Terms A-Q 2023 Flashcards
Glossary of Terms - Updated Feb 2023
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 Dependency
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. See also ‘Agile Life Cycle,’ Agile Manifesto,’ ‘Agile Practitioner,’ and ‘Agile Principles.’
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.
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.
Control Procurements Process
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.
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-Benefit Analysis
A cost-benefit 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 criterion in decision making.
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. Crashing usually increases costs more than risks. In comparison, fast-tracking 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.