PMI Lexicon of PM Terms v2.0 Flashcards
Acceptance Criteria
A set of conditions that is required to be met before deliverables are accepted.
Activity
A distinct, scheduled portion of work performed during the course of a project.
Actual Cost
The realized cost incurred for the work performed on an activity during a specific time period.
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.
Apportioned Effort
An activity where effort is allotted proportionately across certain desecrate efforts and not divisible into discrete efforts. (Note: Apportioned effort is one of three Earned Value Management [EVM] types of activities used to measure work performance.)
Assumption
A factor in the planning process that is considered to be true, real, or certain, without proof or demonstration.
Backward Pass
A critical path method technique for calculating the late start ad late finish dates by working backward through the schedule model from the project end date.
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.
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 at Completion
The sum of all budgets established for the work to be performed.
Change Control
A process whereby modifications to documents, deliverables, or baselines associated with the project are identified, documented, approved, or rejected.
Change Control Board
A formal chartered group responsible for reviewing, evaluating, approving, delaying, or rejecting changes to the project, and for recording and communicating such decisions.
Change Control System
A set of procedures that describes how modifications to the project ddliv enables and documentation are managed and controlled.
Change Request
A formal proposal to modify andy document, deliverable, or baseline.
Code of Accounts
A numbering system used to uniquely identify each component of the work breakdown structure.
Communication Management Plan
A component of the project, program, or portfolio management plan that describes how, when, and by whom information will be administered and disseminated.
Constraint
A limiting factor that affects the execution of a project, program, portfolio, or process.
Control Account
A management control point where scope, budget, actual cost, and schedule are integrated and compared to earned value for performance measurement.
Corrective Action
An intentional activity that realigns the performance of the project work with the project management plan.
Cost Management Plan
A component of a project or program management plan that describes how costs will be planned, structured, and controlled.
Cost Performance Index
A measure of the cost efficiency of budgeted resources expressed as the ratio of earned value to actual cost.
Cost Variance
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.
Crashing
A technique used to shorten the schedule duration for the least incremental cost by adding resources.
Critical Chain Method
A schedule method that allows the project team to place buffers on any project schedule path to account for limited resources and project uncertainties.
Critical Path
The sequence of activities that represents the longest path through a project, which determines the shortest possible duration.
Critical Path Activity
Any activity on the critical path in a project schedule.
Critical Path Method
A method used to estimate the minimum project duration and determine the amount of scheduling flexibility on the logical network paths within the schedule model.
Data Date
A point in time when the status of the project is recorded.
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.
Defect Repair
An intentional activity to modify a nonconforming product or product component.
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.
Discrete Effort
An activity that can be planned and measured and that yields a specific output. (note: Discrete effort is one of three Earned Value Management [EVM] types of activities used to measure work performance.)
Early Finish Date (EF)
In the critical path method, the earliest possible point in time when the uncompleted p rations of a schedule activity can finish based on the schedule network logic, the data date, and any schedule constraints.
Early Start Date (ES)
In the critical path method, the earliest possible point in thine when the completed perorations of a schedule activity can start based on the schedule network logic, the data date, and any schedule constraints.
Earned Value
The 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 measurement to assess project performance and progress.
Effort
The number of labor units required to complete a schedule activity or work breakdown structure component, often expressed in hours, days, or weeks.
Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEF)
Conditions, not under the immediate control of the team, that influence, constrain, or direct the project, program, or portfolio.
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.
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.
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.
Forward Pass
A 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.
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.
Human Resource Management Plan
A component of the project or program management plan that describes how the roles and responsibilities, reporting relationships, and staff management will be addressed and structured.
Lag
The amount of time whereby a successor activity is required to be delayed with respect to a predecessor activity.
Late Finish Date (LF)
In the critical path method, the latest possible point in time when the uncompleted portions of a schedule activity can start based on the schedule network logic, the project completion date, and any schedule constraints.
Late Start Date (LS)
In the critical path method, the latest possible point in time when the uncompleted portions of a schedule activity can start based on the schedule network logic, the project completion date, and any schedule constraints.
Lead
The amount of time whereby a successor activity can be advanced with respect to a predecessor activity.
Lessons Learned
The knowledge gained during a project which shows how project events were addressed or should be addressed in the future for the purpose of improving further performance.
Level of Effort
An activity that does not produce definitive end products and is measured by the passage of time. (Note: Level of effort is one of three Earned Value Management [EVM] types of activities used to measure work performance.)
Logical Relationship
A dependency between two activities or between an activity and a milestone.
Milestone
A significant point or event in t a project, program, or portfolio.
Most Likely Duration
An estimate of the most probably activity duration that takes into account all of the known variables that could affect performance.
Opportunity
A risk that would have a positive effect on one or more project objectives.