Glossary 1 Flashcards
What are Acceptance Criteria?
A set of conditions that is required to be met before deliverables are accepted.
What is an Activity?
A distinct, scheduled portion of work performed during the course of a project.
What is an Activity Code?
A set of numeric or alpha-numeric characters that categorize the schedule activity. It allows for filtering and ordering of activities within reports.
What is Activity Duration?
The time in calendar units between the start and finish of a schedule activity. In simple terms, it’s the length of time that it takes to complete an activity.
What is an Activity Identifier?
A unique identifier for each schedule activity in a schedule network diagram.
What is Actual Duration?
The length of time between the actual start date and the data date for in-progress activities, or between the actual start date and the actual finish date for completed activities.
What is an Application Area?
A category of projects that have common elements not present in all projects. It is 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.
What is an Assumption?
A factor that is considered to be true or certain for the purpose of planning, without demonstration or proof.
What is Authority?
The right to apply project resources, expend funds, make decisions, or give approvals.
What is a 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.
What is a Budget?
The approved (cost) estimate for a project, WBS component or a schedule activity.
Who is a Buyer?
The owner of the final product, a subcontractor, the acquiring organization, a service requestor, or the purchaser.
What is a Calendar Unit?
The unit of time used in scheduling a project. Example hours, days, weeks, months, etc.
What is Change Control?
The process of identifying, documenting, approving or rejecting changes to project documents, deliverables, or baselines (scope, schedule, cost, etc.).
What is a Change Control Board (CCB)?
A formally constituted group of stakeholders responsible for reviewing, evaluating, approving, delaying, or rejecting changes to the project, and for recording and communicating the decisions taken.
What is a 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.
What is the definition of Constraint?
A limiting factor that affects the execution of a project, program, portfolio, or process.
Define Contingency.
An event or occurrence that could affect the execution of the project that may be accounted for with a reserve.
Define 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.
What are Control Limits?
The area within three standard deviations on either side of the mean on a control chart that reflects the expected variation in the data.
What is a Corrective Action?
An intentional activity that realigns the performance of the project work with the project management plan.
What is Cost of Conformance?
It is the term to describe the total prevention and appraisal costs (such as costs associated with quality planning, quality control, and quality assurance activities) on the project.
What is Cost of Non-Conformance?
It is the term to describe the failure costs (such as costs associated with rework, scrap, loss of business, and warranty) on the project.
What is a Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) Contract?
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).
What is a Cost Plus Incentive Fee (CPIF) Contract?
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.
What is a Cost-Reimbursable (CR) Contract?
A type of contract where the buyer reimburses the seller for the seller’s actual costs, plus a fee representing the seller’s profit.
What are Criteria?
Standards, rules, or tests used as a basis for decision making, or for evaluating a product, service, result, or process.
What is a Decision Tree?
A decision support tool that uses a tree-like graph or model of decisions and their possible consequences.
What is the definition of a Defect?
An anomaly or flaw, in a deliverable such that the deliverable does not meet its requirements or specifications.
What is Defect Repair?
An intentional activity to modify a nonconforming product or product component.
Define Duration (DU or DUR).
The total number of work periods (days, weeks, etc.), excluding holidays or other nonworking periods, required to complete an activity or work breakdown structure component.
Define Effort.
The number of labor units required to complete a schedule activity or work breakdown structure component, often expressed in hours, days, or weeks.
What is the definition of Execute as per the PMBOK® Guide, 6th Edition?
Directing, managing, performing, and accomplishing the project work, providing the deliverables, and providing work performance information.
What is Expected Monetary Value (EMV) Analysis?
A statistical technique that calculates the profit or loss of an outcome (e.g. a project) based on different scenarios, by taking into consideration the probability of occurrence and the expected profit or loss from each scenario. It is commonly used in Decision Tree Analysis.
What is a Finish Date?
The date of completion of a schedule activity, usually qualified by one of the following: actual, planned, estimated, scheduled, early, late, baseline, target, or current.
What is a Finish-to-Finish (FF) dependency?
The logical relationship where the successor (“to”) activity cannot complete until the predecessor (“from”) activity completes.
What is a Finish-to-Start (FS) dependency?
The logical relationship where the successor (“to”) activity cannot start until the predecessor (“from”) activity completes.
What is a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) Contract?
A type of fixed price contract where the buyer pays the seller a set amount (as defined by the contract), regardless of the seller’s costs.
What is a Fixed-Price-Incentive-Fee (FPIF) Contract?
A type of contract where the buyer pays the seller a set amount (as defined by the contract), and an additional amount (fee or profit) if the seller meets defined performance criteria.
Define Forecast.
An estimate or prediction of future conditions and events in a project based on project’s performance, and other information available at the time of the forecast.
What is Forward Pass?
A Critical Path Method (CPM) technique for calculating the early start and early finish dates by working forward from the project’s start date, in the network diagram.
What is Free Float?
The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying any successor activity or violating a schedule constraint.
What is Grade?
A category assigned to a product or a service that has the same functional use but different technical characteristics.
What is an 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.
What is an Invitation for Bid (IFB)?
A type of procurement document used to request a total price to do all the work, from prospective sellers. It is generally used in FP contracts.
Define Issue.
A current condition or situation that may have an impact on the project objectives.
What is a Log?
A document used to record and track selected items (like changes, issues, etc.) during the execution of a process or an activity. Usually used with a modifier, such as issue, change, issue, or assumption.
What is a Logical Relationship?
A dependency between two activities, or between an activity and a milestone. The four possible types are: Finish-to-Start; Finish-to-Finish; Start-to-Start; and Start-to-Finish.
What is a Milestone?
A significant point or event in a project, program, or portfolio, for example, completing a key deliverable.
What is meant by Monitor?
Collecting performance data, measuring performance, preparing and distributing performance reports.
What is Network Logic?
All activity dependencies in a project schedule network diagram.
What is a Network Path?
A sequence of activities connected by logical relationships in a project schedule network diagram.
What is a Node?
A point at which dependency lines connect on a schedule network diagram.
What is an Opportunity?
An uncertain event (or risk) that will impact the project positively, if it occurs.
What is Path Convergence?
A relationship in which a schedule activity has more than one predecessor.
What is Path Divergence?
A relationship in which a schedule activity has more than one successor.
What is Percent Complete?
The ratio of the estimated amount of work completed to the total estimated work on an activity or a WBS component, expressed in percentage.
What is a Performance Measurement Baseline?
An integration of scope, schedule and cost baselines of the project. It is used for measuring project performance including earned value measurement.
What is a Planning Package?
A WBS component within a Control Account that is identified and budgeted in early planning, but is not yet sub-divided into work packages.
What is a Predecessor Activity?
An activity that logically comes before a dependent activity in a schedule. In other words, it’s the “from” activity of a logical relationship in a schedule network.
What is a Preventive Action?
An intentional activity that ensures the future performance of the project work is aligned with the Project Management Plan.
What is Product Scope?
The features and functions that characterize a product, service, or result.
What is Product Scope Description?
The documented narrative description of the product scope.
What is Project Communications Management?
A Project Management Knowledge Area that includes the processes required to ensure timely and appropriate planning, collection, creation, distribution, storage, retrieval, management, control, monitoring, and the ultimate disposition of project information.
What is Project Cost Management?
A Project Management Knowledge Area that 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.
What is Project Resource Management?
A Project Management Knowledge Area that includes the processes to identify, acquire, and manage the resources needed for the successful completion of the project.
What is Project Initiation?
Launching a process that can result in the authorization of a new project.
What is Project Integration Management?
A Project Management Knowledge Area that includes the processes and activities needed to identify, define, combine, unify, and coordinate the various processes and project management activities within the Project Management Process Groups.
What is Project Management?
The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements.
What is a Project Management Team?
The members of the project team who are directly involved in project management activities.
What is a Project Phase?
A logical group of work within a project, usually resulting in a major deliverable. For example, phases for an IT project could be requirements, design, development, testing and implementation. Note: Project phases are NOT the same as Project Management Process Groups.
What is Project Procurement Management?
A Project Management Knowledge Area that includes the processes necessary to purchase or acquire products, services, or results needed from outside the project team.
What is Project Quality Management?
A Project Management Knowledge Area that includes the processes for incorporating the organization’s quality policy regarding planning, managing, and controlling project and product quality requirements, in order to meet stakeholders’ expectations.
What is Project Risk Management?
A Project Management Knowledge Area that includes the processes of conducting risk management planning, identification, analysis, response planning, response implementation, and monitoring risk on a project.
What is Project Scope?
All the “work” that goes in producing project deliverables (products, services or results).
What is Project Scope Management?
A Project Management Knowledge Area that includes the processes required to ensure that the project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully.
What is a Project Team Directory?
A documented list of project team members, their project roles, and communication information.
What is Project Schedule Management?
A Project Management Knowledge Area that includes the processes required to manage the timely completion of a project.
What is the definition of Quality?
The degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills requirements.
What is a Request for Information (RFI)?
A type of procurement document used by the buyer to solicit information (about a product or a service or seller’s capability) from a prospective seller. It is generally used “before” the actual procurement document (RFP, RFQ or IFB) is sent out.
What is a Request for Proposal (RFP)?
A type of procurement document used to request detailed proposals from prospective sellers, with information such as how the work will be done, who will do it, where will they do it, and how much will it cost, seller’s past experience in this field, etc. It is generally used in CR contracts.
What is a Request for Quotation (RFQ)?
A type of procurement document used to request price quotations from prospective sellers for standard items or services, or price per unit of measure. It is generally used in T&M contracts.
Define Requirement.
A condition or capability that is required to be present in a product, service, or result to satisfy a business need.
What is a Requirements Traceability Matrix?
A grid that links product requirements from their origin to the deliverables that satisfy them.
What is a Reserve?
A buffer in the Project Management Plan to account for cost and/or schedule risk.
What is a Residual Risk?
A risk that remains after risk responses have been implemented.
What is a Resource?
Everything needed to complete a project. Examples include human resources, equipment, services, supplies, material and funds.
What is a Resource Breakdown Structure?
A hierarchical structure of project resources by resource category and type.
What is a Resource Calendar?
A calendar of working and nonworking days of a particular resource.
What is a Resource Histogram?
A bar chart showing the amount of time that a resource is scheduled to work on a project over a given period of time.
Define Result.
An output of a project management process or an activity. It could be an outcome (e.g. a business process, an upgraded system, a research study, a trained resource, etc.) or a document (e.g. a new policy document, a training plan, a research report, etc.).
Define Rework.
Action taken to bring a defective or non-conforming component into compliance with requirements or specifications.
Define Risk.
An uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on one or more project objectives.
What is a Risk Category?
A group of potential causes of risk. Examples include technical, external, organizational, environmental, or project management.
Define Role.
A function that a person is assigned to perform. For example, a project manager’s role is to manage a project and achieve its objectives.
What is a Schedule?
A generic term for project schedule, or schedule model.
Define Scope.
The sum of the products, services, and results to be provided as a project.
What is a Scope Baseline?
The approved version of a scope statement, work breakdown structure (WBS), and its associated WBS dictionary, that can be changed using formal change control procedures and is used as a basis for comparison to actual results.
What is Scope Creep?
The uncontrolled expansion to product or project scope without adjustments to time, cost, and resources.
What is an S-Curve?
A graphical display of cumulative costs, labor hours, percentage of work, or other quantities, plotted against time. The S-shape of the curve results from the fact that factors such as cost and work completed are flat (low) at the beginning of a project, increase steadily as the project progresses, and then decline rapidly and become flat toward the end of the project.
What is a Secondary Risk?
A new risk that emerges as a result of applying risk responses.
What is 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.
What is Simulation?
It translates the uncertainties in activity duration or cost into their potential impact on overall project objectives such as total project duration or cost. Project simulations use computer models and estimates of risk, usually expressed as a probability distribution of possible costs or durations at a detailed work level, and are typically performed using Monte Carlo technique.
Define Specification.
A precise statement of the needs to be satisfied and the essential characteristics that are required. Examples are: requirement specification, design specification, product specification, and test specification.
What are Specification Limits?
The area on either side of the mean on a control chart that reflects 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.
What is a Team Management Plan?
A component of the resource management plan that describes when and how project team members will be acquired and how long they will be needed.
Define Stakeholder.
A person, group, or organization (e.g., customer, sponsor, performing organization, or the public) that is actively involved in a project, or whose interests may be positively or negatively affected by the project.
Define Standard.
A document established by an authority, custom, or general consent as a model or example.
What is a Start Date?
The start date of a schedule activity, usually qualified by one of the following: actual, planned, estimated, scheduled, early, late, target, baseline, or current.
What is a Start-to-Finish (SF) dependency?
A logical relationship in which the predecessor (“from”) activity cannot finish until the successor (“to”) activity has started.
What is a Start-to-Start (SS) dependency?
A logical relationship in which a successor (“to”) activity cannot start until a predecessor (“from”) activity has started.
What is a Statement of Work (SOW)?
A narrative description of products, services, or results to be delivered by the project.
What is Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis?
An information gathering technique used in risk management to increase the breadth of the risks considered, and devise contingency plans, by examining the project’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
What is a Successor Activity?
A dependent activity that logically comes after another activity in a schedule. In other words, it’s the “to” activity of a logical relationship in a schedule network.
What is a Template?
A partially complete document in a predefined format that provides a defined structure for collecting, organizing, and presenting information and data.
What is a Threat?
An uncertain event (or risk) that will negatively impact a project, if it occurs.
What is a Threshold?
The point beyond which an event or risk becomes unacceptable and a response should be triggered.
What is a Time and Material (T&M) Contract?
A type of contract that is a hybrid of cost reimbursable (CR) and fixed price (FP) contracts.
What is Total Float?
The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project or violating a schedule constraint.
What is a Trigger Condition?
Warning sign or symptom that indicates that a risk is about to occur.
What is Validation?
The process to check whether the right product (or deliverable) was built. It is usually an external process and involves customer acceptance.
What is Variance?
The difference between the actual (measured) value (of scope, schedule, cost, quality, etc.) and the baseline value.
What is Verification?
The process to check whether the product (or deliverable) was built right. It is often an internal process.
What is Voice of the Customer (VOC)?
The term to describe the stated and unstated customer needs or requirements.
What is a Work Authorization?
A process for sanctioning project work to ensure that the work is done by the person or organization, at the right time, and in the proper sequence.
What is a Work Breakdown Structure Component?
An element at any level of the WBS.
What is a Work Package?
The work defined at the lowest level of the work breakdown structure for which cost and duration are estimated and managed.
What is What-If Scenario Analysis?
A technique used to develop and control project schedule by assessing the feasibility of project schedule under various scenarios. It works by asking questions such as “what if scenario X happens?”.
What is Accuracy in the context of quality management?
An assessment of correctness.
What is Activity-on-Node (AON)?
A method of representing a precedence diagram.
Define Attribute Sampling.
A method of measuring quality that consists of noting the presence (or absence) of some characteristic (attribute) in each of the units under consideration.
What is a 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.
Define Competence.
The skill and capacity required to complete assigned activities within the project constraints.
What is Conformance in the context of quality management system?
A general concept of delivering results that fall within the limits that define acceptable variation for a quality requirement.
What is Conformance Work?
The work done to compensate for imperfections that prevent organizations from completing planned activities correctly as essential first-time work. It consists of actions that are related to prevention and inspection.
What is a Cost Plus Award Fee (CPAF) Contract?
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.
Define Customer.
The person(s) or organization(s) that will pay for the project’s product, service, or result.
Define Customer Satisfaction in the context of quality management.
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.
