Key Terms Flashcards
5 Whys Method
An effective tool for root cause analysis in which the question “Why?” is asked of a
problem in succession until the root cause is found. Developed by Sakichi Toyoda, a
Japanese inventor and industrialist, the 5 Whys method is an integral part of the Lean
philosophy.
80/20 Rule
A general guideline with many applications; in terms of controlling processes, it
contends that a relatively large number of problems or defects, typically 80%, are
commonly due to a relatively small number of causes, typically 20%. See also “Pareto
Chart”.
A/B Testing
A marketing approach used to determine user preferences by showing different sets of
users’ similar services—an ‘Alpha’ and a ‘Beta’ version—with one independent variable.
Accept
A strategy for managing negative risks or opportunities that involves acknowledging risk
and not taking any action until the risk occurs.
Acceptance Criteria
A set of conditions that is required to be met before deliverables are accepted.
Accepted Deliverables
Deliverables that meet the acceptance criteria and have been formally signed off and
approved by the customer or sponsor as part of the scope validation process.
Active Listening
A communication technique that involves acknowledging the speaker’s message and
the recipient clarifying the message to confirm that what was heard matches the
message that the sender intended.
Activity
A distinct portion of work, scheduled with a beginning and an end, that must be
performed to complete work on the project. Also known as a schedule activity. See also
“Task”.
Activity Attributes
Multiple attributes associated with each activity that can be included within the activity
list.
Activity Cost Estimates
Each task is assigned a budget, and the aggregate of these estimates results in the
project budget. Activity cost estimates include labor, materials, equipment, and fixed
cost items like contractors, services, facilities, financing costs, etc. This information can
be presented in a detailed or summarized form.
Activity Dependencies
A logical relationship that exists between two project activities. The relationship
indicates whether the start of an activity is contingent upon an event or input from
outside the activity.
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 Arrow or Activity on Node
A graphical diagram on which schedule activities are represented by nodes (rectangle
boxes) and their dependencies are depicted by arrows.
Activity Resource Estimates
Material and human resources that are needed to complete an activity; often expressed
by a probability or range.
Activity Resource Requirements
The resources (physical, human, and organizational) required to complete the activities
in the activity list.
Actual Cost (AC)
Earned Value Management term for the realized cost incurred for the work performed
on an activity during a specific time.
Adaptive
A type of project life cycle or methodology that values responding to change over
following a set plan. Adaptive methodologies seek solutions that deliver maximum value
to the customer.
Administrative Closure
Involves verifying and documenting project results to formalize project or phase
completion.
Affinity Diagram
A technique that allows large numbers of ideas to be classified into groups for review
and analysis.
Affinity Estimating
Technique designed to rapidly estimate large stories (epics or features) in the backlog.
For example: T-Shirt sizing, coffee cup sizes, or Fibonacci sequence.
Agile
A term used to describe a mindset of values and principles as set forth in the Agile
Manifesto.
Agile Coach
A process role on a project team that helps organizations achieve true agility by
coaching teams across the enterprise on how to apply agile practices and choose their
best way of working. See also “scrum master.”
Agile Estimating
An approach that assists with planning a project appropriately from the beginning to
ensure the team can focus on the quality of each deliverable.
Agile Life Cycle
An approach that is both iterative and incremental to refine work items and deliver
frequently.
Agile Manifesto
In 2001, a group of 17 software developers met in Snowbird, Utah to discuss lightweight
software development. Based on their experience, they came up with the four core
values of agile software development as stated by the Agile Manifesto are: individuals
and interactions over processes and tools; working software over comprehensive
documentation; customer collaboration over contract negotiation; and responding to
change over following a plan.
Agile Modeling
A representation of the workflow of a process or system that the team can review before
it is implemented in code.
Agile Practitioner
A person embracing the agile mindset who collaborates with like-minded
colleagues in cross- functional teams. Also referred to as an agilist
12 Agile Principles
A set of 12 guidelines that support the Agile Manifesto and which practitioners and
teams should internalize and act upon.
1. Customer satisfaction by early and continuous delivery of valuable software
2. Welcome changing requirements, even in late development
3. Deliver working software frequently (weeks rather than months)
4. Close, daily cooperation between business and technical people
5. Projects are built around motivated individuals, who should be trusted
6. Face-to-face conversation is the best form of communication (colocation)
7. Working software is the primary measure of progress
8. Sustainable development, able to maintain a constant pace
9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design
10. Simplicity is essential
11. Best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams
12. Regularly, the team reflects on how to become more effective, and adjusts accordingly
Agile Release Planning
A process in which a team determines the number of iterations or Sprints that are
needed to complete each release, the features that each iteration will contain, and the
target dates of each release.
Agile Space
Team space that encourages colocation, collaboration, communication, transparency,
and visibility.
Agreements
Any documents or communication that defines the initial intentions of a project.
Examples include contracts, memorandums of understanding (MOUs), service-level
agreements (SLAs), letters of agreement, letters of intent, verbal agreements, email, or
other written agreements.
Allowable Costs
Costs that are allowed under the terms of the contract. Typically, allowable costs
become relevant under certain types of cost-reimbursable contracts in which the buyer
reimburses the seller’s allowable costs.
Analogous Estimating
A technique for estimating the duration or cost of an activity on a project using historical
data from a similar activity or project. Also known as “Top-Down Estimating”.
Analytical Techniques
Logical approach that looks at the relationship between outcomes and the factors that
can influence them.
Approved Change Requests
Change requests that have been reviewed and approved by the change control board
(CCB) and are ready to be scheduled for implementation.
Artifact
Any project management processes, inputs, tools, techniques, outputs, EEFs, and
OPAs that the project management team uses on their specific project. They are subject
to configuration management and are maintained and archived by the team.
Assumption
Anything considered to be true while planning. Assumptions should be documented and
validated and are often closely linked to constraints.
Assumption and Constraint Analysis
A process that explores the validity of the project assumptions within the constraints and
identifies risks from any incompleteness or inaccuracy of these project assumptions.
Assumption Log
A list of all uncertainties that are treated as true for the purpose of planning.
Attribute Sampling Data
Data that is counted such as the number of product defects or customer complaints.
Audit
An examination of a project’s goals and achievements, including adequacy, accuracy,
efficiency, effectiveness, and the project’s compliance with applicable methodologies
and regulations. It tends to be a formal, one-sided process that can be extremely
demoralizing to team members.
Autocratic
A group decision-making method in which one member of the group makes the
decision. In most cases, this person will consider the larger group’s ideas and decisions
and will then make a decision based on that input.
Avoid
A strategy for managing negative risks or threats that involves changing the project
management plan to remove the risk entirely by extending the schedule, changing the
strategy, increasing the funding, or reducing the scope.
Backlog
The prioritized list of all the work, presented in story form, for a project team. See also
“Iteration Backlog”.
Backlog Refinement
The progressive elaboration of project requirements and/or the ongoing activity in which
the team collaboratively reviews, updates, and writes requirements to satisfy the need
of the customer request.
Backward Pass
Technique for calculating the late start and late finish dates of the schedule activities.
This is part of the critical path method and is paired with forward pass to determine
activity and schedule float along with the critical path.
Bar Chart
A graphic display of schedule-related information. In the typical bar chart, schedule
activities or WBS 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
Original objectives plus approved change requests for scope, schedule, cost, and
resources required to finish the project. Baselines represent the approved plan, and
they are useful for measuring how actual results deviate from the plan.
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.
Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR)
The ratio of the expected benefits and the anticipated costs.
Benefits Management Plan
The documented explanation defining the processes for creating, maximizing, and
sustaining the benefits provided by a project or program. It also describes how and
when the benefits of a project will be derived and measured. Both the business case
and the benefits management plan are developed with the benefits owner prior to the
project being initiated. Additionally, both documents are referenced after the project has
been completed. Therefore, they are considered business documents rather than
project documents or components of the project management plan.
Bidder Conferences
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 called vendor conferences, pre-bid conferences, or contractor
conferences.
Bottom-Up Estimating
A method of estimating project duration or cost by aggregating the estimates of the
lower-level components of the WBS.
Brainstorming
A simple technique used to generate a list of ideas. It should be led by a facilitator with
a group consisting of stakeholders, team members, and subject matter experts. After
quickly generating a list of alternatives, the group then performs analysis of the
alternatives and generally chooses a particular option for action.
Breach of Contract
The failure to meet some or all the obligations of a contract.
Budget
A time-phased plan for when funds will be disbursed on a project. It helps the
organization anticipate when money will be coming in and/or going out, for the duration
of the project. Budget accuracy is dependent upon a well-defined project scope and
schedule. The total project budget is the cost baseline plus management reserves. See
also “Cost Baseline”.
Budget at Completion (BAC)
The sum of all budgets established to provide financial support for the work to be
performed.
Buffer
A planning term related to contingency. See also “Reserve”.
Burn Chart
A tool that is used to track the progress of the project by plotting the number of days of
sprint against the number of hours of work remaining. It is used to communicate
progress during and at the end of an iteration/sprint/ increment, showing the number of
stores that have been completed and the ones that remain. The concept is as the
project progresses over time, the backlog of work will “burn down”/lessen.
Burn Rate
The rate at which the project consumes financial resources, representing negative cash
flow. Burn rates are often used by agile projects to budget costs for planned
iterations/sprints/increments.
Burndown Chart
A graphical representation of the work remaining versus the time left in a timebox.
Burnup Chart
A graphical representation of the work completed toward the release of a product.
Business Case
A documented economic feasibility study used to establish the 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 Document
An artifact developed prior to the project, used as part of the business case, and which
is reviewed periodically by a project professional to verify benefit delivery
Business Requirement Documents (BRD)
Listing of all requirements for a specific project.
Business Risk
The inherent risk in any business endeavor that carries the potential for either profit or
loss. Types of business risks are competitive, legislative, monetary, and operational.
Business Value
The net quantifiable benefit derived from a business endeavor. The benefit may be
tangible, intangible, or both.
Cadence
A rhythm of execution. Also see “time box.”
Capability Maturity Model Information (CMMI)
The CMMI provides a framework for the integration of process improvement for multiple
process areas. Associated with quality management.
Cause and Effect Diagram
This diagram shows the relationship between causes and effects. Primarily used in root
cause analysis (risk and quality) to uncover the causes of risks, problems, or issues.
See also “Fishbone Diagram” and “Ishikawa Diagram”.
Cease and Desist Letter
A legal document sent to an individual or a business with the direct intention of stopping
specific activities and preventing their occurrence or recurrence.
Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
PMI® Certification that offers recognition to practitioners who are interested in or are just
starting a career in project management, as well as project team members who wish to
demonstrate their project management knowledge. This certification denotes that the
individual possesses the knowledge in the principles and terminology of A Guide to the
Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), which outlines generally
recognized good practices in project management.
Change Control
Purposeful management of changes to the project (scope, schedule, cost, or quality). In
change control, a change request goes through a formal process before a decision
(approve/deny) is made.
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 Form
A document used to request a project change. They can also be recommendations for
taking corrective or preventive actions. See also “Change Request”.
Change Control System
A set of procedures that describes how modifications to the project deliverables and
documentation are managed and controlled.
Change Log
A living list of all project change requests (CR). This log is used to track and provide
accurate status of each CR (requester, owner, details, impact analysis, decision, etc.)
Change Management
A comprehensive, cyclic, and structured approach for transitioning individuals, groups,
and organizations from a current state to a future state in which they realize desired
benefits. It is different from project change control, which is a process whereby
modifications to documents, deliverables, or baselines associated with the project are
identified and documented, and then are approved or rejected.
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 (CR)
Request for change sent to upper management or the Change Control Board (CCB) for
its evaluation and approval. See also “Change Control Form”.
Charter
A shortened name for the project charter. A formal document that starts the project.
Typically used by the project sponsor and the project manager, this document provides
the reason for the project (based on business case) and may include high-level
requirements, assumptions, constraints, milestone(s), and preliminary budget. See also
“Project Charter”.
Checklist
A set of procedural instructions used to ensure that a product or component quality is
achieved.
Checklist Analysis
A technique for systematically reviewing materials using a list for accuracy and
completeness.
Claim
An issue with the contract brought by one party against another. Claims must be
resolved before the contract can be properly closed out.
Close Project or Phase Process
The process of finalizing all activities for the project, phase, or contract
Close-Out Meetings
Sessions held at the end of a project or phase during which teams discuss work and
capture lessons learned.
Closing Process Group
One of the five Project Management Process Groups. It consists of those processes
performed to formally complete or close the project, phase, or contract.
Coach
An agile servant leader role that exists to help the team and identify and remove any
impediments (obstacles).
Coaching
The act of giving guidance and direction to another person to facilitate personal and/or
professional growth and development.
Code of Accounts
A numbering system used to uniquely identify each component of the WBS
Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
A PMI® published body of knowledge that describes the ethical, professional behavior
and expectations of an individual working as a project management professional
(PMP®).
Collaboration
The act of working together and sharing information to create deliverables, work
products or results.
Collect Requirements Process
The process in which requirements documentation is developed. Precedes the Define
Scope process.
Colocation
An organizational placement strategy in which the project team members are physically
located close to one another to improve communication, working relationships, and
productivity.
Common Cause
A reason contributing to a quality problem that is usually considered acceptable.
Common causes are considered unpreventable or if they are preventable, the cost of
prevention would not justify the benefit. Opposite of “Special Cause”.
Communication
Act of accurately encoding, sending, receiving, decoding, and verifying messages.
Communication between sender and receiver may be oral or written, formal or informal.
Communication Channels
The number of possible communication paths on a project. The formula for calculating
communication channels is: [n(n-1)]/2; n=number of people on the project.
Communication Method
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, or study of lessons learned from previous projects, etc.
Communication Styles Assessment
A technique to identify the preferred communication method, format, and content for
stakeholders for planned communication activities.
Communication Technology
Specific tools, automated 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.
Community of Practice (CoP)
As described by E. Wenger in his book, Cultivating Communities of Practice, the CoP
uses the same basic idea as used by Shell in their offshore drilling platforms to establish
local forums of “experts” with the specific mandate to create an arena in which project
managers would feel comfortable sharing their findings and learnings from their
projects.
Completion Contract
A type of contract that is completed when the vendor delivers the product to the buyer
and the buyer accepts the product.
Complexity
A characteristic of a program, project, or its environment, which is difficult to manage
due to human behavior, system behavior, or ambiguity.
Compliance
The state of meeting—or being in accord with—organizational, legal, certification or
other relevant regulations.
Compromise
An option in conflict management in which both parties give up something to reach an
agreement.
Conduct Procurement Process
The process of obtaining seller responses, selecting a seller, and awarding a contract.
Cone of Uncertainty
Agile term describing the difficulty of estimating early due to unknowns and how that
should improve over time.
Configuration Item
Any component or project element that needs to be managed to ensure the
successful delivery of the project, services, or result.
Configuration Management
A tool used to manage changes to a product or service being produced as well as
changes to any of the project documents—for example, schedule updates.
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.
Conflict
Difference of opinion or agenda on a project amongst team members, stakeholders, or
customers.
Conflict Management
The application of one or more strategies for dealing with disagreements that may be
detrimental to team performance.
Conflict Resolution
The process of working to reach an agreement after a conflict situation arises.
Consensus
Group decision technique in which the group agrees to support an outcome even if the
individuals do not agree with the decision.
Constraint
An external factor that limits the ability to plan. Constraints and assumptions are closely
linked.
Context Diagram
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 Plan
A risk response strategy developed in advance, before risks occur; it is meant to be
used if and when identified risks become reality.
Contingency Reserve
Time or money allocated in the schedule or cost baseline for known risks with active
response strategies.
Contingency Theory
A theory credited to Fred. E. Fielder which states that the set of skills and attributes that
helped a project manager in one environment may work against them in another
environment.
Continuous Improvement (CI)
The ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes
Continuous Integration
The practice of regularly merging all software code into a shared environment, several
times a day, to check code quality and functionality.
Continuous Process Improvement
The systematic, ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes in an
organization.
Contract
A mutually binding agreement that obligates the seller to provide the specified project 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 at which scope, budget, actual cost, and schedule are
integrated and compared to earned value for performance measurement.
Control Charts
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. These charts are often associated with control limits, specification limits, means,
and standard deviation. Control charts are used to analyze and communicate the
variability of a process or project activity over time. See also “Variability Control
Charts”.
Control Costs Process
Monitor and control project costs to ensure they align with the cost baseline/budget.
Control Procurements Process
The process of managing procurement relationships, monitoring contract performance,
making changes and corrections as appropriate, and closing out contracts; Part of the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group, this process is performed by the
buyer to ensure compliance by the seller and the other party; it compares the terms in
the agreement/contract.
Control Quality Process
Part of the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group, this process focuses on the
quality of deliverables.
Control Resources Process
Part of the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group, this process ensures that the flow
and usage of physical resources line up with the plan.
Control Schedule Process
Part of the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group, this process compares the
planned work to the actual work.
Control Scope Process
Part of the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group, this process ensures that
changes to scope are properly controlled.
Controlling PMO
A type of PMO that provides support and requires compliance through various means.
Compliance may involve adopting project management frameworks or methodologies;
using specific templates, forms, and tools; or conformance to governance.
Corrective Action
Steps (action) to bring future results in line with the plan; this can change the plan or the
way the plan is being executed.
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. See also “Budget”.
Cost-Benefit Analysis
A financial analysis method used to determine the benefits provided by a project
against its costs; This type of analysis allows project managers to compare if the benefits of an action outweigh the costs or, conversely, if the costs outweigh the benefits. This can be an important criteria in decision making.
Cost Forecast
Cost estimates adjusted based on performance—i.e., Estimate at complete, budget at
completion, estimate to complete, etc.
Cost Management Plan
A component of a project or program management plan that describes how costs will be
planned, structured, and controlled.
Cost of Conformance
The money spent during a project to avoid failures. This includes prevention costs that
build a quality product and appraisal costs that assess the quality.
Cost of Non-Conformance
The money spent after a project is complete because of failures. This includes internal
and external failure costs.
Cost of Quality (CoQ)
All costs incurred over the life of the product by investment in preventing
nonconformance to requirements, appraisal of the product or service for conformance to requirements, and failure to meet requirements.
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 (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.
Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) contract
A type of cost-reimbursable contract in which 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 (CPIF) contract
A type of cost-reimbursable contract in which 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-Reimbursable Contract
A type of contract involving payment to the seller for the seller’s actual costs, plus a fee
typically representing the seller’s profit.
Crashing
Applying additional resources to one or more tasks/activities to complete the work more
quickly. This method usually increases costs more than risks. In comparison, the fast-tracking method increases risks. See also “Fast Tracking”.
Create WBS Process
A planning processes that involves creating the work-break-down (WBS) structure,
along with the WBS dictionary. This process produces the schedule baseline, which
consists of the WBS, WBS dictionary and the scope statement. The scope statement is
produced from the Define Scope process.
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 (CPM)
A technique of schedule analysis in which the schedule activities are evaluated to
determine the float or slack for each activity and the overall schedule. To calculate
critical path, use the forward and backward pass along with float analysis to identify all
network paths, including critical.
Cross-Functional Team
Teams that have all the capabilities to deliver the work they’ve been assigned. Team
members can specialize in certain skills, but the team can deliver what they’ve been
called on to build. See also “self-organizing teams.”
Crystal Family of Methodologies
A collection of lightweight agile software development methods focused on adaptability
to a particular circumstance.
Cultural Awareness
Understanding the cultural differences of the individuals, groups, and organizations in
the project stakeholder community to adapt communication strategies to avoid or
reduce miscommunication and misunderstandings.
Customer
The individual or organization that will accept the deliverable(s) or product. Customers
can be internal organizational groups or external to an organization.
Cycle Time
Refers to the period from the time a team starts a task until the time it is completed. See
also “lead time.”
Daily Standup
A short, 15-minute meeting in which the complete team gets together for a quick status
update while standing in a circle. Also referred to as a “daily scrum” or “standup”.
Data
Refers to gathered empirical information, especially facts and numbers.
Data Analysis
The act of scrutinizing facts and numbers for typical purposes of decision-making,
verification, validation, or assessment.
Data Gathering
Techniques used to solicit and document ideas—i.e., brainstorming, interviews, focus
groups, questionnaires, surveys, and so on.
Data Representation
A way of depicting data visually to aid in its communication/comprehension to various
audiences.
De Facto Regulations
Regulations that are widely accepted and adopted through use.
De Jure Regulations
Regulations that are mandated by law or have been approved by a recognized body of
experts.
Debriefing
An informal, collaborative means of discussing the positives and the negatives of a
project, what worked, and what will be done differently next time. This discussion
includes technology issues, people issues, vendor relationships, and organizational
culture.
Decision Making
The process of selecting a course of action from among multiple options.
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.
DEEP
An acronym used in agile projects that describes desirable attributes of a product
backlog. Stands for: Detailed, Estimable, Emergent and Prioritize.
Define Activities Process
Part of the Planning Process Group, this process defines the activities (tasks)
necessary to complete work packages/stories.
Define Scope Process
Part of the Planning Process Group, this process produces the scope statement that
depicts a detailed and complete understanding of the project’s vision.
Definition of Done (DoD)
A team’s checklist of all the criteria required to be met so that a deliverable can be
considered ready for customer use.
Definition of Ready (DoR)
A team’s checklist for a user-centric requirement that has all the information the team
needs to be able to begin working on it.
Deliverable
Any unique and verifiable product, result, or capability used to perform a service and
that is required to be produced to complete a process, phase, or projects.
Delphi Technique
A form of gathering expert opinions in which members of a group are asked or polled
anonymously.
Demo
A review at the end of each iteration with the product owner and other customer
stakeholders to review the progress of the product, get early feedback, and review an
acceptance from the product owner of the stories delivered in the iteration. See also
“Sprint Review”.
Dependency
A relationship between one or more tasks/activities. A dependency may be mandatory
or discretionary, internal or external. See also “start-to-start”; “start-to-finish”; “finishto-start”; and “finish-to-finish”.
Design for X (DfX)
A set of technical guidelines that may be applied during the design of a product for the
optimization of a specific aspect of the design. DfX can control or even improve the
product’s final characteristics.
Design of Experiments (DoE)
A data analysis technique to determine the optimal condition; typically used with
multiple variables.
Determine Budget Process
Part of the Planning Process Group, this process produces the cost baseline/project
budget.
DevOps
A collection of practices for creating a smooth flow of delivery by improving collaboration between development and operations staff.
Develop Project Charter
Part of the Initiating Process Group, this process produces the project charter, which
officially starts the project.
Develop Project Management Plan Process
A planning process which is a guide on how the project will be managed. It is composed
of 19 components.
Develop Schedule Process
Part of the Planning Process Group, this process arranges activities to create the
schedule baseline.
Develop Team Process
Part of the Executing Process Group, this process enhances and empowers the team to
improve teamwork and individual skills.
Diagramming Techniques
Various means of depicting a system or virtual concept such as a business or process
flow that indicate entities, relationships, and interactions.
Dictatorship
A group decision technique in which one person makes the decision for the entire
group.
Direct and Manage Project Work Process
A Monitoring and Controlling process that reviews the entire project and analyzes what
is planned vs. actual (with schedule forecast and cost forecast as an input) to determine
the overall project status.
Direct Cost
Costs that are reported against the project, which may include salaries for resources,
materials, and other expenses. It does not include shared expenses or overhead
expenses.
Directions of Influence
A classification model that groups stakeholders based on how they influence the project
and/or the project team: upwards (senior management); downwards (team or
specialists); outwards (external); sidewards (project manager’s peers).
Directive PMO
A type of PMO that takes control of projects by directly managing the projects.
Disaggregation
Breaking down epics or large stories into smaller stories. This is similar to
decomposition on predictive projects.
Discretionary Dependency
A relationship that is established based on knowledge of best practices within a
particular application area or an aspect of the project in which a specific sequence is
desired.
Document Analysis
A technique used to gain project requirements from current document valuation.
Duration
Amount of time needed to complete an activity/task or work package.
Early Finish
Used in a networking diagram, this represents the earliest date that the activity can
finish.
Early Start
Used in a networking diagram, this represents the earliest date that the activity can
start.
Earned Value (EV)
A measure of work performed expressed in terms of the budget authorized for that
work.
Earned Value Management (EVM)
A methodology that combines scope, schedule, and resource measurements to assess
project performance and progress
Enterprise Environmental Factors
Any or all environmental factors either internal or external to the project that can
influence the project’s success. Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEFs) include
culture, weather conditions, government regulations, political situation, market
conditions, and so on.
Effect-Based Risk Classification
A way of analyzing the major risks inherent to a project that could have an impact on its
success. These major risks include time, cost, quality, and scope.
Effort
The number of labor units required to complete a scheduled activity or WBS
component, often expressed in hours, days, or weeks.
Elapsed Time
The actual calendar time required for an activity from start to finish.
Emotional Intelligence (EI)
The ability to identify, assess, and manage the personal emotions of oneself and other
people, as well as the collective emotions of groups of people. EQ (emotional quotient)
is also a commonly used abbreviation.
Empathy
Part of emotional intelligence (EQ or EI). The ability to understand others’
viewpoints and be a team player. It enables us to connect with others and
understand what moves them.
Empowerment
An essential attribute of agile teams to enable localized decision-making capabilities.
The quality of granting or being granted, nurturing, or motivating a team member or
team to exercise one’s own knowledge, skill, and ability—or that of a team.
Engagement Roadmap
Another name for “stakeholder engagement roadmap” - a guideline based on the
stakeholder analysis that sets forth processes for engaging with stakeholders at current
and all future states of the project.
Enhance
A strategy for managing positive risks or opportunities that involves increasing the
probability that the opportunity will happen, or the impact it will have by identifying and
maximizing enablers of these opportunities.
Epic
A block of work with one common objective, such as a feature, customer request or
business requirement. A helpful way to organize work and create a hierarchy, epic helps
teams break their work down, while continuing to work towards a bigger goal.
Escalate
The act of seeking helpful intervention in response to a threat that is outside the scope
of the project or beyond the project manager’s authority.
Estimate
A number, figure, or representation that denotes cost or time.
Estimate Activity Durations Process
A planning process that determines the estimate time needed to complete a work
package and/or activity.
Estimate Activity Resources Process
Part of the Planning Process Group, this process estimates the materials and human
resources needed to perform the project activities.
Estimate at 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 Process
Part of the Planning Process Group, this process determines the financial estimate for
each work package and/or activity.
Estimate to Complete (ETC)
The expected cost of finishing all the remaining project work.
Executing Process Group
One of the five Project Management Process Groups. It consists of those processes
performed to complete the work defined in the project management plan to satisfy the
project requirements.
Exit Gate
Logical point at the end of a project phase at which an independent party and/or
relevant stakeholders reviews that phase’s deliverables to determine whether or not
they were completed successfully, and the subsequent project phase should be
initiated. Used in predictive or traditional projects. See also “Kill Point”.
Expectancy Theory
Motivational theory which proposes that the team makes choices based on the
expected outcome.
Expected Monetary Value (EMV)
A quantitative method of calculating the average outcome when the future is uncertain.
The calculation of EMV is a component of decision tree analysis. Opportunities will have
positive values and threats will have negative values.
Expert Judgment
Judgment 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.
Explicit Knowledge
Knowledge that can be codified using symbols such as words, numbers, and pictures.
This type of knowledge can be easily documented and shared with others.
Exploit
A strategy for managing positive risks or opportunities that involves attempting to make
sure that the opportunity happens.
External Dependency
Types of activity dependencies that exist between project activities and non-project
activities and can be out of the project’s control.
Extreme Programming (XP)
Agile methodology in which iterations last for one week and programmers work in pairs.
Facilitated Workshops
Organized working sessions held by project managers to determine a project’s
requirements and to get all stakeholders together to agree on the project’s outcomes.
Facilitation
A skill used to lead or guide an assembled group toward a successful conclusion such
as making a decision or finding a solution.
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. See also
“Crashing”.
Feature
A group of stories that delivers value to the customer.
Fibonacci Sequence
A mathematical sequence in which the value of each number is derived from the sum of
the two preceding numbers. Used in agile estimating or relative estimating techniques,
such as planning poker. 0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55,89,144… Simplified sequence:
0,1,2,35,8,13,20,40,100.
Final Report
A summary of the project’s information on performance, scope, schedule, quality, cost,
and risks.
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 in which the buyer pays the seller a set amount (as defined
by the contract), regardless of the seller’s costs.
Fixed Price Contract
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.
Fixed Price Incentive Fee (FPIF) contract
A type of contract in which 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 (FPEPA) contract
A fixed-price contract, but with a special provision allowing for pre-defined final
adjustments to the contract price due to changed conditions, such as inflation changes,
or cost increases (or decreases) for specific commodities.
Focus Groups
An elicitation technique that brings together pre-qualified stakeholders and subject
matter experts to learn about their expectations and attitudes about a proposed product, service, or result.
Forward Pass
Technique for calculating the early start and early finish dates of the schedule activities.
This is part of the critical path method and is paired with backward pass to determine
activity and schedule float along with the critical path. See also “Backward Pass”.
Free Float
The amount of time that a scheduled activity can be delayed without impacting the early
start date of any subsequent scheduled activity.
Functional Manager
Supervisory organizational role in a specialized area or department.
Functional Organization
An organizational structure in which staff is grouped by areas of specialization and the
project manager has limited authority to assign work and apply resources.
Functionality
In an agile context, an action that the system performs that adds value to the
customer/user.
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 on which activities are listed on the vertical axis,
dates are shown on the horizontal axis, and the activity durations are shown as
horizontal bars placed according to start and finish dates.
Generalizing Specialist
Refers to a project team member who has a particular area of deep expertise but also
has experience in many other areas that may not be directly related to their core area.
These team member types are valued on agile projects because of their ability to be
interchangeable.
Gold Plating
Adding more scope than the customer requested and/or that the team planned for.
Group Decision Techniques
Team working techniques to move a group towards consensus or decision. Examples
are unanimity, majority, plurality, and dictatorship.
Growth Mindset
As conceived by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck and colleagues, this mindset
is the belief that a person’s capacities and talents can be improved over time.
Ground Rules
Expectations regarding acceptable behavior by project team members.
Hardening Iteration/Iteration H
Specialized increment/iteration/sprint dedicated to stabilizing the code base so that it is
robust enough for release. No new functionality is added. Primarily used for refactoring
and/or technical debt.
Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory
In 1959, behavioral scientist Frederick Herzberg proposed that ‘hygiene’ or
environmental factors can cause workers to feel satisfied or unsatisfied with their job
and this factor affects their performance. The theory also proposes that a worker’s
independent drive associated with motivation also affects performance and that workers respond to feelings of connection with their work. Therefore, leaders should encourage workers to accept more authority as well as promote feedback. Also known as Two Factor Theory, Herzberg’s Motivation Theory, and The Dual Structure Theory.
Histogram
A bar or column chart that graphically represents numerical data—for example, the
number of defects per deliverable, a ranking of the cause of defects, the number of
times each process is noncompliant, or other representations of project or product
defects.
Historical Information
Archived information from previous projects that can be used for a multitude of reasons, including estimating cost, schedule, resources, and lessons learned.
Ideal Time
An estimation technique that refers to the time it would take to complete a given task
assuming neither interruptions nor unplanned problems arise.
Identify Risks
Performed throughout the project, this is the process of identifying individual project
risks as well as sources of overall project risk and documenting their characteristics.
The key benefit of this process is the documentation of existing individual project risks
and the sources of overall project risk. It also brings together information so the project
team can respond appropriately to identified risks.
Identify Stakeholders
Performed periodically, throughout the project as needed, this is the process of
identifying project stakeholders regularly and analyzing and documenting relevant
information regarding their interests, involvement, interdependencies, influence, and
potential impact on project success. The key benefit of this process is that it enables the
project team to identify the appropriate focus for engagement of each stakeholder or
group of stakeholders.
Impediment
An obstacle that prevents the team from achieving its objectives.
Implement Risk Response Process
A part of the Executing Process Group, this is the process of implementing agreed-upon
risk response plans. The key benefit of this process is that it ensures that agreed-upon
risk responses are executed as planned to address overall project risk exposure,
minimize individual project threats, and maximize individual project opportunities. This
process is performed throughout the project.
Increment
A functional, tested, and accepted deliverable that is a subset of the overall project
outcome.
Incremental Delivery
Agile concept that the functionality should be delivered in small pieces or stages rather
than as a complete solution.
Incremental Life Cycle
An adaptive project life cycle in which the deliverable is produced through a series of
iterations that successively add functionality within a predetermined time frame. The
deliverable contains the necessary and sufficient capability to be considered complete
only after the final iteration.
Independent Estimates
Estimates generated by experts outside the project for the purposes of comparing them
with those made by the team.
Indirect Costs
A cost usually tracked as part of a contract, that is not expended directly for the project’s benefit.
Influence Diagram
Used in quality management decisions. A graphical representation of situations
showing causal influences, time ordering of events, and other relationships among
variables and outcomes.
Influence/Impact Grid
Used in stakeholder management. A classification model that groups stakeholders on
the basis of their involvement in and impact on the project.
