Vocabulary Flashcards
100-point method
A prioritization method where stakeholders distribute 100 points as votes across available work items.
5 Whys technique
A root cause analysis technique where “Why?” is asked repeatedly to determine the underlying issue.
80/20 rule
Also known as the Pareto principle, stating that 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes.
A3
A problem-solving process limiting pertinent information to a single A3-sized sheet of paper.
AC (Actual Cost)
The realized cost incurred for work performed on an activity during a specific time period.
Acceptance criteria
A set of conditions that must be met before deliverables are accepted.
Acceptance test-driven development (ATDD)
A development method where team members collaborate to define acceptance test criteria before work begins.
Activity
A distinct, scheduled portion of work performed during a project.
Activity code
An alphanumeric value assigned to activities for classification, sorting, and filtering.
Activity identifier
A unique alphanumeric value assigned to an activity to differentiate it from others.
Activity label
A phrase that names and describes an activity.
Actual cost (AC)
The total cost incurred for completed work during a specific period.
Adaptive planning
High-level planning at the beginning, with detailed planning as the project progresses.
Affinity estimate
A technique for high-level estimation by grouping work items based on size and making relative estimations.
Agile
A mindset and methodology focused on flexibility, communication, collaboration, and continuous customer feedback.
Agile coach
A professional who trains, mentors, and facilitates Agile transformations.
Agile life cycle
An iterative and incremental approach to development and refinement of work items.
Agile Manifesto
A document outlining Agile values and principles, published in 2001 by software developers.
Agile mindset
Thinking and practicing Agile principles to deliver customer value continuously.
Agile Unified Process (AUP)
A simplified Agile framework modeled on the Rational Unified Process (RUP).
Analogous estimating
Estimating project duration or cost using historical data from similar projects.
Artifacts
Tangible by-products of a project that provide transparency, such as a product backlog or design documents.
Audit
A structured process to assess and verify compliance with organizational and project policies.
Backlog
An ordered list of requirements or tasks in Agile development.
Backward pass
A technique in critical path method for calculating late start and late finish dates.
Baseline
The approved version of a work product used as a basis for comparison to actual results.
Behavior-driven development (BDD)
An Agile methodology that focuses on expected user behavior in test cases.
Benefit-cost ratio (BCR)
A financial metric comparing proposed costs and expected benefits
Bottom-up estimating
Estimating project duration or cost by aggregating lower-level work package estimates.
Budget at completion (BAC)
The total budget established for the entire project.
Burndown chart
A graphical representation of work remaining versus time remaining in a timebox.
Business requirements document (BRD)
A document listing all requirements for a specific project.
Cause-and-effect diagram
Also known as a fishbone or Ishikawa diagram, used for root cause analysis.
Change control
The process of identifying, documenting, and approving/rejecting project changes.
Change request
A formal proposal to modify any project document, deliverable, or baseline.
Collocated team
A project team that works in the same physical location to enhance collaboration.
Contingency plan
A predefined action plan for responding to identified project risks.
Continuous integration (CI)
A practice where work products are frequently integrated and validated.
Cost baseline
The approved version of cost estimates plus contingency reserves, used for tracking project expenses.
Cost of quality (COQ)
A method for determining resource allocation to prevent or rectify defects.
Cost performance index (CPI)
A measure of cost efficiency calculated as Earned Value (EV) divided by Actual Cost (AC).
Crashing
A schedule compression technique that adds resources to shorten project duration at the least cost.
Critical path
The longest sequence of dependent activities determining the shortest possible project duration.
Daily Scrum
A short daily meeting for Agile teams to review progress and plan work for the day.
Definition of Done (DoD)
A shared understanding of the criteria required to declare a deliverable as complete.
Earned value (EV)
The measure of work performed in terms of the budget allocated to it.
Estimate at completion (EAC)
The projected total cost of completing all work.
Iteration
A timeboxed cycle in Agile development where all necessary work is performed to deliver value.
Kanban board
A visualization tool that helps manage workflow by making bottlenecks and work quantities visible.
Lead time
The total time taken from the initiation of a work item to its completion.
Milestone
A significant point in a project schedule marking the completion of a phase or key event.
Monte Carlo analysis
A statistical technique used to assess project risks and forecast probable outcomes.
Net present value (NPV)
A financial metric that calculates the value of future cash flows in today’s terms.
Risk register
A document that captures all identified risks and their response strategies.
Scrum
An Agile framework with predefined roles, events, and artifacts to facilitate iterative development.
Sprint
A fixed time period (e.g., 2 weeks) in which a Scrum team works to complete a set amount of work.
Story point
A unit of measure used in Agile to estimate work effort relative to other tasks.
Total float
The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the overall project completion.
User story
A brief, user-centric requirement describing deliverable value.
Work breakdown structure (WBS)
A hierarchical decomposition of work required to complete a project.
