Quick Study Guid Flashcards
Project
a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result
Project Initiation Context
Initiated in response to business factors broken down into four categories; regulatory/legal, stakeholder needs, business change/tech strategies, build/improve products, processes, or services
Project Management
Application of knowledge, skills, tools, techniques, to project activities to meet project requirements effectively and efficiently while integrating PM processes
Program
A group of related projects coordinated to allow for more control
Portfolio
A collection of projects and programs aligned to achieve strategic business objectives
Phases
A group of related project activities allowing for more control and often completes major deliverables; may leverage a phase gate at the end to validate performance and progress
Organizational Project management (OPM)
The alignment of projects, programs, and portfolios and aligning them to strategic organizational goals
Project and Development Life Cycles
A group of project phases defined by an organization into a framework allowing for more control
Tailoring
Selection of the appropriate processes, inputs, tools, techniques, outputs and live cycles to best fit the unique needs of each project
Performance Measurement Baseline
The original approved plan plus/minus all approved changes; the current approved version of the plan
System
A set of formal policies, procedures, rules, or processes that defines how things are done
Progressive Elaboration
An iterative approach to planning; plans are created in multiple passes rather than all at once
Historical Information
Documents or data from previous projects which are used to assist in future project decisions
Enterprise Environment Factors
The environment you work in that can impact your project; corporate culture, industry standards, infrastructure, political climate, market conditions, etc
Organizational Process Assets
Any documented processes and procedures; corporate knowledge base (e.g. project archives)
Functional Organization Structure
A departmentalized structure where employees work for only one manager; project manager has little or no power
Matrix Organization Structure
Employees report to both a functional manager and a project manager (power is shared); in a weak matrix the PM has little power, in a balanced matrix the PM has moderate power, and in a strong matrix the PM has nearly full power and authority
Project-oriented Organization Structure
Employees work directly for and report only to the project manager; project manager has full power and authority
Stakeholder
A person or organization actively involved in the project, or whose interests may be positively or negatively impacted by the project, or who might exert influence over the project
Business Case (reasons to do a project)
Market demand, business need or strategic opportunity, customer request, technological advance, legal requirement, ecological impact, social need
Project Manager
Tasked with achieving the project objectives; lead person responsible for communicating with all stakeholders including sponsor; may report to functional manager or program or portfolio manager
Project Integration management
Is specific to Project managers whereas other knowledge areas may be managed by subject specialists
Agile/Adaptive Environments
Detailed product planning and delivery may be delegated to the team as the PM focusses on building a collaborative decision-making environment
Project management Plan
A formal, approved document that defines how the project is executed
Project Charter
Formally authorizes the project to exist, establishes the project manager’s authority, and documents high-level requirements, milestones, budget, risks, and success criteria
Lessons Learned
Things learned on the current or previous projects used to improve current or future project performance and may be tracked in the Lessons Learned Register
Work Authorization Systems
Defines how project work will be authorized to ensure work is done by the right organization, at the right time, and in the right order
Change Request
A formal request for a change to the project; can be a change to scope, cost/budget, schedule, policies, procedures, processes, or to any of the project plans
Issue
A point or matter in question, in dispute, or over which there are disagreements
Preventive Actions
Actions taken to ensure future project work is aligned with the project management plan (prevent/minimize impact of potential problems)
Corrective Actions
Actions taken to realign project work with the project management plan (correct the problem)
Project vs Product Scope
Product scope is the features and functions the final product must have or be; Project scope is the work required to deliver the final project
Scope Completion
Project scope is measured against the project management plan while product scope is measured against project requirements
Agile/Adaptive Environments
Adaptive life cycles use backlogs
Value Engineering
An approach used to optimize project life cycle costs, save time, increase profits, improve quality, expand market share, solve problems, and/or use resources more efficiently; see the tool and technique of Product Analysis
Data Gathering Techniques
Brainstorming (group creativity), Focus Groups, Benchmarking, Document Analysis, Observation/Conversation
Data Representation
Idea and Mind Mapping, Affinity Diagrams (grouping into categories)
Group Decision Making
Nominal Group Technique (voting and ranking ideas), Multicriteria Decision Analysis
