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, accuracy 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.
Acquisition 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. Multiple
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). See precedence diagramming method (PDM).
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. Adaptive life cycles are also iterative and
incremental, but differ in that iterations are very rapid (usually 2–4 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, email, 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 based 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 areas 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.). Application areas 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: Apportioned
effort is one of three earned value management (EVM) types of activities used
to measure work performance.]
Approved Change Request. A
change request that has been processed through the integrated change control
process and approved.
Approved Change Requests Review. A
review of the change requests 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. See also Gantt chart.
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. Also known as contractor conferences, vendor conferences,
or pre-bid conferences.
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.
Buffer.
See
reserve.
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 and obtain
greater business value from their investments.
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 central tendency are the mean, median, and mode.
Change Control. A process
whereby modifications to documents, deliverables, or baselines associated with
the project are identified, documented, approved, or rejected.
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 terms of time, cost, and risk.
Change
Request. A formal proposal to modify any document, deliverable, or
baseline.
Charter.
See
project charter.
Checklist Analysis. A technique for
systematically reviewing materials using a list for accuracy and completeness.
Checksheets. 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 a 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 agreements 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 or regulation, 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 the audit of the products,
results, 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
requirement.
Conformance Work. In
the cost of quality framework, conformance work is done to compensate for
imperfections that prevent organizations from completing planned
activities correctly as essential first-time work. Conformance work consists of
actions that are related to prevention and inspection.
Constraint. A limiting factor that affects 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
Allowance. See 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. Comparing
actual performance with planned performance, analyzing variances, assessing
trends to effect process improvements, evaluating possible alternatives,
and recommending appropriate corrective action as needed.
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 controlling communications 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 cost 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. See also specification limits.
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 project’s 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, then 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.
Critical Path Method. A
method used to estimate the minimum project duration and determine the amount
of scheduling flexibility on the logical network paths within the
schedule model.
Customer. Customer
is the person(s) or organization(s) that will pay for the project’s product,
service, or result. Customers 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.
