A set of conditions that is required to be met before deliverables are accepted.
Accepted Deliverables
Products, results, or capabilities produced by a project and validated by the
project customer or sponsors as meeting their specified acceptance criteria.
Accuracy
Within the quality management system, accuracy is an assessment of correctness.
Acquire Resources
The process of obtaining team members, facilities, equipment, materials,
supplies, and other resources necessary to complete project work.
Acquisition
Obtaining human and material resources necessary to perform project activities.
Acquisition implies a cost of resources and is not necessarily financial.
Activity
A distinct, scheduled portion of work performed during the course of a project.
Activity Attributes
Multiple attributes associated with each schedule activity that can be included
within the activity list. Activity attributes include activity codes, predecessor activities, successor
activities, logical relationships, leads and lags, resource requirements, imposed dates, constraints,
and assumptions.
Activity Duration
The time in calendar units between the start and finish of a schedule activity. See
also duration.
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‐Node (AON)
See precedence diagramming method (PDM).
Actual Cost (AC)
The realized cost incurred for the work performed on an activity during a specific
time period.
Actual Duration
The time in calendar units between the actual start date of the schedule activity and
either the data date of the project schedule if the schedule activity is in progress or the actual finish
date if the schedule activity is complete.
Adaptive Life Cycle
A project life cycle that is iterative or incremental.
Affinity Diagram
A technique that allows large numbers of ideas to be classified into groups for
review and analysis.
Agreements
Any document or communication that defines the initial intentions of a project. This can
take the form of a contract, memorandum of understanding (MOU), letters of agreement, verbal
agreements, email, etc.
Alternative Analysis
A technique used to evaluate identified options in order to select the options or
approaches to use to execute and perform the work of the project.
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.
Analytical Techniques
Various techniques used to evaluate, analyse, or forecast potential outcomes
based on possible variations of project or environmental variables and their relationships with other
variables.
Assumption
A factor in the planning process that is considered to be true, real, or certain, without
proof or demonstration.
Assumption Log
A project document used to record all assumptions and constraints throughout the
project life cycle.
Attribute Sampling
Method of measuring quality that consists of noting the presence (or absence) of
some characteristic (attribute) in each of the units under consideration.
Authority
The right to apply project resources, expend funds, make decisions, or give approvals.
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.
Bar Chart
A graphic display of schedule‐related information. In the typical bar chart, schedule
activities or work breakdown structure 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
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.
Basis of Estimates
Supporting documentation outlining the details used in establishing project
estimates such as assumptions, constraints, level of detail, ranges, and confidence levels.
Benchmarking
Benchmarking is 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 project or program.
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. Also known as contractor conferences, vendor conferences, or pre‐bid conferences.
Bid Documents
All documents used to solicit information, quotations, or proposals from prospective
sellers.
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
The approved estimate for the project or any work breakdown structure component or any
schedule activity.
Budget at Completion (BAC)
The sum of all budgets established for the work to be performed.
Buffer
See reserve.
Business Case.
A documented economic feasibility study used to establish validity of the benefits of a
selected component lacking sufficient definition and that is used as a basis for the authorization of
further projectmanagement activities.
Business Value
The net quantifiable benefit derived from a business endeavour. The benefit may be
tangible, intangible, or both.
Cause and Effect Diagram
A decomposition technique that helps trace an undesirable effect back to
its root cause.
Change
A modification to any formally controlled deliverable, project management plan component,
or project document.
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.
Change Control System
A set of procedures that describes how modifications to the project
deliverables and documentation are managed and controlled.
Change Control Tools
Manual or automated tools to assist with change and/or configuration
management. At a minimum, the tools should support the activities of the CCB.
Change Log
A comprehensive list of changes submitted during the project and their current status.
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
A formal proposal to modify any document, deliverable, or baseline.
Charter
See project charter.
Checklist Analysis
A technique tor systematically reviewing materials using a list for accuracy and
completeness.
Checksheets
A tally sheet that can be used as a checklist when gathering data.
Claim
A request, demand, or assertion of rights by a seller against a buyer, or vice versa, for
consideration, compensation, or payment under the terms of a legally binding contract, such as tor a
disputed change.
Claims Administration
The process of processing, adjudicating, and communicating contract claims.
Close Project or Phase
The process of finalizing all activities for the project, phase or contract.
Closing Process Group
The process(es) performed to formally complete or close a project, phase or
contract.
Code of Accounts
A numbering system used to uniquely identify each component of the work
breakdown structure (WBS).
Collect Requirements
The process of determining, documenting, and managing stakeholder needs
and requirements to meet project objectives.
Colocation
An organizational placement strategy where the project team members are physically
located close to one another in order to improve communication, working relationships, and
productivity.
Communication Methods
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, study of lessons learned from previous
projects, etc.
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.
Communication Styles Assessment
A technique to identify the preferred communication method,
format, and content for stakeholders for planned communication activities.
Communication Technology
Specific Tools, systems, computer programs, etc., used to transfer
information among project stakeholders.
Conduct Procurements
The process of obtaining seller responses, selecting a seller, and awarding a
contract.
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.
Conformance
Within the quality management system, conformance is a general concept of
delivering results that fall within the limits that define acceptable variation for a quality requirement.
Constraint
A limiting factor that affects the execution of a project, program, portfolio, or process.
Context Diagrams
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
An event or occurrence that could affect the execution of the project that may be
accounted for with a reserve.
Contingency Reserve
Time or money allocated in the schedule or cost baseline for known risks with
active response strategies.
Contingent Response Strategies
Responses provided which may be used in the event that a specific
trigger occurs.
Contract
A contract is a mutually binding agreement that obligates the seller to provide the specified
product 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
Comparing actual performance with planned performance, analysing variances, assessing
trends to effect process improvements, evaluating possible alternatives, and recommending
appropriate corrective action as needed.
Control Account
A management control point where scope, budget, actual cost, and schedule are
integrated and compared to earned value for performance measurement.
Control Chart
A graphic display of process data over time and against established control limits,
which has a center1ine that assists in detecting a trend of plotted values toward either control limit.
Control Costs
The process of monitoring the status of the project to update the project costs and
managing changes to the cost baseline.
Control Limits
The area composed of three standard deviations on either side of the centreline or
mean of a normal distribution of data plotted on a control chart, which reflects the expected
variation in the data. See also specification limits.
Control Procurements
The process of managing procurement relationships, monitoring contract
performance, making changes and corrections as appropriate, and closing out contracts.
Control Quality
The process of monitoring and recording results of executing the quality
management activities to assess performance and ensure the project outputs are complete correct
and meet the customer expectations.
Control Resources
The process of ensuring that the physical resources assigned and allocated to the
project are available as planned, as well as monitoring the planned versus actual utilisation of
resources and performing corrective action as necessary.
Control Schedule
The process of monitoring the status of the project to update the project schedule
and manage changes to the schedule baseline.
Control Scope
The process of monitoring the status of the project and product scope and managing
changes to the scope baseline.
Corrective Action
An intentional activity that realigns the performance of the project work with the
project management plan.
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.
Cost‐Benefit Analysis
A financial analysis tool used to determine the benefits provided by a project
against its costs.
Cost Management Plan
A component of a project or program 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 Plus Award Fee Contracts (CPAF)
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 (CPFF)
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 (CPIF)
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.
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.
Crashing
A technique used to shorten the schedule duration for the least incremental cost by adding
resources.
Create WBS
The process of subdividing project deliverables and project work into smaller, more
manageable components.
Criteria
Standards, rules, or tests on which a judgment 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 Activity
Any activity on the critical path in a project schedule.
Critical Path Method (CPM)
A method used to estimate the minimum project duration and
determine the amount of schedule flexibility on the logical network paths within the schedule model.
Data
Discrete, unorganised, unprocessed measurements or raw observations.
Data Analysis Techniques
Techniques used to organise, assess, and evaluate data and information.
Data Date
A point in time when the status of the project is recorded.
Data Gathering Techniques
Techniques used to collect and information from a variety of sources.
Data Representation Techniques
Graphic representations or other methods used to convey data
and information.
Decision‐Making Techniques
Techniques used to select a course of action from different
alternatives.
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
An imperfection or deficiency in a project component where that component does not meet
its requirements or specifications and needs to be either repaired or replaced.
Defect Repair
An intentional activity to modify a nonconforming product or product component.
Define Activities
The process of identifying and documenting the specific actions to be performed to
produce the project deliverables.
Define Scope
The process of developing a detailed description of the project and product.
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.
Dependency
See logical relationship.
Determine Budget
The process of aggregating the estimated costs of individual activities or work
packages to establish an authorized cost baseline.
Development Approach
The method used to create and evolve the product, service, or result during
the project life cycle, such as predictive, iterative, incremental, agile, or a hybrid method.
Develop Project Charter
The process of developing a document that formally authorizes the
existence of a project and provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational
resources to project activities.
Develop Project Management Plan
The process of defining, preparing, and coordinating all plans
plan components and consolidating them into an integrated project management plan.
Develop Schedule
The process of analysing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements,
and schedule constraints to create the project schedule model for project execution and monitoring
and controlling.
Develop Team
The process of improving competences, team member interaction, and overall team
environment to enhance project performance.
Diagramming Techniques
Approaches to presenting information with logical linkages that aid in
understanding.
Direct and Manage Project Work
The process of leading and performing the work defined in the
project management plan and implementing approved changes to achieve the project's objectives.
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.]
Discretionary Dependency
A relationship that is established based on knowledge of best practices
within a particular application area or an aspect of the project where a specific sequence is desired.
Documentation Reviews
The process of gathering a corpus of information and reviewing it to
determine accuracy and completeness.
Duration
The total number of work periods required to complete an activity or work breakdown
structure component, expressed in hours, days, or weeks. Contrast with effort.
Early Finish Date (EF)
In the 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 (ES)
In the 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 Management
A methodology that combines scope, schedule, and resource
measurements to assess project performance and progress.
Effort
The number of labour units required to complete a schedule activity or work breakdown
structure component, often expressed in hours, days, or weeks. Contrast with duration.
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
Conditions, not under the immediate control of the team, that
influence, constrain, or direct the project, program, or portfolio.
Estimate
A quantitative assessment of the likely amount or outcome of a variable, such as project
costs, resources, effort, or durations.
Estimate Activity Durations
The process of estimating the number of work periods needed to
complete individual activities with estimated resources.
Estimate Activity Resources
The process of estimating team resources and the type and quantities
of material, equipment, and supplies necessary to perform project work.
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 Costs
The process of developing an approximation of the monetary resources needed to
complete project work.
Estimate to Complete (ETC)
The expected cost to finish all the remaining project work.
Execute
Directing, managing, performing, and accomplishing the project work; providing the
deliverables; and providing the work performance information.
Executing Process Group
Those processes performed to complete the work defined in the project
management plan to satisfy the project requirements.
Expert Judgment
Judgment provided based upon expertise in an application area, knowledge area,
discipline, industry, etc., as appropriate for the activity being performed. Such expertise may be
provided by any group or person with specialized education, knowledge, skill, experience, or training.
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.
Fallback Plan.
Fallback plans include an alternative set of actions and tasks available in the event that
the primary plan needs to be abandoned because of issues, risks, or other causes.
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.
Fee
Represents profit as a component of compensation to a seller.
Finish Date
A point in time associated with a schedule activity's completion. Usually qualified by one
of the following: actual, planned, estimated, scheduled, early, late, baseline, target, or current.
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.
Finn‐Fixed‐Price Contract (FFP)
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.
Fishbone diagram
See Cause and Effect Diagram.
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 (FPIF)
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.
Fixed Price with Economic Price Adjustment Contracts (FP‐EPA)
A fixed‐price contract, but with a
special provision allowing tor predefined final adjustments to the contract price due to changed
conditions, such as inflation changes, or cost increases (or decreases) tor specific commodities.
Float
Also called slack. See total float and free float.
Flowchart
The depiction in a diagram format of the inputs, process actions, and outputs of one or
more processes within a system.
Focus Groups
An elicitation technique that brings together prequalified stakeholders and subject
matter experts to learn about their expectations and attitudes about a proposed product, service, or
result.
Forecast
An estimate or prediction of conditions and events in the project's future based on
information and knowledge available at the time of the forecast.
Forward Pass
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.
Functional Organization
N organisational structure in which staff is grouped by areas of
specialization and the project manager has limited authority to assign work and apply resources.
Funding Limit Reconciliation
The process of comparing the planned expenditure of project funds
against any limits on the commitment of funds for the project to identify any variances between the
funding limits and the planned expenditures.
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.
Grade
A category or rank used to distinguish items that have the same functional use but do not
share the same requirements for quality.
Ground Rules
Expectations regarding acceptable behaviour by project team members.
Histogram.
A bar chart that shows the graphical representation of numerical data.
Historical Information
Documents and data on prior projects including project files, records,
correspondence, closed contracts, and closed projects.
Identify Risks
The process of identifying individual risks as well as sources of overall risk and
documenting their characteristics.
Identify Stakeholders
The process of identifying stakeholders regularly and analysing and
documenting relevant information regarding their interests, involvement, interdependencies,
influence, and potential impact on project success.
Implement Risk Responses
The process of implementing agreed‐upon risk response plans.
Imposed Date
A fixed date imposed on a schedule activity or schedule milestone, usually in the form
of a "start no earlier than" and "finish no later than" date.
Incentive Fee
A set of financial incentives related to cost, schedule, or technical performance of the
seller.
Incremental Life Cycle
An adaptative project life cycle in which the deliverable is produced through a
series of iterations that successively add functionality within a predetermined time frame. The
deliverable contains the necessary and sufficient capability to be considered complete only after the
final iteration.
Independent Estimates
A process of using a third party to obtain and analyse information to support
prediction of cost, schedule, or other items.
Influence Diagram
A graphical representation of situations showing causal influences, time ordering
of events, and other relationships among variables and outcomes.
Information
Organised or structured data, processed for a specific purpose to make it meaningful,
valuable, and useful in specific contexts.
Information Management Systems
Facilities, processes, and procedures used to collect, store, and
distribute information between producers and consumers of information in physical or electronic
format.
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.
Input
Any item, whether internal or external to the project, which is required by a process before
that process proceeds. May be an output from a predecessor process.
Inspection
Examining of a work product to determine whether it conforms to documented
standards.
Interpersonal and Team Skills
Skills used to effectively lead and interact with team members and
other stakeholders.
Interpersonal Skills
Skills used to establish and maintain relationships with other people.
Interviews
A formal or informal approach to elicit information from stakeholders by talking to them
directly.
Invitation for Bid (IFB)
Generally, this term is equivalent to request for proposal. However, in some
application areas, it may have a narrower or more specific meaning.
Issue
A current condition or situation that may have an impact on the project objectives.
Issue Log
A project document where information about issues is recorded and monitored.
Iterative Life Cycle
A project life cycle where the project scope is generally determined early in the
project life cycle, but time and cost estimates are routinely modified as the project team's
understanding of the product increases. Iterations develop the product through a series of repeated
cycles, while increments successively add to the functionality of the product.
Knowledge
A mixture of experience, values and beliefs, contextual information, intuition, and insight
that people use to make sense of new experiences and information.
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 finish 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 with the purpose of improving future performance.
Lessons Learned Register
A project document used to record knowledge gained during a project so
that it can be used in the current project and entered into the lessons learned repository.
Lessons Learned Repository
A store of historical information about lessons learned in projects.
Level of Effort (LOE)
An activity that does not produce definitive end products and is measured by
the passage of time.
Life Cycle
See project life cycle.
Log
A document used to record and describe or denote selected items identified during execution of
a process or activity. Usually used with a modifier, such as issue, change, or assumption.
Logical Relationship
A dependency between two activities, or between an activity and a milestone.
Make‐or‐Buy Analysis
The process of gathering and organizing data about product requirements and
analysing them against available alternatives including the purchase or internal manufacture of the
product.
Make‐or‐Buy Decisions
Decisions made regarding the external purchase or internal manufacture of
a product.
Manage Communications
The process of ensuring timely and appropriate collection, creation,
distribution, storage, retrieval, management, monitoring, and the ultimate disposition of project
information.
Management Reserve
An amount of the project budget or project schedule held outside of the
performance measurement baseline (PMB) for management control purposes, that is reserved for
unforeseen work that is within scope of the project.
Management Skills
The ability to plan, organize, direct, and control individuals or groups of people
to achieve specific goals.
Manage Project Knowledge
The process of using existing knowledge and creating new knowledge to
achieve the project’s objectives and contribute to organisational learning.
Manage Quality
The process of translating the quality management plan into executable quality
activities that incorporate the organisation’s quality policies into the project.
Manage Stakeholder Engagement
The process of communicating and working with stakeholders to
meet their needs and expectations, address issues, and foster appropriate stakeholder involvement.
Manage Team
The process of tracking team member performance, providing feedback, resolving
issues, and managing team changes to optimize project performance.
Mandatory Dependency
A relationship that is contractually required or inherent in the nature of the
work.
Master Schedule
A summary‐level project schedule that identifies the major deliverables and work
breakdown structure components and key schedule milestones. See also milestone schedule.
Matrix Diagrams
A quality management and control tool used to perform data analysis within the
organizational structure created in the matrix. The matrix diagram seeks to show the strength of
relationships between factors, causes, and objectives that exist between the rows and columns that
form the matrix.
Matrix Organization
Any organizational structure in which the project manager shares responsibility
with the functional managers for assigning priorities and for directing the work of persons assigned to
the project.
Methodology
A system of practices, techniques, procedures, and rules used by those who work in a
discipline.
Milestone
A significant point or event in a project, program, or portfolio.
Milestone Schedule
A type of schedule that presents milestones with planned dates. See also master
schedule.
Mind‐Mapping
A technique used to consolidate ideas created through individual brainstorming
sessions into a single map to reflect commonality and differences in understanding and to generate
new ideas.
Monitor
Collect project performance data, produce performance measures, and report and
disseminate performance information.
Monitor and Control Project Work
The process of tracking, reviewing, and reporting the progress to
meet the performance objectives defined in the project management plan.
Monitor Communications
The process of ensuring that the information needs of the project and its
stakeholders are met.
Monitoring and Controlling Process Group
Those processes required to track, review, and regulate
the progress and performance of the project; identify any areas in which changes to the plan are
required; and initiate the corresponding changes.
Monitor Risks
The process of monitoring the implementation of agreed‐upon risk response plans,
tracking identified risks, identifying and analysing new risks, and evaluating risk process effectiveness
throughout the project.
Monitor Stakeholder Engagement
The process of monitoring project stakeholder relationships, and
tailoring strategies for engaging stakeholders through the modification of engagement strategies and
plans.
Monte Carlo Simulation
An analysis technique where a computer model is iterated many times, with
the input values chosen at random for each iteration driven by the input data, including probability
distributors and probabilistic branches. Outputs are generated to represent the range of possible
outcomes for the project.
Multicriteria Decision Analysis
This technique utilizes a decision matrix to provide a systematic
analytical approach for establishing criteria, such as risk levels, uncertainty, and valuation, to evaluate
and rank many ideas.
Network
See project schedule network diagram.
Networking
Establishing connections and relationships with other people from the same or other
organizations.
Network Logic
All activity dependencies in a project schedule network diagram.
Network Path
A sequence of activities connected by logical relationships in a project schedule
network diagram.
Node
A point at which dependency lines connect on a schedule network diagram.
Nominal Group Technique
A technique that enhances brainstorming with a voting process used to
rank the most useful ideas for further brainstorming or for prioritization.
Objective
Something toward which work is to be directed, a strategic position to be attained, a
purpose to be achieved, a result to be obtained, a product to be produced, or a service to be
performed.
Opportunity
A risk that would have a positive effect on one or more project objectives.
Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS)
A hierarchical representation of the project
organization, which illustrates the relationship between project activities and the organizational units
that will perform those activities.
Organizational Learning
A discipline concerned with the way individuals, groups, and organisations
develop knowledge.
Organizational Process Assets
Plans, processes, policies, procedures, and knowledge bases that are
specific to and used by the performing organization.
Output
A product, result, or service generated by a process. May be an input to a successor process.
Overall Project Risk
The effect of uncertainty on the project as a whole, arising from all sources of
uncertainty including individual risks, representing the exposure of stakeholders to the implications
of variations in project outcome, both positive and negative.
Parametric Estimating
An estimating technique in which an algorithm is used to calculate cost or
duration based on historical data and project parameters.
Path Convergence
A relationship in which a schedule activity has more than one predecessor.
Path Divergence
A relationship in which a schedule activity has more than one successor.
Percent Complete
An estimate expressed as a percent of the amount of work that has been
completed on an activity or a work breakdown structure component.
Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB)
Integrated scope, schedule, and cost baselines used for
comparison to manage, measure, and control project execution.
Performance Reviews
A technique that is used to measure, compare, and analyse actual
performance of work in progress on the project against the baseline.
Perform Integrated Change Control
The process of reviewing all change requests; approving
changes and managing changes to deliverables, organizational process assets, project documents,
and the project management plan; and communicating their disposition.
Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis
The process of prioritizing risks for further analysis or action by
assessing their probability of occurrence and impact as well as other characteristics.
Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis
The process of numerically analysing the combined effect of
identified individual project risks and other sources of uncertainty on overall project objectives.
Phase
See project phase.
Phase Gate
A review at the end of a phase in which a decision is made to continue to the next phase,
to continue with modification, or to end a project or program.
Plan Communications Management
The process of developing an appropriate approach and plan
for project communication activities based on the information needs of each stakeholder or group,
available organizational assets, and the needs of the project.
Plan Cost Management
The process of defining how the project costs will be estimated, budgeted,
managed, monitored, and controlled.
Planned Value (PV)
The authorized budget assigned to scheduled work.
Planning Package
A work breakdown structure component below the control account with known
work content but without detailed schedule activities. See also control account.
Planning Process Group
Those processes required to establish the scope of the project, refine the
objectives, and define the course of action required to attain the objectives that the project was
undertaken to achieve.
Plan Procurement Management
The process of documenting project procurement decisions,
specifying the approach, and identifying potential sellers.
Plan Quality Management
The process of identifying quality requirements and/or standards for the
project and its deliverables and documenting how the project will demonstrate compliance with
quality requirements and/or standards.
Plan Resource Management
The process of defining how to estimate, acquire, manage, and utilize
physical and team resources.
Plan Risk Management
The process of defining how to conduct risk management activities for a
project.
Plan Risk Responses
The process of developing options, selecting strategies, and agreeing on actions
to address overall project risk exposure, as well as to treat individual project risks.
Plan Schedule Management
The process of establishing the policies, procedures, and
documentation for planning, developing, managing, executing, and controlling the project schedule.
Plan Scope Management
The process of creating a scope management plan that documents how
the project scope will be defined, validated, and controlled.
Plan Stakeholder Engagement
The process of developing approached to involve project
stakeholders, based on their needs, expectations, interest, and potential impact on the project.
Plurality
Decisions made by the largest block in a group, even if a majority is not achieved.
Policy
A structured pattern of actions adopted by an organization such that the organization's policy
can be explained as a set of basic principles that govern the organization's conduct.
Portfolio
Projects, programs, subsidiary portfolios, and operations managed as a group to achieve
strategic objectives.
Portfolio Management
The centralized management of one or more portfolios to achieve strategic
objectives.
Practice
A specific type of professional or management activity that contributes to the execution of a
process and that may employ one or more techniques and tools.
Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)
A technique used for constructing a schedule model in
which activities are represented by nodes and are graphically linked by one or more logical
relationships to show the sequence in which the activities are to be performed.
Precedence Relationship
A logical dependency used in the precedence diagramming method.
Predecessor Activity
An activity that logically comes before a dependent activity in a schedule.
Predictive Life Cycle
A form of project life cycle in which the project scope, time and cost are
determined in the early phases of the life cycle.
Preventive Action
An intentional activity that ensures the future performance of the project work is
aligned with the project management plan.
Probability and Impact Matrix
A grid for mapping the probability of each risk occurrence and its
impact on project objectives if that risk occurs.
Procedure
An established method of accomplishing a consistent performance or result, a procedure
typically can be described as the sequence of steps that will be used to execute a process.
Process
A systematic series of activities directed towards causing an end result such that one or
more inputs will be acted upon to create one or more outputs.
Procurement Audits
The review of contracts and contracting processes for completeness, accuracy,
and effectiveness.
Procurement Documentation
All documents used in signing, executing, and closing an agreement.
Procurement documentation may include documents predating the project.
Procurement Documents
The documents utilized in bid and proposal activities, which include the
buyer's invitation for bid, invitation for negotiations, request for information, request for quotation,
request for proposal, and seller's responses.
Procurement Management Plan
A component of the project or program management plan that
describes how a project team will acquire goods and services from outside the performing
organization.
Procurement Statement of Work
Describes the procurement item in sufficient detail to allow
prospective sellers to determine if they are capable of providing the products, services, or results.
Procurement Strategy
The approach by the buyer to determine the project delivery method and the
type of legally binding agreement(s) that should be used to deliver the desired results.
Product
An artifact that is produced, is quantifiable, and can be either an end item in itself or a
component item. Additional words for products are material and goods. See also deliverable.
Product Analysis
For projects that have a product as a deliverable, it is a tool to define scope that
generally means asking questions about a product and forming answers to describe the use,
characteristics, and other the relevant aspects of what is going to be manufactured.
Product Life Cycle
The series of phases that represent the evolution of a product, from concept
through delivery, growth, maturity, and to retirement.
Product Scope
The features and functions that characterize a product, service, or result.
Product Scope Description
The documented narrative description of the product scope.
Program
Related projects, subsidiary programs, and program activities that are managed in a
coordinated manner to obtain benefits not available from managing them individually.
Program Management
The application of knowledge, skills, and principles to a program to achieve
the program objectives and obtain benefits and control not available by managing program
components individually.
Progressive Elaboration
The iterative process of increasing the level of detail in a project
management plan as greater amounts of information and more accurate estimates become available.
Project
A temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.
Project Calendar
A calendar that identifies working days and shifts that are available for scheduled
activities.
Project Charter
A document issued by the project initiator or sponsor that formally authorizes the
existence of a project and provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational
resources to project activities.
Project Communications Management
Project Communications Management includes the
processes that are required to ensure timely and appropriate planning, collection, creation,
distribution, storage, retrieval, management, control, monitoring, and the ultimate disposition of
project information.
Project Cost Management
Project Cost Management includes the processes involved in planning,
estimating, budgeting, financing, funding, managing, and controlling costs so that the project can be
completed within the approved budget.
Project Funding Requirements
Forecast project costs to be paid that are derived from the cost
baseline for total or periodic requirements, including projected expenditures plus anticipated
liabilities.
Project Governance
The framework, functions, and processes that guide the project management
activities in order to create a unique product, service, or result to meet organisational, strategic, and
operational goals.
Project Initiation
Launching a process that can result in the authorization of a new project.
Project Integration Management
Project Integration Management includes the processes and
activities needed to identify, define, combine, unify, and coordinate the various processes and
project management activities within the Project Management Process Groups.
Project Life Cycle
The series of phases that a project passes through from its start to its completion.
Project Management
The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities
to meet the project requirements.
Project Management Body of Knowledge
A term that describes the knowledge within the
profession of project management. The project management body of knowledge includes proven
traditional practices that are widely applied as well as innovative practices that are emerging in the
profession.
Project Management Information System
An information system consisting of the tools and
techniques used to gather, integrate, and disseminate the outputs of project management processes.
Project Management Knowledge Area
An identified area of project management defined by its
knowledge requirements and described in terms of its component processes, practices, inputs,
outputs, tools, and techniques.
Project Management Office (PMO)
A management structure that standardizes the project‐related
governance processes and facilitates the sharing of resources, methodologies, tools, and techniques.
Project Management Plan
The document that describes how the project will be executed monitored
and controlled and closed.
Project Management Process Group
A logical grouping of project management inputs, tools and
techniques, and outputs. The Project Management Process Groups include initiating processes,
planning processes, executing processes, monitoring and controlling processes, and closing
processes. Project Management Process Groups are not project phases.
Project Management System
The aggregation of the processes, tools, techniques, methodologies,
resources, and procedures to manage a project.
Project Management Team
The members of the project team who are directly involved in project
management activities. See also Project Team.
Project Manager (PM)
The person assigned by the performing organization to lead the team that is
responsible for achieving the project objectives.
Project Organization Chart
A document that graphically depicts the project team members and their
interrelationships for a specific project.
Project Phase
A collection of logically related project activities that culminates in the completion of
one or more deliverables.
Project Procurement Management
Includes the processes necessary to purchase or acquire
products, services, or results needed from outside the project team.
Project Quality Management
Includes the processes for incorporating the organisation’s quality
policy regarding planning, managing, and controlling project and product quality requirements, in
order to meet stakeholders’ expectations.
Project Resource Management
Includes the processes to identify, acquire, and manage the
resources needed for the successful completion of the project.
Project Risk Management
Includes the processes of conducting risk management planning,
identification, analysis, response planning, response implementation, and controlling risk on a
project.
Project Schedule
An output of a schedule model that presents linked activities with planned dates,
durations, milestones, and resources.
Project Schedule Management
Includes the processes required to manage the timely schedule
activities.
Project Schedule Network Diagram
A graphical representation of the logical relationships among the
project schedule activities.
Project Scope
The work performed to deliver a product, service, or result with the specified features
and functions.
Project Scope Management
Project Scope Management includes the processes required to ensure
that the project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project
successfully.
Project Scope Statement
The description of the project scope, major deliverables, assumptions, and
constraints.
Project Stakeholder Management
Includes the processes required to identify the people, groups or
organizations that could impact or be impacted by the project, to analyse stakeholder expectations
and their impact on the project, and to develop appropriate management strategies for effectively
engaging stakeholders in project decisions and execution.
Project Team
A set of individuals who support the project manager in performing the work of the
project to achieve its objectives. See also Project Management Team.
Project Team Directory
A documented list of project team members, their project roles, and
communication information.
Proposal Evaluation Techniques
The process of reviewing proposals provided by suppliers to
support contract award decisions.
Prototypes
A method of obtaining early feedback on requirements by providing a working model of
the expected product before actually building it.
Quality
The degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfils requirements.
Quality Audits
A quality audit is a structured, independent process to determine if project activities
comply with organizational and project policies, processes, and procedures.
Quality Checklists
A structured tool used to verify that a set of required steps has been performed.
Quality Control Measurements
The documented results of control quality activities.
Quality Management Plan
A component of the project or program management plan that describes
how applicable policies, procedures, and guidelines will be implemented to achieve the quality
objectives.
Quality Management System
The organizational framework whose structure provides the policies,
processes, procedures, and resources required to implement the quality management plan. The
typical project quality management plan should be compatible to the organization's quality
management system.
Quality Metrics
A description of a project or product attribute and how to measure it.
Quality Policy
A policy specific to the Project Quality Management Knowledge Area, it establishes
the basic principles that should govern the organization's actions as it implements its system for
quality management.
Quality Report
A project document that includes quality management issues, recommendations for
corrective actions, and a summary of findings from quality control activities and may include
recommendations for process, project, and product improvements.
Quality Requirement
A condition or capability that will be used to assess conformance by validating
the acceptability of an attribute for the quality of a result.
Questionnaires
Written sets of questions designed to quickly accumulate information from a large
number of respondents.
RACI Chart
A common type of responsibility assignment matrix that uses responsible, accountable,
consult, and inform statuses to define the involvement of stakeholders in project activities.
Regression Analysis
An analytic technique where a series of input variables are examined in relation
to their corresponding output results in order to develop a mathematical or statistical relationship.
Regulations
Requirements imposed by a governmental body. These requirements can establish
product, process, or service characteristics, including applicable administrative provisions that have
government‐mandated compliance.
Request for Information (RFI)
A type of procurement document whereby the buyer requests a
potential seller to provide various pieces of information related to a product or service or seller
capability.
Request for Proposal (RFP)
A type of procurement document used to request proposals from
prospective sellers of products or services. In some application areas, it may have a narrower or more
specific meaning.
Request for Quotation (RFQ)
A type of procurement document used to request price quotations
from prospective sellers of common or standard products or services. Sometimes used in place of
request for proposal and, in some application areas, it may have a narrower or more specific
meaning.
Requirement
A condition or capability that is required to be present in a product, service, or result
to satisfy a business need.
Requirements Documentation
A description of how individual requirements meet the business need
for the project.
Requirements Management Plan
A component of the project or program management plan that
describes how requirements will be analysed, documented, and managed.
Requirements Traceability Matrix
A grid that links product requirements from their origin to the
deliverables that satisfy them.
Reserve
A provision in the project management plan to mitigate cost and/or schedule risk. Often
used with a modifier (e.g., management reserve, contingency reserve) to provide further detail on
what types of risk are meant to be mitigated.
Reserve Analysis
An analytical technique to determine the essential features and relationships of
components in the project management plan to establish a reserve for the schedule duration,
budget, estimated cost, or funds for a project.
Residual Risk
A risk that remains after risk responses have been implemented.
Resource
A team member or any physical item needed to complete the project.
Resource Breakdown Structure
A hierarchical representation of resources by category and type.
Resource Calendar
A calendar that identifies the working days and shifts upon which each specific
resource is available.
Resource Histogram.
A bar chart showing the amount of time that a resource is scheduled to work
over a series of time periods.
Resource Levelling
A resource optimization technique in which adjustments are made to the project
schedule to optimize the allocation of resources and which may affect critical path. See also resource
optimization technique and resource smoothing.
Resource Management Plan
A component of the project management plan that describes how
project resources are acquired, allocated, monitored, and controlled.
Resource Manager
An individual with management authority over one or more resources.
Resource Optimization Technique
A technique that is used to adjust the start and finish dates are
adjusted to balance demand for resources with the available supply. See also resource levelling and
resource smoothing.
Resource Requirements
The type and quantities of resources required for each activity in a work
package.
Resource Smoothing
A technique which adjusts the activities of a schedule model such that the
requirement for resources on the project do not exceed certain predefined resource limits.
Responsibility
An assignment that can be delegated within a project management plan such that the
assigned resource incurs a duty to perform the requirements of the assignment.
Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)
A grid that shows the project resources assigned to each
work package.
Result
An output from performing project management processes and activities. Results include
outcomes (e.g., integrated systems, revised process, restructured organization, tests, trained
personnel, etc.) and documents (e.g., policies, plans, studies, procedures, specifications, reports,
etc.). See also deliverable.
Rework
Action taken to bring a defective or nonconforming component into compliance with
requirements or specifications.
Risk
An uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on one or
more project objectives.
Risk Acceptance
A risk response strategy whereby the project team decides to acknowledge the risk
and not take any action unless the risk occurs.
Risk Appetite
The degree of uncertainty an organisation or individual is willing to accept in
anticipation of a reward.
Risk Audit
A type of audit used to consider the effectiveness of the risk management process.
Risk Avoidance
A risk response strategy whereby the project team acts to eliminate the threat or
protect the project from its impact.
Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS)
A hierarchical representation of potential sources of risk.
Risk Categorization
Organization by sources of risk (e.g., using the RBS), the area of the project
affected (e.g., using the WBS), or other useful category (e.g., project phase) to determine the areas of
the project most exposed to the effects of uncertainty.
Risk Category
A group of potential causes of risk.
Risk Data Quality Assessment
Technique to evaluate the degree to which the data about risks is
useful for risk management.
Risk Enhancement
A risk response strategy whereby the project team acts to increase the
probability of occurrence or impact of an opportunity.
Risk Escalation
A risk response strategy whereby the team acknowledges that a risk is outside of its
sphere of influence and shifts the ownership of the risk to a higher level of the organisation where it
is more effectively managed.
Risk Exploiting
A risk response strategy whereby the project team acts to ensure that an opportunity
occurs.
Risk Exposure
An aggregate measure of the potential impact of all risks at any given point in time in
a project, program, or portfolio.
Risk Management Plan
A component of the project, program, or portfolio management plan that
describes how risk management activities will be structured and performed.
Risk Mitigation
A risk response strategy whereby the project team acts to decrease the probability
of occurrence or impact of a threat.
Risk Owner
The person responsible for monitoring the risks and for selecting and implementing an
appropriate risk response strategy.
Risk Register
A repository in which outputs of risk management processes are recorded.
Risk Report
A project document developed progressively throughout the Project Risk Management
processes, which summarises information on individual project risks and the level of overall project
risk.
Risk Review
A meeting to examine and document the effectiveness of risk responses in dealing with
overall project risk and with identified individual project risks.
Risk Sharing
A risk response strategy whereby the project team allocates ownership of an
opportunity to a third party who is best able to capture the benefit of that opportunity.
Risk Threshold
The level of risk exposure above which risks are addressed and below which risks
may be accepted.
Risk Transference
A risk response strategy whereby the project team shifts the impact of a threat to
a third party, together with ownership of the response.
Role
A defined function to be performed by a project team member, such as testing, filing,
inspecting, or coding.
Rolling Wave Planning
An iterative planning technique in which the work to be accomplished in the
near term is planned in detail, while the work in the future is planned at a higher level.
Root Cause Analysis
An analytical technique used to determine the basic underlying reason that
causes a variance or a defect or a risk. A root cause may underlie more than one variance or defect or
risk.
Schedule
See project schedule and schedule model.
Schedule Baseline
The approved version of a schedule model that can be changed using formal
change control procedures and is used as a basis for comparison to actual results.
Schedule Compression
A technique used to shorten the schedule duration without reducing the
project scope.
Schedule Data
The collection of information for describing and controlling the schedule.
Schedule Forecasts
Estimates or predictions of conditions and events in the project's future based
on information and knowledge available at the time the schedule is calculated.
Schedule Management Plan
A component of the project or program management plan that
establishes the criteria and the activities for developing, monitoring, and controlling the schedule.
Schedule Model
A representation of the plan for executing the project's activities including
durations, dependencies, and other planning information, used to produce a project schedule along
with other scheduling artifacts.
Schedule Network Analysis
A technique to identify early and late start dates, as well as early and
late finish dates, for the uncompleted portions of project schedule activities.
Schedule Performance Index (SPI)
A measure of schedule efficiency expressed as the ratio of earned
value to planned value.
Schedule Variance (SV)
A measure of schedule performance expressed as the difference between
the earned value and the planned value.
Scheduling Tool
A tool that provides schedule component names, definitions, structural
relationships, and formats that support the application of a scheduling method.
Scope
The sum of the products, services, and results to be provided as a project. See also project
scope and product scope.
Scope Baseline
The approved version of a scope statement, work breakdown structure (WBS), and
its associated WBS dictionary, that can be changed using formal change control procedures and is
used as a basis for comparison to actual results.
Scope Creep
The uncontrolled expansion to product or project scope without adjustments to time,
cost, and resources.
Scope Management Plan
A component of the project or program management plan that describes
how the scope will be defined, developed, monitored, controlled, and validated.
Secondary Risk
A risk that arises as a direct result of implementing a risk response.
Self‐Organising Teams
A team formation where the team functions with an absence of centralized
control.
Seller
A provider or supplier of products, services, or results to an organization.
Seller Proposals
Formal responses from sellers to a request for proposal or other procurement
document specifying the price, commercial terms of sale, and technical specifications or capabilities
the seller will do for the requesting organization that, if accepted, would bind the seller to perform
the resulting agreement.
Sensitivity Analysis
An analysis technique to determine which individual project risks or other
sources of uncertainty have the most potential impact or project outcomes, by correlating variations
in project outcomes with variations in elements of a quantitative risk analysis model.
Sequence Activities
The process of identifying and documenting relationships among the project
activities.
Service Level Agreement (SLA)
A contract between a service provider (either internal or external)
and the end user that defines the level of service expected from the service provider.
Simulation
An analytical technique that models the combined effect of uncertainties to evaluate
their potential impact on objectives.
Source Selection Criteria
A set of attributes desired by the buyer which a seller is required to meet
or exceed to be selected for a contract.
Specification
A precise statement of the needs to be satisfied and the essential characteristics that
are required.
Specification Limits
The area, on either side of the centreline, or mean, of data plotted on a control
chart that meets the customer's requirements for a product or service. This area may be greater than
or less than the area defined by the control limits. See also control limits.
Sponsor
A person or group who provides resources and support for the project, program, or
portfolio and is accountable for enabling success.
Sponsoring Organization
The entity responsible for providing the project's sponsor and a conduit for
project funding or other project resources.
Stakeholder
An individual, group, or organization who may affect, be affected by, or perceive itself
to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of a project, program, or portfolio.
Stakeholder Analysis
A technique of systematically gathering and analysing quantitative and
qualitative information to determine whose interests should be taken into account throughout the
project.
Stakeholder Engagement Assessment Matrix
A matrix that compares current and desired
stakeholder engagement levels.
Stakeholder Engagement Plan
A component of the project management plan that identifies the
strategies and actions required to promote productive involvement of stakeholders in project or
program decision making and execution.
Stakeholder Register
A project document including the identification, assessment, and classification
of project stakeholders.
Standard
A document established by an authority, custom, or general consent as a model for
example.
Start Date
A point in time associated with a schedule activity's start, usually qualified by one of the
following: actual, planned, estimated, scheduled, early, late, target, baseline, or current.
Start‐to‐Finish (SF)
A logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot finish until a
predecessor activity has started.
Start‐to‐Start (SS)
A logical relationship in which a successor activity cannot start until a predecessor
activity has started.
Statement of Work (SOW)
A narrative description of products, services, or results to be delivered by
the project.
Statistical Sampling
Choosing part of a population of interest for inspection.
Successor Activity
A dependent activity that logically comes after another activity in a schedule.
Summary Activity
A group of related schedule activities aggregated and displayed as a single activity.
SWOT Analysis
Analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of an organization,
project, or option.
Tacit Knowledge.
Personal knowledge that can be difficult to articulate and share such as beliefs,
experience, and insights.
Tailoring
Determining the appropriate combination of processes, inputs, tools, techniques, outputs,
and life cycle phases to manage a project.
Team Charter
A document that records the team values, agreements, and operating guidelines, as
well as establishing clear expectations regarding acceptable behaviour by project team members.
Technique
A defined systematic procedure employed by a human resource to perform an activity to
produce a product or result or deliver a service, and that may employ one or more tools.
Templates
A partially complete document in a predefined format that provides a defined structure
for collecting, organizing, and presenting information and data.
Test and Evaluation Documents
Project documents that describe the activities used to determine
structure for collecting, organising, and presenting information and data.
Threat
A risk that would have a negative effect on one or more project objectives.
Three‐Point Estimate
A technique used to estimate cost or duration by applying an average or
weighted average of optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely estimates when there is uncertainty with
the individual activity estimates.
Threshold
A predetermined value of a measurable project variable that represents a limit that
requires action to be taken if it is reached.
Time and Material Contract (T&M)
A type of contract that is a hybrid contractual arrangement
containing aspects of both cost‐reimbursable and fixed‐price contracts.
To‐Complete Performance Index (TCPI)
A measure of the cost performance that is required to be
achieved with the remaining resources in order to meet a specified management goal, expressed as
the ratio of the cost to finish the outstanding work to the remaining budget.
Tolerance
The quantified description of acceptable variation for a quality requirement.
Tornado Diagram
A special type of bar chart used in sensitivity analysis for comparing the relative
importance of the variables.
Total Float
The amount of time that a schedule activity can be delayed or extended from its early
start date without delaying the project finish date or violating a schedule constraint.
Trend Analysis
An analytical technique that uses mathematical models to forecast future outcomes
based on historical results.
Trigger Condition
An event or situation that indicates that a risk is about to occur.
Unanimity
Agreement by everyone in the group on a single course of action.
Update
A modification to any deliverable, project management plan component, or project
document that is not under formal change control.
Validate Scope
The process of formalizing acceptance of the completed project deliverables.
Validation
The assurance that a product, service, or system meets the needs of the customer and
other identified stakeholders. Contrast with verification.
Variance
A quantifiable deviation, departure, or divergence away from a known baseline or
expected value.
Variance Analysis
A technique for determining the cause and degree of difference between the
baseline and actual performance.
Variance at Completion (VAC)
A projection of the amount of budget deficit or surplus, expressed as
the difference between the budget at completion and the estimate at completion.
Variation
An actual condition that is different from the expected condition that is contained in the
baseline plan.
Verification
The evaluation of whether or not a product, service, or system complies with a
regulation, requirement, specification, or imposed condition. Contrast with validation.
Verified Deliverables
Completed project deliverables that have been checked and confirmed for
correctness through the Control Quality process.
Virtual Teams
Groups of people with a shared goal who fulfil their roles with little or no time spent
meeting face to face.
Voice of the Customer
A planning technique used to provide products, services, and results that
truly reflect customer requirements by translating those customer requirements into the appropriate
technical requirements for each phase of project product development.
WBS Dictionary
A document that provides detailed deliverable, activity, and scheduling information
about each component in the work breakdown structure.
What‐If Scenario Analysis
The process of evaluating scenarios in order to predict their effect on
project objectives.
Work Breakdown Structure Component
An entry in the work breakdown structure that can be at
any level.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
A hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be
carried out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required
deliverables.
Work Package
The work defined at the lowest level of the work breakdown structure for which cost,
and duration can be estimated and managed.
Work Performance Data
The raw observations and measurements identified during activities being
performed to carry out the project work.
Work Performance Information
The performance data collected from various controlling processes,
analysed in comparison with project management plan components, project documents, and other
work performance information.
Work Performance Reports
The physical or electronic representation of work performance
information compiled in project documents, intended to generate decisions, actions, or awareness.
