PMBoK Vocabulary Flashcards
acceptance criteria
A set of conditions that are met before deliverables are accepted.
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.
actual cost (AC)
The realized cost incurred for the work performed on an activity during a specific time period.
affinity diagram
A diagram that shows large numbers of ideas classified into groups for review and analysis.
“Convergent thinking tool used to organize or ‘cluster’ ideas and data”
*thinking brainstorming with sticky notes and grouping into categories
analogous estimating
A technique for estimating the duration, cost, or required resources for an activity or project using historical data from a similar activity or project. See also bottom-up estimating, parametric estimating, program evaluation and review technique (PERT), and multipoint estimating.
backlog
An ordered list of work to be done, often written as user stories, and prioritized by the business to manage and organize an adaptive or agile project’s work.
backlog refinement
Progressive elaboration of the content in the backlog and (re)prioritization of it to identify the work that can be accomplished in an upcoming iteration.
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.
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 program or project.
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.
AKA: contractor conferences, vendor conferences, or pre-bid conferences.
Blocker
An obstacle that prevents the team from achieving its objectives.
AKA: impediment
budget at completion (BAC)
The sum of all budgets established for the work to be performed.
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 a milestone.
Business Model Canvas
A one-page, visual summary that describes the value proposition, infrastructure, customers, and finances. Often used in Lean Startup situations.
cause-and-effect diagram
A visual representation that helps trace an effect back to its root cause. A cause-and-effect diagram may also be known as a fishbone or Ishikawa diagram.
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.
contingency reserve
Time or money allocated in the schedule or cost baseline for known risks with active response strategies.
cost baseline
The approved version of the time-phased project budget, excluding any management reserves (includes contingency 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 program or project management plan that describes how costs will be planned, structured, and controlled.
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 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 method used to determine the benefits provided by a project against its costs.
cost-plus-award-fee 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 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).
cost-plus-incentive-fee 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.
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
A schedule compression technique used to shorten the schedule duration for the least incremental cost by adding resources.
Criteria
Standards, rules, or tests on which a judgement or decision can be based or by which a product, service, result, or process can be evaluated
critical path
The sequence of activities that represents the longest path through a project, which determines the shortest possible duration.
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.
Cumulative Flow Diagram
A chart indicating features completed over time, features in other states of development, and those in backlog
Cycle Time Chart
A diagram that shows the average cycle time of the work items completed over time
decomposition
A technique used for dividing and subdividing the project scope and project deliverables into smaller, more manageable parts.
definition of done (DoD)
A 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 to perform a service that is required to be produced to complete a process, phase, or project.
Delivery Performance Domain
The performance domain that addresses activities and functions associated with delivering the scope and quality that the project was undertaken to achieve
development approach
A method used to create and evolve the product, service, or result during the project life cycle such as an adaptive, predictive, or hybrid method.
Development Approach and Life Cycle Performance Domain
The performance domain that addresses activities and functions associated with the development approach, cadence, and life cycle phases of the project.
DevOps
A collection of practices for creating a smooth flow of delivery by improving collaboration between development and operations staff.
Digital Product
A product or service that is delivered, used, and stored in an electronic format
Discretionary Dependency
A relationship that is based on best practices or project preferences
early finish date (critical path method)
the earliest possible point in time when the uncompleted portions of a schedule activity can finish based on the schedule network logic, the data date, and any schedule constraints.
early start date (critical path method)
the earliest possible point in time when the uncompleted portions of a schedule activity can start based on the schedule network logic, the data date, and any schedule constraints.
earned value (EV)
The measure of work performed expressed in terms of the budget authorized for that work.
Earned Value Analysis (EVA)
An analysis method that uses a set of measures associated with scope, schedule, and cost to determine the cost and schedule performance of a project.
earned value management (EVM)
A methodology that combines scope, schedule, cost, and resource measurements to assess project performance and progress.
emotional intelligence
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.
enterprise environmental factors (EEFs)
Conditions, not under the immediate control of the team, that influence, constrain, or direct the portfolio, program, or project.
enterprise risk management
An approach to managing risk that reflects the organization’s culture, capability, and strategy to create and sustain value.
epic
A large, related body of work intended to hierarchically organize a set of requirements and deliver specific business outcomes.
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 to complete (ETC)
The expected cost to finish all the remaining project work.
Executing Process Group
Those processes performed to complete the work defined in the project management plan to satisfy the project requirements
expected monetary value (EMV)
The estimated value of an outcome expressed in monetary terms.
Explicit Knowledge
Knowledge that can be codified using symbols such as words, numbers, and pictures
External dependency
A relationship between project activities and non-project activities
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.
feature
A set of related requirements or functionalities that provides value to an organization.
finish-to-finish (critical path method)
A logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot finish until a predecessor activity has finished.
finish-to-start (critical path method)
A logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot start until a predecessor activity has finished.
firm-fixed-price 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.
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 contract
A type of contract where the buyer pays the seller a set amount (as defined by the contract) and the seller can earn an additional amount if the seller meets defined performance criteria.
Flowchart
The depiction in a diagram format of the inputs, process actions, and outputs of one or more processes within a system.
forward pass (critical path method)
technique for calculating the early start and early finish dates by working forward through the schedule model from the project start date or a given point in time.
free float
The amount of time that a schedule activity can be delayed without delaying the early start date of any successor or violating a schedule constraint.
Function Point
An estimate of the amount of business functionality in an information system, used to calculate the functional size measurement of a software system
Gantt chart
A bar chart of schedule information where activities are listed on the vertical axis, dates are shown on the horizontal axis, and activity durations are shown as horizontal bars placed according to start and finish dates.
hybrid approach
A combination of elements from both adaptive and predictive approaches that is useful when there is uncertainty or risk around the requirements.
Impact Mapping
A strategic planning method that serves as a visual roadmap for the organization during product development
incremental approach
An adaptive development approach in which the deliverable is produced successively, adding functionality until the deliverable contains the necessary and sufficient capability to be considered complete.
Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ)
A contract that provides for an indefinite quantity of goods or services, with a stated lower and upper limit, within a fixed period of time
Influence Diagram
A graphical representation of situations showing causal influences, time ordering of events, and other relationships among variables and outcomes.
information radiator
A visible, physical display that provides information to the rest of the organization, enabling timely knowledge sharing.
Initiating Process Group
Those processes performed to define a new project or a new phase of an existing project by obtaining authorization to start the project or phase
Iteration planning
A meeting to clarify the details of the backlog items, acceptance criteria, and work effort required to meet an upcoming iteration committment
Internal Dependency
A relationship between two or more project activities
Interpersonal Skills
Skills used to establish and maintain relationships with other people
issue
A current condition or situation that may have an impact on one or more objectives.
iteration
A short cycle of development during which a product or deliverable is released or further matured.
iteration review
A meeting held at the end of an iteration to demonstrate the work that was accomplished during the iteration.
iterative approach
A development approach that focuses on an initial, simplified implementation then progressively elaborates, adding to the feature set until the final deliverable is complete.
kanban board
A visualization tool that shows work in progress to help identify bottlenecks and overcommitments, thereby allowing the team to optimize the workflow.
key performance indicator (KPI)
Metric defined by an organization’s leadership that is used to evaluate an organization’s progress toward meeting the targets or end states identified in their objectives or goals, helping to achieve strategic alignment.
Last Responsible Moment
The concept of deferring a decision to allow the team to consider multiple options until the cost of further delay would exceed the benefit