Definitions A-F Flashcards
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 Resources
The process of obtaining team members, facilities, equipment, materials, supplies, and other resources necessary to complete project work.
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, local relationships, leads and lags, resource requirements, imposed dates, constraints, and assumptions.
Activity Duration
The time in calendar units between the start and finish of a schedule activity. See also duration.
Activity Duration Estimates
The quantitative assessments of the likely number of time periods that are required to complete an activity.
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-on-Node (AON)
See PDM
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 that is iterative or incremental
Affinity Diagrams
A 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 the options or approaches to use 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.
Assumption
A factor in the planning process that is considered to be true, real, or certain, without proof or demonstration.
Assumption Log
A project document used to record all assumptions and constraints throughout the project life cycle.
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.
Authority
The right to apply project resources, expend funds, make decisions, or give approvals.
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 to actual results.
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
The comparison of actual or planned products, processes, and practices to those of comparable organizations to identify best practices, generate ideas for improvement, and provide a basis for measuring performance.
Benefits Management Plan
The documented explanation defining the processes for creating, maximizing, and sustaining the benefits provided by a project or program.
Bid Documents
All documents used to solicit information, quotations, or proposals from prospective sellers.
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).
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
The net quantifiable benefit derived from a business endeavor. The benefit may be tangible, intangible, or both.
Cause and Effect Diagram
A decomposition technique that helps trace an undesirable effect back to its root cause.
Change
A modification to any formally controlled deliverable, project management plan component, or project document.
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 modification 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 submitted during the project and their current status.
Change Management Plan
A component of the project management plan that establishes the change control board, documents the extent of its authority, and describes how the change control system will be implemented.
Change Request
A formal proposal to modify a 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 Project or Phase
The process of finalizing all activities for the project, phase, or contract.
Closing Process Group
The process(es) performed to formally complete or close a project, phase, or contract.
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 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.
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.
Communication Styles Assessment
A technique to identify the preferred communication method, format, and content for stakeholders for planned communication activities.
Communication Technology
Specific tools, systems, computer programs, etc, used to transfer information among project stakeholders.
Conduct Procurements
The process of obtaining seller responses, selecting a seller, and awarding a contract.
Configuration Management Plan
A component of the project management plan that describes how to identify and account for project artifacts under configuration control, and how to record and report changes to them.
Configuration Management System
A collection of procedures used to track project artifacts and monitor and control changes to these artifacts.
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.
Constraint
A limiting factor that affects the execution of a project, program, portfolio, or process.
