and Audits.
A process to observe performance of contracted work or a promised product against agreed-upon requirements
Interpersonal Skills.
Ability to establish and maintain relationships with other people
Interrelationship Diagraphs.
A quality management planning tool. the interrelationship diagraphs provide a process for creative problem-solving in moderately complex scenarios that possess intertwined logical relationships
Interviews
A formal or informal approach to elicit information from stakeholders by taking to them directly.
Invitation for Bid (IFB)
Generally, this term is equivalent to request for proposal. However, in some application areas, it may have a narrower or more specific meaning.
Issue.
A point or matter in question or in dispute, or a point or matter that is not settled and is under discussion or over which there are opposing views or disagreements
Issue Log.
A project document used to document and monitor elements under discussion or in dispute between project stakeholder
Iterative Life Cycle
A project life cycle where the project scope is generally determined early in the project life cycle, but time and cost estimates are routinely modified as the project team's understanding of the product increases. Iterations develop the product through a series of repeated cycles, while increments successively add to the functionality of the product.
Lag.
The amount of time whereby a successor activity is required to be delayed with respect to a predecessor activity
Late Finish Date (LF)
In the critical path method, the latest possible point in time when the uncompleted portions of a schedule activity can finish based on the schedule network logic, the project completion date, and any schedule constraints.
Late Start Date (LS).
In the critical path method, the latest possible point in time when the uncompleted portions of a schedule activity can start based on the schedule network logic, the project completion date, and any schedule constraints
Lead.
The amount of time whereby a successor activity can be advanced with respect to a predecessor activity
Lesson Learned.
The knowledge gained during a project which shows how project events were addressed or should be addressed in the future with purpose of improving future performance
Lessons Learned Knowledge Base
A store of historical information and lessons learned learned about both the outcomes of previous project selection decisions and previous project performance.
Level of Effort (LOE).]
An activity that does not produce definitive end product and is measured by the passage of time. [Not: Level of effort is one of three earned valued management (EVM) types of activities used to measure work performance
Log
A document used to record and describe or denote selected items identified during execution of a process or activity. Usually used with a modifier, such as issue, quality control, action, or defect.
Logical Relationship
A dependency between two activities, or between an activity and a milestone.
Majority
Support from more than 50 percent of the members of the group.
Make-or-Buy Analysis
The process of gathering and organizing data about product requirements and analyzing them against available alternatives including the purchase or internal manufacture of the product.
Manage Communications
The process of creating, collecting, distributing, storing, retrieving, and the ultimate disposition of project information in accordance with the communications management plan.
Manage Project Team
The process of tracking team member performance, providing feedback, resolving issues, and managing team changes to optimize project performance.
Manage Stakeholder Engagement
The process of communicating and working with stakeholder to meet their needs/expectations, address issues as they occur, and foster appropriate stakeholder engagement in project activities throughout the project life cycle.
Management Reserve
An amount of the project budget withheld for management control purposes. These are budgets reserved for unforeseen work that is within scope of the project. The management reserve is not included in the performance measurement baseline (PMB).
Management Skills
The ability to plan, organize, direct, and control individuals or groups of people to achieve specific goals.
Mandatory Dependency
A relationship that is contractually required or inherent in the nature of the work.
Market Research
The process of gathering information at conferences, online reviews, and a variety of sources to identify market capabilities.
Master Schedule
A summary-level project schedule that identifies the major deliverables and work breakdown structure components and key schedule milestones.
Material
The aggregate of things used by an organization in any undertaking, such as equipment, apparatus, tools, machinery, gear, material, and supplies.
Matrix Diagrams
A quality management and control tool used to perform data analysis within the organizational structure created in the matrix. The matrix diagram seeks to show the strength of relationships between factors, causes, and objectives that exist between the rows and columns that form the matrix.
Matrix Organization
Any organizational structure in which the project manager shares responsibility with the functional managers for assigning priorities and for directing the work of persons assigned to the project.
Methodology
A system of practices, techniques, procedures, and rules used by those who work in a discipline.
Milestone.
A significant point or event in a project, program, or portfolio
Milestone List.
A list identifying all project milestones and normally indicates whether the milestone is mandatory or optional
Milestone Schedule.
A summary-level schedule that identifies the major schedule milestones
Monitor
Collect project performance data with respect to a plan, produce performance measures, and report and disseminate performance information.
Monitor and Control Project Work
The process of tracking, reviewing, and reporting the progress to meet the performance objectives defined in the project management plan.
Monitoring and Controlling Process Group; identify any areas in which changes to the plan are required; and initiate the corresponding changes.
Those processes required to track, review, and regulate the progress and performance of the project
Monte Carlos Simulation
A process which generates hundreds or thousands of probable performance outcomes based on probability distributions for cost and schedule on individual tasks. The outcomes are then used to generate a probability distribution for the project as a whole.
Most Likely Duration
An estimate of the most probable activity duration that takes into account all of the known variables that could affect performance.
Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis
This technique utilizes a decision matrix to provide a systematic analytical approach for establishing criteria, such as risk levels, uncertainty, and valuation, to evaluate and rank many ideas.
Near-Critical Activity
A schedule activity that has low total float. The concept of near-critical is equally applicable to a schedule activity or schedule network path. The limit below which total float is considered near critical is subject to expert judgment and varies from project to project.
Negotiated Settlements
The process of reaching final equitable settlement of all outstanding issues, claims, and disputes through negotiation.
Negotiation
The process and activities to resolving disputes through consultations between involved parties.
Network Logic
The collection of schedule activity dependencies that makes up a project schedule network diagram.
Network Path.
Any continuous series of schedule activities connected with logical relationships in a project schedule network diagram
Networking.
Establishing connections and relationships with other people from the same or other organizations
Node.
One of the defining points of a schedule network; a junction point joined to some or all of the other dependency lines
Nominal Group Techniques
A technique that enhances brainstorming with a voting process used to rank the most useful ideas for further brainstorming of for prioritization.
Nonconformance Work
In the cost of quality framework, -is done to deal with the consequences of errors and failures in doing activities correctly on the first attempt. In efficient quality management systems, the amount of -will approach zero.
Objective
Something toward which work is to be directed, a strategic position to be attained, a purpose to be achieved, a result to be obtained, a product to be produced, or a service to be performed.
Observations
A technique that provides a direct way of viewing individuals in their environment performing their jobs or tasks and carrying out processes.
Opportunity.
A risk that would have a positive effect on one or more project objectives
Optimistic Duration.
An estimate of the shortest activity duration that takes into account all of the known variables that could affect performance
Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS)
A hierarchical representation of the project organization that illustrate the relationship between project activities and the organizational units that will perform those activities.
Organizational Process Assets.
Plan, processes, policies, procedures, and knowledge bases that are specific to and used by the performing organization
Organizational Project Management Maturity
The level of an organization's ability to deliver the desired strategic outcomes in a predictable, controllable, and reliable manner.
Output
A product, result, or service generated by a process. May be an input to a successor process.
Parametric Estimating
An estimating technique in which an algorithm is used to calculate cost or duration based on historical data and project parameters.
Pareto Diagram
A histogram, ordered by frequency of occurrence, that shows how many results were generated by each identified cause.
Path Convergence
A relationship in which a schedule activity has more than one predecessor.
Path Divergence.
A relationship in which a schedule activity has more than one successor
Payment Systems
The system used to provide and track supplier's invoices and payments for services and products.
Percent Complete
An estimate expressed as a percent of the amount of work that has been completed on an activity or a work breakdown structure component.
Perform Integrated Change Control
The process of reviewing all change requests; approving changes and managing changes to deliverables, organizational process assets, project documents, and the project management plan; and communicating their disposition.
Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis
The process of prioritizing risks for further analysis or action by assessing and combining their probability of occurrence and impact.
Perform Quality Assurance
The process of auditing the quality requirements and the results from quality control measurements to ensure that appropriate quality standards and operational definitions are used.
Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis
The process of numerically analyzing the effect of identified risks on overall project objectives.
Performance Measurement Baseline
An approved, integrated scope-schedule-cost plan for the project work against which project execution is compared to measure and manage performance. This includes contingency reserve, but excludes management reserve.
Performance Reviews
A technique that is used to measure, compare, and analyze actual performance of work in progress on the project against the baseline.
Performing Organization.
An enterprise whose personnel are most directly involved in doing the work of the project or program
Pessimistic Duration.
Estimate of the longest activity duration that takes into account all of the known variables that could affect performance
Phase Gate
A review at the end of a phase in which a decision is made to continue to the next phase, to continue with modification, or to end a project or program.
Plan Communications Management
The process of developing an appropriate approach and plan for project communications based on stakeholder's information needs and requirements and available organizational assets.
Plan Cost Management
The process that establish the policies, procedures, and documentation for planning, managing, expending, and controlling project costs.
Plan Human Resource Management
The process of identifying and documenting project roles, responsibilities, required skills, reporting relationships, and creating a staffing management plan.
Plan Procurement Management
The process of documenting project procurement decisions, specifying the approach, and identifying potential sellers.
Plan Quality Management
The process of identifying quality requirements and/or standards for the project and its deliverables, and documenting how the project will demonstrate compliance with quality requirements.
Plan Risk Management.
The process of defining how to conduct risk management activities for a project
Plan Risk Responses
The process of developing options and actions to enhance opportunities and to reduce threats to project objectives.
Plan Schedule Management.
The process of establishing the policies, procedures, and documentation for planning, developing, managing, executing, and controlling the project schedule
Plan Scope Management
The process of creating a scope management plan that documents how the project scope will be defined, validated, and controlled.
Plan Stakeholder Management
The process of developing appropriate management strategies to effectively engage stakeholders throughout the project life cycle, based on the analysis of their needs, interests, and potential impact on project success.
Planned Value (PV)
The authorized budget assigned to scheduled work.
Planning Package
A work breakdown structure component below the control account with known work content but without detailed schedule activities.
Planning Process Group
Those processes required to establish the scope of the project, refine the objectives, and define the course of action required to attain the objectives that the project was undertaken to achieve.
Plurality
Decisions made by the largest block in a group, even if a majority is not achieved.
Policy
A structured pattern of actions adopted by an organization such that the organization's policy can be explained as a set of basic principles that govern the organization's conduct.
Portfolio
Projects, programs, sub portfolios, and operations managed as a group to achieve strategic objectives.
Portfolio Management
The centralized management of one or more portfolios to achieve strategic objectives.
Practice
A specific type of professional or management activity that contributes to the execution of a process and that may employ one or more techniques and tools.
Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)
A technique used for constructing a schedule model in which activities are represented by nodes and are graphically linked by one or more logical relationships to show the sequence in which the activities are to be performed.
Precedence Relationship
The term used in the precedence diagramming method for a logical relationship. In current usage, however, precedence relationship, logical relationship, and dependency are widely used interchangeably regardless of the diagramming method used.
Precision
Within the quality management system it’s a measure of exactness.
Processor
Activity An activity that logically comes before a dependent activity in a schedule.
Predictive Life Cycle.
A form of project life cycle in which the project scope, and the time and cost required to deliver that scope, are determined as early in the life cycle as possible
Preventive Action.
An intentional activity that ensures the future performance of the project work is aligned with the project management plan
Prioritization Matrices
A quality management planning tool used to identify key issues and evaluate suitable alternatives to define a set of implementations priorities.
Probability and Impact Matrix.
A grid for mapping the probability of each risk occurrence and its impact on project objectives if that risk occurs
Procedure.
An established method of accomplishing a consistent performance or result, a procedure typically can be describes as the sequence of steps that will be used to execute a process
Process
A systematic series of activities directed towards causing an end result such that one or more inputs will be acted upon create one or more outputs.
Process Analysis
A Process Analysis follows the steps outlined in the process improvement plan to identify needed improvements.
Process Decision Program Charts (PDPC)
The Process Decision Program Charts (PDPC) is used to understand a goal in relation to the steps for getting to the goal.
Process Improvement Plan
A subsidiary plan of the project management plan. It details the steps for analyzing processes to identify activities that enhance their value.
Procurement Audits
The review of contracts and contracting processes for completeness, accuracy, and effectiveness.
Procurement Documents
The documents utilized in bid and proposal activities, which include the buyer's Invitation for Bid, Invitation for Negotiations, Request for Information, Request for Quotation, Request for Proposal, and seller's responses.
Procurement Management Plan.
A component of the project or program management plan that describes how a project team will acquire goods and services from outside the performing organization
Procurement Performance Reviews
A structured review of the seller's progress to deliver project scope and quality, within cost and on schedule, as compared to the contract.
Procurement Statement of Work.
Describes the procurement item in sufficient detail to allow prospective sellers to determine if they are capable of providing the products, services, or results
Product
An artifact that is produced, is quantifiable, and can be either an end item in itself or a component item. Additional words for products are material and goods.
Product Analysis
For projects that have a product as a deliverable, it is a tool to define scope that generally means asking questions about a product and forming answers to describes the use, characteristics, and other relevant aspects of what is going to be manufactured.
Product Life Cycle
The series of phases that represent the evolution of a product, from concept through delivery, growth, maturity, and to retirement.
Product Scope.
The features and functions that characterize a product, service, or result.
Product Scope Description
The documented narrative description of the product scope.
Program
A group of related projects, subprograms, and program activities managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits not available from managing them individually.
Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
A technique for estimating that applies a weighted average of optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely estimates when there is uncertainty with the individual activity estimates.
Program Management
The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to a program to meet the program requirements and to obtain benefits and control not available by managing projects individually.
Progressive Elaboration
The iterative process of increasing the level of detail in a project management plan as greater amounts of information and more accurate estimates become available.
Project
A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.
Project-Based Organizations (PBOs)
A variety of organizational forms that involve the creation of temporary systems for the performance of projects. PBOs conduct the majority of their activities as projects and/or provide project over functional approaches.
Project Calendar
A calendar that identifies working days and shifts that are available for schedule activities.
Project Charter
A document issued by the project initiator or sponsor that formally authorizes the existence of a project and provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities.
Project Communications Management
Project Communications Management includes the process that are required to ensure timely and appropriate planning, collection, creation, distribution, storage, retrieval management, control, monitoring, and the ultimate disposition of project information.
Project Cost Management
Project Cost Management includes the processes involved in planning, estimating, budgeting, financing, funding, managing, and controlling costs so that the project can be completed within the approved budget.
Project Funding Requirements
Forecast project costs to be paid that are derivate from the cost baseline for total or periodic requirements, including projected expenditures plus anticipated liabilities.
Project Governance
The alignment of project objectives with the strategy of the larger organization by the project sponsor and project team. A -is defined by and is required to fit within the larger context of the program or organization sponsoring it, but is separate from organizational governance.
Project Human Resource Management
Project Human Resource Management includes the processes that organize, manage, and lead the project team.
Project Initiation.
Launching a process that can result in the authorization of a new project
Project Integration Management
Project Integration Management includes the processes and activities to identify, define, combine, unify, and coordinate the various processes and project management activities within the Project Management Process Groups.
Project Life Cycle.
The series of phases that a project passes through from its initiation to its closure
Project Management.
The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements
Project Management Body of Knowledge
An inclusive term that describes the sum of knowledge within the profession of project management.
Project Management Information System
An information system consisting of the tools and techniques used to gather, integrate, and disseminate the outputs of project management processes. It is used to support all aspects of the project from initiating through closing, and can include both manual and automated systems.
Project Management Knowledge Area
An identified area of project management defined by its knowledge requirements and described in terms of its component processes, practices, inputs, outputs, tools, and techniques.
Project Management Office (PMO)
An organizational structure that standardizes the project-related governance processes and facilitates the sharing of resources, methodologies, tools, and techniques.
Project Management Plan
The document that describes how the project will be execute, monitored and controlled.
Project Management Process Group
A logical grouping of project management inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs. The Project Management Process Group include initiating processes, planning processes, executing processes, monitoring and controlling processes, and closing processes. Project Management Process Group are not project phases.
Project Management Staff
The members of the project team who perform project management activities such as schedule, communications, risk management, etc.
Project Management System.
The aggregation of the processes, tools, techniques, methodologies, resources, and procedures to manage a project
Project Management Team
The members of the project team who are directly involved in project management activities. On some smaller projects, the project management team may include virtually all of the project team members.
Project Manager (PM)
The person assigned by the performing organization to lead the team members and their interrelationships for a specific project.
Project Organization Chart
A document that graphically depicts the project team members and their interrelationships for a specific project.
Project Phase
A collection of logically related project activities that culminates in the completion of one or more deliverables.
Project Procurement Management.
Project Procurement Management includes the processes necessary to purchase or acquire products, service, or results needed from outside the project team
Project Quality Management.
Project Quality Management. includes the processes and activities of the performing organization that determine quality policies, objectives, and responsibilities so that the project will satisfy the needs for which it was undertaken
Project Risk Management
Project Risk Management includes the processes of conducting risk management planning, identification, analysis, responses planning, and controlling risk on a project.
Project Schedule
An output of a schedule model that presents linked activities with planned dates, durations, milestones, and resources.
Project Schedule Network Diagram
A graphical representation of the logical relationships among the project schedule activities.
Project Scope.
The work performed to deliver a product, service, or result with the specified features and functions
Project Scope Management.
Project Scope Management includes the processes required to ensure that the project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully
Project Scope Statement
The description of the project scope, major deliverables, assumptions, and constraints.
Project Stakeholder Management
Project Stakeholder Management includes the processes required to identify the people, groups, or organizations that could impact or be impacted by the project, to analyze stakeholder expectations and their impact on the project, and to develop appropriate management strategies for effectively engaging stakeholders in project decisions and execution.
Project Team.
A set of individuals who support the project manager in performing the work of the project to achieve its objectives
Project Team Directory.
A documented list of project team members, their project roles, and communication information
Project Time Management
Project Time Management includes the processes required to manage the timely completion of the project.
Projectized Organization.
Any organizational structure in which the project manager has full authority to assign priorities, apply resources, and direct the work of persons assigned to the project
Proposal Evaluation Techniques
The process of reviewing proposals provided by suppliers to support contract award decisions.
Prototypes
A method of obtaining early feedback on requirements by providing a working model of the expected product before actually building it.
Quality.
The degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills requirements
Quality Audits
A quality audit is a structures, independent process to determine if project activities comply with organizational and project policies, processes, and procedures.
Quality Checklists
A structured tool used to verify that a set of required steps has been performed.
Quality Control Measurements
The documented results of control quality activities.
Quality Function Deployment (QFD)
A facilitated workshop technique that helps to determine critical characteristic for new product development.
Quality Management and Control Tools
They are a type of quality planning tools used to link and sequence the activities identified.
Quality Management Plan
A component of the project or program management plan that describes how an organization's quality policies will be implemented.
Quality Management System
The organizational framework whose structure provides the policies, processes, procedures, and resources required to implement the quality management plan. The typical project quality management plan should be compatible to the organization's Quality Management System
Quality Metrics
A description of a project or product attribute and how to measure it.
Quality Policy
A policy specific to the Project Quality Management Knowledge Area, it establishes the basic principles that should govern the organization's actions as it implements its system for quality management.
Quality Requirement
A condition or capability that will be used to assess conformance by validating the acceptability of an attribute for the quality of a result.
Quantitative Risk Analysis and Modeling Techniques.
Commonly used techniques for both event-oriented and project-oriented analysis approaches
Questionnaires and Surveys.
Written sets of questions designed to quickly accumulate information from a large number of respondents
RACI
A common type of responsibility assignment matrix that uses responsible, accountable, consult, and inform statuses to define the involvement of stakeholders in project activities.
Records Management System
A specific set of processes, related control functions, and tools that are consolidated and combined to record and retain information about the project.
Regression Analysis.
An analytic technique where a series of input variables are examined in relation to their corresponding output results in order to develop a mathematical or statistical relationship
Regulation
Requirements imposed by a governmental body. There requirements can establish product, process, or service characteristics, including applicable administrative provisions that have government-mandated compliance.
Reporting Systems
Facilities, processes, and procedures used to generate of consolidate reports from one or more information management systems and facilitate report distribution to the project stakeholders.
Request for Information (RFI)
A type of procurement document whereby the buyer requests a potential seller to provide various pieces of information related to a product or service or seller capability.
Request for Proposal (RFP)
A type of procurement document used to request proposals from prospective sellers of products or services. In some application areas, it may have a narrower or more specific meaning.
Request for Quotation (RFQ)
A type of procurement document used to request price quotations from prospective sellers of common or standard products or services. Sometimes used in place of request for proposal and, in some application areas, it may have a narrower or more specific meaning.
Requested Change
A formally documented change request that is submitted for approval to the integrated change control process.
Requirement
A condition or capability that is required to be present in a product, service, or result to satisfy a contract or other formally imposed specification.
Requirements Documentation
A description of how individual requirements meet the business need for the project.
Requirements Management Plan
A component of the project or program management plan describes how requirements will be analyzed, documented, and managed.
Requirements Traceability Matrix
A grid that links product requirements from their origin to the deliverables that satisfy them.
Reserve
A provision in the project management plan to mitigate cost and/or schedule risk. Often used with a modifier (e.g., management reserve, contingency reserve) to provide further detail on what types of risk are meant to be mitigated.
Reserve Analysis.
An analytical technique to determine the essential features and relationships of components in the project management plan to establish a reserve for the schedule duration, budget, estimated cost, or funds for a project
Residual Risk
A risk that remains after risk responses have been implemented.
Resource
Skilled human resources (specific disciplines either individually or in crews or teams), equipment, services, supplies, commodities, material, budget, or funds.
Resource Breakdown Structure.
A hierarchical representation of resources by category and type
Resource Calendar
A calendar that identifies the working days and shifts on which each specific resource is available.
Resource Histogram
A bar chart showing the amount of time that a resource is scheduled to work over a series of time periods. Resource availability may be depicted as a line for comparison purposes. Contrasting bars may show actual amounts of resources used as the project progresses.
Resource Leveling.
A technique in which start and finish dates are adjusted based on resource constraints with the goal of balancing demand for resources with the available supply
Resource Optimization Techniques
A technique that is used to adjust the start and finish dates of activities that adjust planned resource use to be equal to or less than resource availability.
Resource Smoothing.
A technique which adjusts the activities of a schedule model such that the requirement for resources on the project do not exceed certain predefined resource limits
Responsibility.
An assignment that can be delegated within a project management plan such that the assigned resource incurs a duty to perform the requirements of the assignment
Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)
A grid that shows the project resources assigned to each work package.
Result
An output from performing project management processes and activities. Result include outcomes (e.g., integrated systems, revised process, restructured organization, tests, trained personnel, etc.) and document (e.g., policies, plans, studies, procedures, specifications, reports, etc.).
Rework
Action taken to bring a defective or nonconforming component into compliance with requirements or specifications.
Risk.
An uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on one or more project objectives
Risk Acceptance.
A risk response strategy whereby the project team decides to acknowledge the risk and not take any action unless the risk occurs
Risk Appetite
The degree of uncertainty an entity is willing to take on, in anticipation of a reward.
Risk Audits.
Examination and documentation of the effectiveness of risk responses in dealing with identified risks and their root causes, as well as the effectiveness of the risk management process
Risk Avoidance.
A risk response strategy whereby the project team acts to eliminate the threat or protect the project from its impact
Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS)
A hierarchical representation of risks according to their risk categories.
Risk Categorization
Organization by sources of risk (e.g., using the RBS), the area of the project affected (e.g., using WBS), or other useful category (e.g., project phase) to determine the areas of the project most exposed to the effects of uncertainty.
Risk Category.
A group of potential causes of risk
Risk Data Quality Assessment
Technique to evaluate the degree to which the data about risks is useful for risk management.
Risk Management Plan
A component of the project, program, or portfolio management plan that describes how risk management activities will be structured and performed.
Risk Mitigation.
A risk response strategy whereby the project team acts to reduce the probability of occurrences or impact of a risk
Risk Reassessment
Risk Reassessment is the identification of new risks, reassessment of current risks, and the closing of risks that are outdated.
Risk Register
A document in which the results of risk analysis and risk response planning are recorded.
Risk Threshold.
Measure of the level of uncertainty or the level of impact at which a stakeholder may have a specific interest. Below that Risk Threshold the organization will accept the risk. Above that Risk Threshold the organization will not tolerate the risk
Risk Tolerance.
The degree, amount, or volume of risk that an organization or individual will withstand
Risk Transference
A risk response strategy whereby the project team shifts the impact of a threat or a third party, together with ownership of the response.
Risk Urgency.
Assessment Review and determination of the timing of actions that may need to occur sooner than other risk items
Role.
A defined function to be performed by a project team member, such as testing, filing, inspecting, or coding
Rolling Wave Planning.
An iterative planning technique in which the work to be accomplished in the near term is planned in detail, while the work in the future is planned at a higher level
Root Cause Analysis
An analytical technique used to determine the basic underlying reason that causes a variance or a defect or a risk. A Root Cause Analysis underlie more than one variance or defect or risk.
Scatter Diagram
A correlation chart that uses a regression line to explain or to predict how the change in an independent variable will change a dependent variable.
Schedule Baseline
The approved version of a schedule model that can be changed only through formal change control procedures and is used as a basis for comparison to actual results.
Schedule Compression
Techniques used to shorten the schedule duration without reducing the project scope.
Schedule Data
The collection of information for describing and controlling the schedule.
Schedule Forecasts
Estimates or predictions of conditions and events in the project's future based on information and knowledge available at the time the schedule is calculated.
Schedule Management Plan
A component of the project management plan that establishes the criteria and the activities for developing, monitoring, and controlling the schedule.
Schedule Model
A representation of the plan for executing the project's activities including durations, dependencies, and other planning information, used to produce a project schedule along with other scheduling artifacts.
Schedule Network Analysis
The technique of identifying early and late start dates, as well as early and late finish dates, for the uncompleted portions of project schedule activities.
Schedule Network Templates
A set of activities and relationships that have been established that can be used repeatedly for a particular application area or an aspect of the project where a prescribed sequence is desired.
Schedule Performance Index (SPI)
A measure of schedule efficiency expressed as the ratio of earned value to planned value.
Schedule Variance (SV).
A measure of schedule performance expressed as the difference between the earned value and the planned value
Scheduling Tool.
A tool that provides schedule component names, definitions, structural relationships, and formats that support the application of a scheduling method
Scope
The sum of the products, services, and results to be provided as a project.
Scope Baseline.
The approved version of a scope statement, work breakdown structure (WBS), and its associated WBS dictionary, that can be changed only through formal change control procedures and is used as a basis for comparison
Scope Change
Any change to the project scope. A -almost always requires an adjustment to the project cost or schedule.
Scope Creep
The uncontrolled expansion to product or project scope without adjustments to time, cost, and resources.
Scope Management Plan
A component of the project or program management plan that describes how the scope will be defined, developed, monitored, controlled, and verified.
Secondary Risk
A risk that arises as a direct result of implementing a risk response.
Selected Sellers
The sellers which have been selected to provide a contracted set of services or products.
Seller
A provider or supplier of products, services, or results to an organization.
Seller Proposals
Formal responses from sellers to a request for proposal or other procurement document specifying the price, commercial terms of sale, and technical specifications or capabilities the seller will do for the requesting organization that, if accepted, would bind the seller to perform the resulting agreement.
Sensitivity Analysis.
A quantitative risk analysis and modeling technique used to help determine which risks have the most potential impact on the project. It examines the extent to which the uncertainty of each project element affects the objective being examined when all other uncertain elements are held at their baseline values. The typical display of results is in the form of a tornado diagram
Sequence Activities
The process of identifying and documenting relationships among the project activities.
Seven Basic Quality
Tools A standard toolkit used by quality management professionals who are responsible for planning, monitoring, and controlling the issues related to quality in an organization.
Simulation
A Simulation uses a project model that translates the uncertainties at a detailed level into their potential impact on objectives that are expressed at the level of the total project. Project Simulation use computer models and estimates of risk, usually expressed as a probability of possible costs or durations at a detailed work level, and re typically performed using Monte Carlo analysis.
Source Selection.
Criteria A set of attributes desired by the buyer which a seller is required to meet or exceed to be selected for a contract
Specification
A document that specifies, in a complete, precise, verifiable manner, the requirements, design, behavior, or other characteristics of a system, component, product, result, or service and the procedures for determining whether these provisions have been satisfied. Examples are: requirement Specification, design Specification, product Specification, and test Specification.
Specification Limits
The area, on either side of the centerline, or mean, of data plotted on a control chart that meets the customer's requirements for a product or service. This area may be greater than or less than the area defined by the control limits.
Sponsor
A person or group who provides resources and support for the project, program, or portfolio and is accountable for enabling success.
Sponsoring Organization.
The entity responsible for providing the project's sponsor and a conduit for project funding or other project resources
Staffing Management Plan
A component of the human resource plan that describes when and how project team members will be acquired and how long they will be needed.
Stakeholder
An individual, group, or organization who may affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of a project.
Stakeholder Analysis.
A technique of systematically gathering and analyzing quantitative and qualitative information to determine whose interests should be taken into account throughout the project
Stakeholder Management Plan
The Stakeholder Management Plan is a subsidiary plan of the project management plan that defines the processes, procedures, tools, and techniques to effectively engage stakeholders in project decisions and execution based on the analysis of their needs, interests, and potential impact.
Stakeholder Register
A project document including the identification, assessment, and classification of project stakeholders.
Standard
A document that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines, or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context.
Start Date
A point in time associated with a schedule activity's start, usually qualified by one of the following: actual, planned, estimated, scheduled, early, late, target, baseline, or current.
Start-to-Finish (SF)
A logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot finish until a predecessor activity has started.
Start-to-Start (SS)
A logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot start until a predecessor activity has started.
Statement of Work (SOW)
A narrative description of products, services, or results to be delivered by the project.
Statistical Sampling
Choosing part of a population of interest for inspection.
Subnetwork
A subdivision (fragment) of a project schedule network diagram, usually representing a subproject or a work package. Often used to illustrate or study some potential or proposed schedule condition, such as changes in preferential schedule logic or project scope.
Subproject
A smaller portion of the overall project created when a project is subdivided into more manageable components or pieces.
Successor
Activity A dependent activity that logically comes after another activity in a schedule.
Summary Activity
A group of related schedule activities aggregated and displayed as a single activity.
SWOT Analysis
Analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of an organization, project, or option.
Tailor
The act of carefully selecting process and related inputs and outputs contained within the PMBOK Guide to determine a subset of specific processes that will be included within a project's overall management approach.
Technique.
A defined systematic procedure employed by a human resource to perform an activity to produce a product or result or deliver a service, and that may employ one or more tools
Templates
A partially complete document in a predefined format that provides a defined structure for collecting, organizing, and presenting information and data.
Threat.
A risk that would have a negative effect on one or more project objectives
Three-Point Estimate
A technique used to estimate cost or duration by applying an average of optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely estimates when there is uncertainty with the individual activity estimates.
Threshold
A cost, time, quality, technical, or resource value used as a parameter, and which may be included in product specifications. Crossing the Threshold should trigger some action, such as generating an exception report.
Time and Material Contract (T&M)
A type of contract that is a hybrid contractual arrangement containing aspects of both cost-reimbursable and fixed-price contracts. Time and Material Contract (T&M) resemble cost-reimbursable type arrangements in that they have no definite end, because the full value of the arrangement is not defined at the time of the ward. Thus, Time and Material Contract (T&M) can grow in contract value as if they were cost-reimbursable-type arrangements. Conversely, --can also resemble fixed-price arrangements. Foer example, the unit rates are preset by the buyer and seller, when both parties agree on the rates for the category of senior engineers.
Time-Scaled Schedule Network Diagram
Any project schedule network diagram drawn in such a way that the positioning and length of the schedule activity represents its duration. Essentially, it is a bar chart that includes schedule network logic.
To-Complete Performance Index (TCPI
) A measure of the cost performance that is required to be achieved with the remaining resources in order to meet a specified management goal, expressed as the ratio of the cost to finish the outstanding work to the remaining budget.
Tolerance.
The quantified description of acceptable variation for the quality requirement
Tornado Diagram
A special type of bar chart used in sensitivity analysis for comparing the relative importance of the variables.
Tool result.
Something tangible, such as a template or software program, used in performing an activity to produce a product or
Total Float.
The amount of time that a schedule activity can be delayed or extended from its early start date without delaying the project finish date or violating a schedule constraint
Tree Diagram
A systematic diagram of a decomposition hierarchy used to visualize as parent-to-child relationships a systematic set of rules.
Trend Analysis
An analytical technique that uses mathematical models to forecast future outcomes based on historical results. It is a method of determining the variance from a baseline of a budget, cost, schedule, or scope parameter by using prior progress reporting periods' data and projecting how much that parameter's variance from baseline might be at some future point in the project if no changes are made in executing the project.
Trigger Condition.
An event or situation that indicates that a risk is about to occur
Unanimity.
Agreement by everyone in the group on a single course of action
Validate Scope.
The process of formalizing acceptance of the completed project deliverables
Validation.
The assurance that a product, service, or system meets the needs of the customer and other identified stakeholders. It often involves acceptance and suitability with external customers
Value Engineering.
An approach used to optimize project life cycle costs, save time, increase profits, improve quality, expand market share, solve problem, and/or use resources more effectively
Variance
A quantifiable deviation, departure, or divergence away from a known baseline or expected value.
Variance Analysis.
A technique for determining the cause and degree of difference between the baseline and actual performance
Variance at Completion (VAC)
A projection of the amount of budget deficit or surplus, expressed as the difference between the budget at completion and the estimate at completion.
Variation.
An actual condition that is different from the expected condition that is contained in the baseline plan
Velocity
A measure of a team's productivity rate at which the deliverables are produces, validated, and accepted within a predefined interval. -------- is a capacity planning approach frequently used to forecast future project work.
Verification.
The evaluation of whether or not a product, service, or system complies with a regulation, requirement, specification, or imposed condition. It is often an internal process
Verified Deliverables
Completed project deliverables that have been checked and confirmed for correctness through the Control Quality process.
Voice of the Customer
A planning technique used to provide products, services, and results that truly reflect customer requirements by translating those customer requirements into the appropriate technical requirements for each phase of project development.
WBS Dictionary
A document that provides detailed deliverable, activity, and scheduling information about each component in the work breakdown structure.
Weighted Milestone Method.
An earned value method that divides a work package into measurable segments, each ending with an observable milestone, and then assigns a weighted value to the achievement of each milestone
What-If Scenario Analysis
The process of evaluating scenarios in order to predict their effect on project objectives.
Work Authorization.
A permission and direction, typically written, to begin work on specific schedule activity or work package or control account. It is a method for sanctioning project work to ensure that the work is done by the identified organization, at the right time, and in the proper sequence
Work Authorization System
A subsystem of the overall project management system. It is a collection of formal documented procedures that defines how project work will be authorized (committed) to ensure that the work is done by the identified organization, at the right time, and in the proper sequence. It includes the steps, documents, tracking system, and defined approval levels needed to issue work authorizations.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
A hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables.
Work Breakdown Structure Component
An entry in the work breakdown structure that can be at any level.
Work Package
The word defined at the lowest level of the work breakdown structure for which cost and duration can be estimated and managed.
Work Performance Data.
The raw observations and measurements identified during activities being performed to carry out the project work
Work Performance Information
The performance data collected from various controlling processes, analyzed in context and integrated based on relationships across areas.
Work Performance Reports
The physical or electronic representation of work performance information compiled in project documents, intended to generate decisions, actions, or awareness.
Workaround
A response to a threat that has occurred, for which a prior response had not been planned or was not effective.
Activity Network Diagrams
A graphical representation of the logical relationships among the project schedule activities.
Buffer
A provision in the project management plan to mitigate cost and/or schedule risk. Often used with a modifier (e.g., management Buffer, contingency Buffer) to provide further detail on what types of risk are meant to be mitigated.
Charter
A document issued by the project initiator or sponsor that formally authorizes the existence of a project and provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities.
Contingency Allowance
A provision in the project management plan to mitigate cost and/or schedule risk. Often used with a modifier (e.g., management) to provide further detail on what types of risk are meant to be mitigated.
Dependency.
A dependency between two activities, or between an activity and a milestone
Fishbone diagram
A decomposition technique that helps trace an undesirable effect back to its root cause.
Float.
Also called slack. The amount of time that a schedule activity can be delayed or extended from its early start date without delaying the project finish date or violating a schedule constraint
Hammock
Activity A group of related schedule activities aggregated and displayed as a single activity.
Hard Logic
A relationship that is contractually required or inherent in the nature of the work.
Leveling
A technique in which start and finish dates are adjusted based on resource constraints with the goal of balancing demand for resources with the available supply.
Life Cycle.
The series of phases that a project passes through from its initiation to its closure
Network
A graphical representation of the logical relationships among the project schedule activities
Network Analysis
The technique of identifying early and late start dates, as well as early and late finish dates, for the uncompleted portions of project schedule activities.
Performance Reporting.
The physical or electronic representation of work performance information compiled in project documents, intended to generate decisions, actions, or awareness
Performance Reports.
The physical or electronic representation of work performance information compiled in project documents, intended to generate decisions, actions, or awareness
Phase.
A collection of logically related project activities that culminates in the completion of one or more deliverables
Preferential Logic.
A relationship that is established base on knowledge of best practices within a particular application area or an aspect of the project where a specific sequence is desired
Preferred Logic.
A relationship that is established base on knowledge of best practices within a particular application area or an aspect of the project where a specific sequence is desired
Project Statement of Work
A narrative description of products, services, or results to be delivered by the project.
Schedule.
An output of a schedule model that presents linked activities with planned dates, durations, milestones, and resources
Soft Logic
A relationship that is established base on knowledge of best practices within a particular application area or an aspect of the project where a specific sequence is desired.
Team Members
A set of individuals who support the project manager in performing the work of the project to achieve its objectives.