PMP Guide 7

performance measurement baseline

Integrated scope, schedule, and cost baselines are used for comparison to manage, measure, and control project execution.

what is interactive communication?

Interactive Communication is a fairly self-explanatory term. As the name suggests, it is a multidirectional form of communication. When you require an immediate response, and when the information you are communicating is sensitive with the possibility of being misinterpreted, you turn to interactive communication. It involves one or more people exchanging thoughts and ideas, where participants respond in real-time. Examples of Interactive communication: Any face to Face contacts: Meetings Phone Calls / Conference Video Calls / Conference

Intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation

Intrinsic motivation involves doing something because it's personally rewarding to you. Extrinsic motivation involves doing something because you want to earn a reward or avoid punishment.

The 8-step process for leading change

John Kotter introduced the 8-Step Process for Leading Change for transforming organizations. It is a top-down approach where the need for and approach to change originates at the top levels of the organization, and then is promoted down through the organization's layers of management to the change recipients.

Key performance indicators (KPIs)

Key performance indicators (KPIs) for projects are quantifiable measures used to evaluate the success of a project. There are two types of KPIs: leading indicators and lagging indicators.

explicit knowledge

Knowledge that can be codified using symbols such as words, numbers, and pictures

Lean production methods

Lean production uses techniques such as value stream mapping to measure the ratio of value-adding activities and non-value-adding activities. The metrics calculated form a basis and measurement system for identifying and removing waste from production systems.

used to record continuously evolving aspects of the project. They are updated throughout the project. The terms log and register are sometimes used interchangeably. It is not uncommon to see the term risk register or risk log referring to the same artifact.

Logs and Registers

When compressing the schedule, it is important to determine the nature of the dependencies between activities. What are the 4 types of dependencies?

Mandatory Discretionary External Internal

When compressing the schedule, it is important to determine the nature of the dependencies between activities. What are the 4 types of dependencies?

Mandatory Discretionary External Internal

Metrics

Measurements that evaluate results to determine whether a project is meeting its goals. Includes metrics, baselines, and dthresholds

A method is the means for achieving an outcome, output, result, or project deliverable.

Method

modeling

Modeling is the process of creating simplified representations of systems, solutions, or deliverables such as prototypes, diagrams, or storyboards. Modeling can facilitate further analysis by identifying gaps in information, areas of miscommunication, or additional requirements.

Evolving and discovering requirements.

On projects that do not have clearly defined requirements up front, prototypes, demonstrations, storyboards, and mock-ups can be used to evolve the requirements. In these situations, stakeholders are more likely to take an "I'll know it when I see it" approach to developing requirements. Evolving requirements are common in projects using iterative, incremental, or adaptive development approaches. In some cases, new opportunities arise that change requirements

tacit knowledge

Personal knowledge that can be difficult to articulate and share such as beliefs, experience, and insights

This measurement compares the actual cost of resources to the estimated cost. Price variance is calculated by subtracting the estimated cost from the actual cost.

Planned resource cost compared to actual resource cost

This measurement compares the actual usage of resources to the estimated usage. A usage variance is calculated by subtracting the planned usage from the actual usage.

Planned resource utilization compared to actual resource utilization.

The delivery performance domain is the culmination of the work done in what domain?

Planning performance domain

a proposed means of accomplishing something. Project teams develop plans for individual aspects of a project and/or combine all of that information into an overarching project management plan. Plans generally are written documents but may also be reflected on visual/ virtual whiteboards.

Plans

types of formal verbal communications

Presentations Project reviews Briefings Product demos Brainstorming

Prioritization schema

Prioritization schema are methods used to prioritize portfolio, program, or project components, as well as requirements, risks, features, or other product information. Examples include a multicriteria weighted analysis and the MoSCoW (must have, should have, could have, and won't have) method.

Probabilistic estimating

Probabilistic estimates include a range of estimates along with the associated probabilities within the range. They can be developed manually by (a) developing a weighted average based on multiple likely outcomes, or (b) running a simulation to develop a probability analysis of a particular outcome, usually in terms of cost or schedule.

process efficiency

Process efficiency is a ratio used in lean systems to optimize the flow of work. This measure calculates the ratio between value-adding time and non-value-adding activities. Tasks that are waiting increase the non-value-adding time. Tasks that are in development or in verification represent value-adding time. Higher ratios indicate a more efficient process

Single delivery

Projects that have a single delivery deliver at the end of the project. For example, a process reengineering project may not have any deliveries until near the end of the project when the new process is rolled out

what is pull communication?

Pull communication doesn't involve pulling in a reader to read your message. Instead, pull communication is all about providing group access to common information. The receiver, however, must recover this information. This method is used for a large audience who require access to information for their use. Examples of Pull communication: Websites Bulletin board

misusing the metrics

Regardless of the metrics used to measure performance, there is the opportunity for people to distort the measurements or focus on the wrong thing

Managing requirements.

Regardless of whether requirements are documented up front, evolved along the way, or discovered, there is a need to manage them. Ineffective requirements management can lead to rework, scope creep, customer dissatisfaction, budget overruns, schedule delay, and overall project failure.

Cycle Time (CT)

Related to lead time, cycle time indicates the amount of time it takes the project team to complete a task. Shorter times indicate a more productive project team. A consistent time helps predict the possible rate of work in the future.

Release Planning

Release planning meetings identify a high-level plan for releasing or transitioning a product, deliverable, or increment of value

This matrix links product requirements from their origin to the deliverables that satisfy them.

Requirements traceability matrix.

______ are an aspect of uncertainty. A risk is an uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on one or more project objectives

Risk

What are the characteristics of effective metrics known as and include?

SMART; specific meaningful achievable relevant timely

SWOT analysis.

SWOT analysis assesses the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of an organization, project, or option

Earned Value/Planned value

Schedule Performance Index (SPI)

Earned Value - Planned Value

Schedule Variance

determined by looking at performance on the critical path. When used with earned value management, it is the difference between the earned value and the planned value.

Schedule Variance (SA)

an earned value management measure that indicates how efficiently the scheduled work is being performed

Schedule performance index (SPI).

Scope decomposition

Scope can be elaborated using a scope statement to identify the major deliverables associated with the project and the acceptance criteria for each deliverable. Scope can also be elaborated by decomposing it into lower levels of detail using a work breakdown structure (WBS).

scope

Scope is the sum of the products, services, and results to be provided as a project. As scope is defined, it creates the need for more requirements identification. Therefore, like requirements, scope can be well defined up front, it can evolve over time, or it can be discovered.

are required to remain calm and productive during difficult project circumstances.

Self-awareness and self-management

diversion shield

Servant leaders protect the project team from internal and external diversions that redirect the project team from the current objectives. Time fragmentation reduces productivity, so shielding the project team from noncritical, external demands helps the project team stay focused.

Effective execution of the team performance domain results in the following desired outcomes:

Shared ownership. A high-performing team. Applicable leadership and other interpersonal skills demonstrated by all team members

Burnup Chart

Shows how much work has been completed

Burndown Chart

Shows how much work is yet to be completed

obstacle removal

Since it is the project team who generates the majority of business value, a critical role for the servant leader is to maximize delivery by removing impediments to their progress. This includes solving problems and removing obstacles that may be hampering the project team's work. By solving or easing these impediments, the project team can deliver value to the business faster.

measures project team member development using competence and commitment as the two main variables. Competence is the combination of ability, knowledge, and skill. Commitment speaks to the confidence and motivation an individual has. As an individual's competence and commitment evolve, leadership styles evolve from directing to coaching to supporting to delegating in order to meet the individual's needs.

Situational Leadership® II

allow for better bonds with project team members and project stakeholders.

Social awareness and social skills

What are the 8 Project performance domains?

Stakeholders, Team, Development Approach and Life Cycle, Planning, Project Work, Delivery, Measurement, and Uncertainty.

Comparing the actual start dates to the planned start dates and the actual finish dates to the planned finish dates can measure the extent to which work is accomplished as planned. Even if work is not on the longest path through the project (the critical path), late start and finish dates indicate that the project is not performing to plan

Start and finish dates

Story Point Estimating

Story point estimating involves project team members assigning abstract, but relative, points of effort required to implement a user story. It tells the project team about the difficulty of the story considering the complexity, risks, and effort involved

collocated teams

Teams that use a significant amount of face-to-face communication to make operating decisions. They operate in close proximity to one another, engage in a lot of social interaction, and provide quick feedback on the team's progress to one another

create urgency form a powerful coalition create a vision for change communicate the vision remove obstacles create short-term wins build on the change anchor the changes in corporate culture

The 8-step process for leading change

theory x spectrum

The X side of the spectrum assumes individuals work for the sole purpose of income.

theory Y spectrum

The Y side of the spectrum assumes that individuals are intrinsically motivated to do good work.

Budget

The approved estimate for the project or any work breakdown structure (WBS) component or any schedule activity.

Baseline

The approved version of a work product used as a basis for comparison to actual results

cost of quality

The cost of quality includes 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.

Acceptance or completion criteria

The criteria required to be met before the customer accepts the deliverable or before the project is considered complete are often documented in a scope statement.

Definition of done

The definition of done is used with adaptive approaches, particularly in software development projects. It is a checklist of all the criteria required to be met so that a deliverable can be considered ready for customer use.

quality

The degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills requirements.

Net present value (NPV).

The difference between the present value of inflows of capital and the present value of outflows of capital over a period of time, NPV is generally developed when deciding to undertake a project. By measuring the NPV throughout the project, the project team can determine if it makes sense to continue the investment of organizational resources.

Expected Monetary Value (EMV)

The expected monetary value is the estimated value of an outcome expressed in monetary terms. It is used to quantify the value of uncertainty, such as a risk, or compare the value of alternatives that are not necessarily equivalent. The EMV is calculated by multiplying the probability that an event will occur and the economic impact the event would have should it occur.

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.

Done Drift

The longer a project takes to complete, the further the project goal of "done" is likely to move.

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.

Project Management Team.

The members of the project team who are directly involved in project management activities.

Development Approach

The method used to create and evolve the product, service, or result during the project life cycle. Common methods include predictive, iterative, incremental, agile, or hybrid methods.

Delivery Performance Domain

The performance domain that addresses activities and functions associated with delivering the scope and quality that the project was undertaken to achieve.

Project Work Performance Domain

The performance domain that addresses activities and functions associated with establishing project processes, managing physical resources, and fostering a learning environment

project manager

The person assigned by the performing organization to lead the project team that is responsible for achieving the project objectives

Continuous Delivery

The practice of delivering feature increments immediately to customers, often through the use of small batches of work and automation technology.

What-If Scenario Analysis

The process of evaluating scenarios in order to predict their effect on project objectives.

Make-or-Buy Analysis

The process of gathering and organizing data about product requirements and analyzing them against available alternatives including the purchase or internal manufacture of the product.

project management plan

The project management plan is a document that describes how the project will be executed, monitored and controlled, and closed.

Project Life Cycle

The series of phases that a project passes through from its initiation to its closure.

Encouragement and development opportunities.

The servant leader also provides tools and encouragement to keep the project team satisfied and productive. Learning what motivates project team members as individuals and finding ways to reward them for good work helps keep project team members satisfied.

Technical performance measures

The technical specifications for a product may be documented in a separate specifications document, or they may be documented as an extension to the WBS. This extension, known as a WBS dictionary, elaborates the information for each deliverable (work package) in the WBS.

What influences the number and cadence for project deliveries?

The type of deliverable and development approach

Douglas McGregor devised the Theory X and Theory Y models, which represent a spectrum of employee motivation and corresponding management styles. This was later expanded to include Theory Z.

Theory X, theory Y, Theory Z model

David McClellan's model states that all people are driven by needs of achievement, power, and affiliation. The relative strength of each need depends on an individual's experiences and culture

Theory of needs

Retrospectives or lessons learned

These meetings provide an opportunity for the project team to review the way in which it works and to suggest changes to improve process and efficiency.

Process Analysis

This analysis is a systematic review of the steps and procedures to perform an activity.

Throughput analysis.

This analytical method assesses the number of items being completed in a fixed time frame. Project teams that use adaptive practices use throughput metrics such as features complete vs. features remaining, velocity, and story points to evaluate their progress and estimate likely completion dates. Using duration estimates and burn rates of stable project teams can help verify and update cost estimates

Root Cause Analysis

This analytical technique is used to determine the basic underlying cause of a variance, defect, or a risk. A root cause may underlie more than one variance, defect, or risk.

Reserve Analysis

This analytical technique is used to evaluate the amount of risk on the project and the amount of schedule and budget reserve to determine whether the reserve is sufficient for the remaining risk. The reserve contributes to reducing risk to an acceptable level.

simulations

This analytical technique uses models to show the combined effect of uncertainties in order to evaluate their potential impact on objectives. A Monte Carlo simulation is a method of identifying the potential impacts of risk and uncertainty using multiple iterations of a computer model to develop a probability distribution of a range of outcomes that could result from a decision or course of action.

Use case

This artifact describes and explores how a user interacts with a system to achieve a specific goal.

business model canvas

This artifact is a one-page visual summary that describes the value proposition, infrastructure, customers, and finances. These are often used in lean start-up situations.

Scope baseline

This baseline is 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 the basis for comparison to actual results.

Request for Quote (RFQ)

This bid document is used when price is the main deciding factor, and the proposed solution is readily available.

Cost-reimbursable contracts

This category of contracts involves payments to the seller for actual costs incurred for completing the work plus a fee representing seller profit. These contracts are often used when the project scope is not well defined or is subject to frequent change. Cost-reimbursable contracts include cost plus award fee (CPAF), cost plus fixed fee (CPFF), and cost plus incentive fee (CPIF

Cumulative flow diagram (CFD).

This chart indicates features completed over time, features in development, and those in the backlog. It may also include features at intermediate states, such as features designed but not yet constructed, those in quality assurance, or those in testing.

burndown/burnup chart

This chart is a graphical representation of the work remaining in a timebox or the work completed toward the release of a product or project deliverable

Work breakdown structure.

This chart is 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.

Risk breakdown structure

This chart is a hierarchical representation of potential sources of risks

Resource breakdown structure

This chart is a hierarchical representation of resources by category and type.

Organizational breakdown structure.

This chart is a hierarchical representation of the project organization, which illustrates the relationship between project activities and the organizational units that will perform those activities

Throughput chart.

This chart shows the accepted deliverables over time. A throughput chart may be shown as a scatter diagram or a bar chart.

velocity chart

This chart tracks the rate at which the deliverables are produced, validated, and accepted within a predefined interval

Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ)

This contract provides for an indefinite quantity of goods or services, with a stated lower and upper limit, and within a fixed time period. These contracts can be used for architectural, engineering, or information technology engagements.

Influence Diagram

This diagram is a graphical representation of situations showing causal influences, time ordering of events, and other relationships among variables and outcomes.

Cause-and-effect diagram.

This diagram is a visual representation that helps trace an undesirable effect back to its root cause

affinity diagram

This diagram shows large numbers of ideas classified into groups for review and analysis.

Test plan.

This document describes deliverables that will be tested, tests that will be conducted, and the processes that will be used in testing. It forms the basis for formally testing the components and deliverables.

project vision statement

This document is a concise, high-level description of the project that states the purpose, and inspires the project team to contribute to the project.

roadmap

This document provides a high-level time line that depicts milestones, significant events, reviews, and decision points.

status report

This document provides a report on the current status of the project. It may include information on progress since the last report and forecasts for cost and schedule performance.

project team charter

This document records the project team values, agreements, and operating guidelines, and establishes clear expectations regarding acceptable behavior by project team members.

S-curve

This graph displays cumulative costs over a specified period of time

Project schedule network diagram.

This graphical representation shows the logical relationships among the project schedule activities.

Business justification analysis methods

This group of analysis methods is associated with authorizing or justifying a project or a decision. The outcomes of the following analyses are often used in a business case that justifies undertaking a project: payback period internal rate of return return on investment net present value cost benefit analysis

value stream map

This is a lean enterprise method used to document, analyze, and improve the flow of information or materials required to produce a product or service for a customer. Value stream maps can be used to identify waste.

cost-benefit ratio

This is a measure of the expected present value of an investment with the initial cost. The cost-benefit ratio is used to determine if the costs of a project outweigh its benefits. If the costs are greater than the benefits, the result will be greater than 1.0. In this case, the project should not be considered unless there are regulatory, social good, or other reasons to do the project. A similar measure is a benefit-cost ratio. The same measures are used, but the benefits are in the numerator and the costs are in the denominator. For this measure, if the ratio is greater than 1.0, the project should be considered.

what is push communication?

This kind of communication is from sender to receiver, and is preferable when you distribute information, yet are not looking for an immediate response—or if the matter you are trying to convey is not urgent or sensitive. However, as soon as the recipient views the message, some action is required Push communication includes memos, letters, emails, reports, faxes, etc. It is not face-to-face but is instead typically done through some written medium. The one disadvantage of this type of communication is that the sender can only identify that the message has been successfully sent.

lead time

This measure indicates the amount of elapsed time from a story or chunk of work entering the backlog to the end of the iteration or the release. Lower lead time indicates a more effective process and a more productive project team.

Cost management plan.

This plan is a component of a project or program management plan that describes how costs will be planned, structured, and controlled

Stakeholder engagement plan.

This plan is 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.

Resource management plan

This plan is a component of the project management plan that describes how project resources are acquired, allocated, monitored, and controlled.

Quality management plan.

This plan is 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.

requirements management plan

This plan is a component of the project or program management plan that describes how requirements will be analyzed, documented, and managed.

Scope management plan.

This plan is a component of the project or program management plan that describes how the scope will be defined, developed, monitored, controlled, and validated.

Schedule management plan

This plan is a component of the project or program management plan that establishes the criteria and the activities for developing, monitoring, and controlling the schedule.

Communications management plan.

This plan is 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.

Risk management plan

This plan is a component of the project, program, or portfolio management plan that describes how risk management activities will be structured and performed.

release plan

This plan sets expectations for the dates, features, and/or outcomes expected to be delivered over the course of multiple iterations.

Quality report

This project document includes quality management issues, recommendations for corrective actions, and a summary of findings from quality control activities. It may include recommendations for process, project, and product improvements.

Risk report.

This project document is developed progressively throughout the risk management processes and summarizes information on individual project risks and the level of overall project risk.

Stakeholder Analysis

This technique involves systematically gathering and analyzing quantitative and qualitative information about stakeholders to determine whose interests should be taken into account throughout the project.

Contingency Reserve

Time or money allocated in the schedule or cost baseline for known risks with active response strategies.

Another way to elaborate scope is by identifying the themes of the project in an agile charter, roadmap, or as part of the product hierarchy. How are themes accomplished?

To accomplish themes, the project team develops epics, which are logical containers for a large user story that is too big to complete within an iteration. Epics may be decomposed into features, a set of related requirements typically described as a short phrase or function, which represent specific behaviors of a product. Each feature will have multiple user stories. A user story is a brief description of an outcome for a specific user, which is a promise for a conversation to clarify details. The project team defines story details at the last responsible moment to avoid wasteful planning should the scope change. The story is a clear and concise representation of a requirement written from the end user's perspective. Product =>Theme=>Epic=>Features=>User Stories=>Tasks [ planning ][ execution ]

Requirements Elicitation

To elicit means to draw out, bring forth, or evoke. There is more to collecting requirements than interviewing or conducting focus groups. Sometimes requirements are drawn out by analyzing data, observing processes, reviewing defect logs, or other methods.

Domain addresses activities and functions associated with risk and uncertainty.

Uncertainty domain

serves an enabling role, rather than a management or oversight function. It focuses on coaching project teams; building adaptive skills and capabilities throughout the organization; and mentoring sponsors and product owners to be more effective in those roles.

VDO

Value Stream Mapping

Value stream mapping is a lean enterprise method used to document, analyze, and improve the flow of information or materials required to produce a product or service for a customer

Variance Analysis

Variance analysis is used to determine the cause and degree of difference between the baseline and actual performance

artifacts that organize and present data and information in a visual format, such as charts, graphs, matrices, and diagrams. Visualizing data makes it easier to absorb data and turn it into information. Visualization artifacts are often produced after data have been collected and analyzed. These artifacts can aid in decision making and prioritization.

Visual Data and information

relative estimatng

While absolute estimates are specific, relative estimates are shown in comparison to other estimates. Relative estimates only have meaning within a given context.

Wideband Delphi Estimating

Wideband Delphi is a variation of the Delphi estimating method where subject matter experts complete multiple rounds of producing estimates individually, with a project team discussion after each round, until a consensus is achieved. For Wideband Delphi, those who created the highest and lowest estimates explain their rationale, following which everyone reestimates. The process repeats until convergence is achieved. Planning poker is a variation of Wideband Delphi

Accuracy

Within the quality management system, accuracy is an assessment of correctness.

Precision

Within the quality management system, precision is an assessment of exactness.

One goal of effective leadership is to create what?

a high performing project team

Life cycle assessment

a method of product design in which the company analyzes the environmental impact of a product, from cradle to grave, in an attempt to minimize negative environmental consequences throughout the entire lifespan of the product

virginia satir change model

a model of how people experience and cope with change. Its purpose is to help project team members understand what they are feeling and enable them to move through change more efficiently

confirmation bias

a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence

acknowledges threat existence but no proactive action is planned.

accept

What approach often uses timeboxes?

adaptive approaches

a VDO may be found in orgs that use more what approaches?

adaptive delivery approaches

scope creep

additional scope or requirements are accepted without adjusting the corresponding schedule, budget, or resource needs.

Measurement performance domain

addresses activities and functions associated with assessing project performance and taking appropriate actions to maintain acceptable performance.

Stakeholder performance domain

addresses activities and functions associated with stakeholders.

Development approach and life cycle performance domain addresses what?

addresses activities and functions associated with the development approach, cadence, and life cycle phases of the project.

Team performance domain

addresses activities and functions associated with the people who are responsible for producing project deliverables that realize business outcomes

On a project using an adaptive approach where the requirements are likely to evolve and where there may be ambiguity around how systems will interact or how stakeholders will react, the project team can do what to offset risks?

adjust plans to reflect evolving understanding or use reserves to offset the impacts of realized risks.

any document or communication that defines the intentions of the parties. In projects, they take the form of contracts or other defined understandings.

agreement

2 ways that can be used t address volatility

alternative analysis or reserves

Exception Plan

an agreed-upon set of actions to be taken if a threshold is crossed or forecast. Exception plans do not have to be formal; they can be as simple as calling a stakeholder meeting to discuss the matter. The importance of the exception plan is to discuss the issue and develop a plan for what needs to be done. Then follow through to make sure the plan is implemented and determine if the plan is working.

The alternative to tailoring is using what?

an unmodified framework or methodology

What is a stakeholder?

any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the organization's objectives

a template, document, output, or project deliverable.

artifact

What are 5 alternative strategies that may be considered for dealing with threats?

avoid escalate transfer mitigate accept

the approved version of a work product or plan. Actual performance is compared to baselines to identify variances.

baseline

a project charter or other authorizing document can provide approval for the project manager to form a project team to achieve the project outcomes.

centralized management

an environment where management activities accountability (being answerable for an outcome), is usually assigned to one individual, such as the project manager or similar role.

centralized management

While leadership activities should be practiced by all project team members, management activities may be what?

centralized or distributed

Change Control Board (CCB)

change control board meeting includes the group of people who are accountable for reviewing, evaluating, approving, delaying, or rejecting changes to the project. The decisions made at this meeting are recorded and communicated to the appropriate stakeholders. This meeting may also be referred to as a change control meeting.

Many projects contain an aspect of changing systems, behaviors, activities, and sometimes, cultures. Managing this type of change requires thinking about how to transition from the current to the future desired state. What model is used to do this?

change models

check sheet

check sheet is a tally sheet that can be used as a checklist when gathering data. Check sheets can be used to collect and segregate data into categories.

cross-cultural communication model

communication model

effectiveness of communication channels

communication model

______ exists when there are many interconnected influences that behave and interact in diverse ways.

complexity

In the COQ model, prevention and appraisal are associated with the cost of what?

compliance to quality requirements

Addressing what before it escalates beyond useful debate leads to better outcomes.

conflict

The model based on work by Ken Thomas and Ralph Kilmann describes six ways of addressing conflict by focusing on the relative power between the individuals and the desire to maintain a good relationship as follows: confronting/problem solving collaborating compromising smoothing/accommodating forcing withdrawal/avoiding

conflict model

is a mutually binding agreement that obligates the seller to provide the specified product, service, or result and obligates the buyer to pay for it. There are different types of, some of which fall within a category of fixed-price or cost-reimbursable contracts.

contracts

types of informal verbal communications

conversations Ad hoc discussions

cost estimates are aggregated to develop what?

cost baseline

Prevention Costs

costs associated with preventing defects before they happen

external failure costs

costs that arise when a defect is discovered after the customer receives the service or product

a schedule compression method that seeks to shorten the duration for the least incremental cost. It can include adding people to activities, working overtime, or paying to expedite deliveries.

crashing

A communication model developed by Browaeys and Price incorporates the idea that the message itself and how it is transmitted is influenced by the sender's current knowledge, experience, language, thinking, and communication styles, as well as stereotypes and relationship to the receiver. Similarly, the receiver's knowledge, experience, language, thinking, and communication styles, as well as stereotypes and relationship to the sender will influence how the message is interpreted

cross-cultural communication

This chart indicates features completed over time, features in development, and those in the backlog. It may also include features at intermediate states, such as features designed but not yet constructed, those in quality assurance, or those in testing.

cycle time chart

A common way of showing large quantities of information on metrics is a

dashboard

This set of charts and graphs shows progress or performance against important measures of the project

dashboards

some variables associated with the nature of the product, service, or result that can influence development approach selection

degree of innovation requirements certainty scope stability ease of change delivery options risk safety requirements regulations

What determines the project life cycle and phases?

deliverable approach and desired delivery cadence

Different ways of presenting or adjusting estimates

deterministic and probabilistic estimating absolute and relative estimating flow based estimating

Sometimes project management activities are shared among a project management team, and project team members are responsible for completing the work. what is this called?

distributed management

working with complexity that entail reframing:

diversity balance

Actual effort and duration compared to planned effort and duration indicates whether estimates for the amount of work and the time the work takes are valid

effort and duration

basis of all forms of leadership

emotional intelligence

Much of the project work is around what?

engaging and communicating with stakeholders

the project team acts to increase the probability of occurrence or impact of an opportunity. Early enhancement action is often more effective than trying to improve the opportunity after it has occurred

enhance

As with threats, this opportunity response strategy is used when the project team or the project sponsor agrees that an opportunity is outside the scope of the project or that the proposed response would exceed the project manager's authority.

escalate

What is applied to project costs to develop cost estimates?

estimating

non-value adding

everything else including handovers, delays and rework

Comparing what 2 metrics of a deliverable or feature allows the project manager to have conversations with sponsors or product owners about where and when to incorporate risks responses into the planned work

expected monetary value of a risk to the anticipated return on investment (ROI)

Some of the variables that influence tailoring of leadership styles include:

experience with type of project maturity of project team members organizational governance structures distributed project teams

A response strategy whereby the project team acts to ensure that an opportunity occurs.

exploit

Alternative strategies that can be considered dealing with opportunities

exploit escalate share enhance accept

________ is performing work because of an external reward such as a bonus. Much of the work done on projects is aligned with intrinsic motivation

extrinsic

Examples of phases in a life cycle

feasibility design build test deploy close

Cost benefit ratio, return on investment, and net present value are examples of metrics that measure what?

financial business value

Cost of Quality (COQ) used for

find the appropriate balance for investing in quality prevention and appraisal to avoid defect or product failures. This model identifies four categories of costs associated with quality: prevention, appraisal, internal failure, and external failure

This category of contract involves setting a fixed price for a well-defined product, service, or result. Fixed-price contracts include firm fixed price (FFP), fixed-price incentive fee (FPIF), and fixed price with economic price adjustment (FP-EPA), among others.

fixed-price contracts

several adaptive methodologies, including agile, do not use life cycles or phases and instead use this

flow-based scheduling

This diagram depicts the inputs, process actions, and outputs of one or more processes within a system.

flowchart

forecast

forecast is 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. Qualitative forecasting methods use the opinions and judgments of subject matter experts. Quantitative forecasting uses models where past information is used to predict future performance. Causal or econometric forecasting, such as regression analysis, identifies variables that can have significant impact on future outcomes.

Qualitative Forecasts

forecasts that incorporate such factors as the decision maker's intuition, emotions, personal experiences, and value system

reports

formal records or summaries of information. Reports communicate relevant (usually summary level) information to stakeholders. Often reports are given to stakeholders who are interested in the project status, such as sponsors, business owners, or PMOs.

The 5 interconnected elements in the managing change in organizations model

formulate change plan change implement change manage transition sustain change

Function Point Analysis

function point is an estimate of the amount of business functionality in an information system. Function points are used to calculate a functional size measurement (FSM) of a software system.

This bar chart provides 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.

gantt chart

Some ways that can be used to respond to uncertainty in a project

gather information prepare multiple outcomes set-based design build in resilience

the difference between the intention of a user and what the item allows them to do or supports them in doing. A car that has the ability to parallel park itself would have a gulf of execution if the driver expected to push a button labeled "park" and have the car park itself, and the car did not park itself.

gulf of execution and evaluation

Product breakdown structure

his chart is a hierarchical structure reflecting a product's components and deliverables.

Queue size

his measure tracks the number of items in a queue. This metric can be compared to the work in progress limit. Little's Law states that queue size is proportional to both the rate of arrival in the queue and the rate of completion of items from the queue. One can gain insights into completion times by measuring work in progress and developing a forecast for future work completion.

This bar chart shows the graphical representation of numerical data.

histogram

believes job satisfaction comes from conditions called motivational factors and hygiene factors

hygiene and motivational factors model

Planning for project team composition begins with what?

identifying the skill sets required to accomplish the project work.

Visual Controls

illustrate processes to easily compare actual against expected performance.

Stakeholder engagement

implementing strategies and actions to promote productive involvement of stakeholders. Stakeholder engagement activities start before or when the project starts and continues throughout the project.

Types of deliverable metrics

information on errors or defects measures of performance technical performance measures

This artifact is a visible, physical display that provides information to the rest of the organization, enabling timely knowledge sharing.

information radiator

___________ skills that are used frequently in projects include emotional intelligence, decision making, and conflict resolution among others.

interpersonal skills

_______ motivation comes from inside the individual or is associated with the work. It is associated with finding pleasure in the work itself rather than focusing on rewards.

intrinsic

Motivation to perform can be what?

intrinsic or extrinsic

The Salience Model for project stakeholders

is graphically depicted as a Venn diagram. Each assessment parameter has a major circle and the intersections of each major circle helps you identify project stakeholders that have multiple needs.

Hybrid approach often use what types of development approaches

iterative or incremental approach

these indicators measure project deliverables or events. They provide information after the fact. These indicators reflect past performance or conditions. These indicators are easier to measure than leading indicators. Examples include the number of deliverables completed, the schedule or cost variance, and the amount of resources consumed.

lagging indicators

virginia satir model steps

late status quo the foreign element chaos transforming idea practice and integration new status quo

This diagram shows the trend over time of the average lead time of the items completed in work. A lead time chart may be shown as a scatter diagram or a bar chart.

lead time chart

what skills are useful for all project team members whether the project team is operating in an environment with a centralized authority or a shared leadership environment.

leadership skills

These indicators predict changes or trends in the project. If the change or trend is unfavorable, the project team evaluates the root cause of the indicator measurement and takes actions to reverse the trend. Used in this way, these indicators can reduce performance risk on a project by identifying potential performance variances before they cross the tolerance threshold.

leading indicators

What are the 2 types of KPI's

leading indicators and lagging indicators

Project management entails applying what activities?

management and leadership activities

set aside for unexpected activities related to in-scope work

management reserves

is an iterative model that is based on common elements across a range of change management models. The framework has five associated elements interconnected through a series of feedback loops.

managing change in an organization

Other types of agreements: MOU, MOA, SLA, BOA

memorandum of understanding memorandum of agreement service level agreement basic ordering agreement

describe an attribute and how to measure it.

metrics

vanity metrics

metrics that don't improve your decision making

This type of schedule presents milestones with planned dates.

milestone schedule

Hygiene and motivation factors

motivation model

theory of needs

motivation model

________________ from demonstrations or design reviews can be an early indicator of threats related to dissatisfaction from stakeholders if not corrected.

negative feedback

Servant leadership behaviors include

obstacle removal diversion shield encouragement and development opportunities

A positive risk is called

opportunity

an event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive impact on one or more project objectives.

opportunity

What are the OSCAR models 5 contributing factors?

outcome situation choices/consequences action review

often a function of complexity, ambiguity, and volatility.

overall risk

the effect of uncertainty on the project as a whole, arising from all sources of uncertainty. This includes individual risks and the exposure to the implications of variation in project outcome, both positive and negative

overall risk

Leadership activities focus on what?

people

Tailoring engagement for the people involved in the project includes:

people empowerment integration

Quality focuses on what?

performance levels that are required to be met. Quality requirements may be reflected in the completion criteria, definition of done, statement of work, or requirements documentation.

planning meeting

planning meeting is used to create, elaborate, or review a plan or plans and secure commitment for the plan(

_____ helps inform the project team regarding the areas of development highly valued by the business representatives

positive feedback

It is common to focus on stakeholders with the most what?

power/interest

3 most commonly used development approaches

predictive hybrid adaptive

development approach methods

predictive iterative incremental adaptive hybrid

the 4 categories associated with COQ model

prevention appraisal internal failure external failure

Based on its analysis, the project team can complete an initial what of stakeholders?

prioritization

This matrix is a scatter diagram where effort is shown on the horizontal axis and value on the vertical axis, divided into four quadrants to classify items by priority.

prioritization matrix

considerations for selecting dev. approach can be divided into categories of what

product, service, or result project organization

Solutions for ambiguity include

progressive elaboration experiments prototypes

evolves from agreed estimates for the project

project budget

This calendar identifies working days and shifts that are available for scheduled activities.

project calendar

Multiple Deliveries

project may have multiple components that are delivered at different times throughout the project. All of the deliveries are concluded before the project is considered to be completed.

Project schedule

project schedule is an output of a schedule model that presents linked activities with planned dates, durations, milestones, and resources.

the main sources of information regarding uncertainty

project team members and other stakeholders

summarizes the project's purpose clearly and succinctly. It describes a realistic, attractive view of the future project outcomes

project vision

Principles for project management do what?

provide guidance for the behavior of people involved in projects as they influence and shape the performance domains to produce the intended outcomes.

Communication methods include what?

push, pull, and interactive communication

The project's phase in the life cycle impacts four aspects associated with estimating:

range accuracy precision confidence

regression analysis

regression analysis is an analytical 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.

As events unfold throughout the project, the project team may need to do what based on new stakeholders or evolving changes in the stakeholder landscape?

reprioritize

This document is a record of product requirements and relevant information needed to manage the requirements, which includes the associated category, priority, and acceptance criteria.

requirement's documentation

On a predictive project where the scope is relatively stable, what can be used to respond to risks

reserve in the schedule and budget

what should be repeated until residual risk is compatible with the organization's risk appetite.

response planning

This matrix is a grid that shows the project resources assigned to each work package. A RACI chart is a common way of showing stakeholders who are responsible, accountable, consulted, or informed and are associated with project activities, decisions, and deliverables

responsibility assignment matrix (RAM)

retrospective

retrospective is a regularly occurring workshop in which participants explore their work and results in order to improve both process and product. Retrospectives are a form of lessons learned meeting.

these meetings can be used to identify threats to performance, project team cohesion, etc., and to seek improvements.

retrospectives and lessons learned meetings

A measure of the amount of financial return compared to the cost, ROI is generally developed as an input to the decision to undertake a project. There may be estimates of ROI at different points in time across the project life cycle. By measuring ROI throughout the project, the project team can determine if it makes sense to continue the investment of organizational resources.

return on investment (ROI)

allows a broad spectrum of information to be conveyed rapidly.

richness in communication

An uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a posi tive or negative effect on one or more project objectives.

risk

risk register

risk register is a repository in which outputs of risk management processes are recorded. Information in a risk register can include the person responsible for managing the risk, probability, impact, risk score, planned risk responses, and other information used to get a high-level understanding of individual risks

This graph shows the relationship between two variables.

scatter diagram

If the schedule model does not meet the initial desired end date what can be applied?

schedule compression methods

To combat _________, project teams use a change control system where all changes are evaluated for the potential value they bring to the project and the potential resources, time, and budget needed to realize the potential value. The project team then presents the changes to the project governance body, product owner, or executive sponsor for formal approval.

scope creep

Once a set of risk responses has been developed, it should be reviewed to see whether the planned responses have added what?

secondary risks

Tailoring steps commonly involves some or all of these 4 steps:

selecting an initial approach tailoring for the organization tailoring for the project implementing ongoing improvement

emotional intelligence converges on 4 key areas

self awareness, self-management, social awareness, social skill

allow project teams to self-organize when possible and increase levels of autonomy by passing appropriate decision-making opportunities to project team members.

servant leaders

style of leadership that focuses on understanding and addressing the needs and development of project team members in order to enable the highest possible project team performance.

servant leadership

involves allocating ownership of an opportunity to a third party who is best able to capture the benefit of that opportunity

share

Stacey Matrix

similar to the Cynefin framework, but it looks at two dimensions to determine the relative complexity of a project: (a) the relative uncertainty of the requirements for the deliverable, and (b) the relative uncertainty of the technology that will be used to create the deliverable. Based on the relative uncertainty of these dimensions, a project is considered simple, complicated, complex, or chaotic

examples of project delivery cadences

single delivery, multiple deliveries, periodic deliveries

OSCAR model

situational leadership model

situational leadership II

situational leadership model

a subset of a vast array of leadership models.

situational leadership models

Engaging stakeholders requires the application of what?

soft skills - ex. active listening, interpersonal skills, and conflict management, as well as leadership skills such as establishing the vision and critical thinking.

what can assist in lowering the amount of uncertainty present on a project while others may cause an increase in uncertainty?

stakeholders

some variables associated with the nature of the project that can influence development approach selection

stakeholders schedule constraints funding availability

RAG chart

stoplight charts that use red amber and green colors

Documents that are created prior to or at the start of the project that address strategic, business, or high-level information about the project

strategy artifacts

some variables associated with the nature of the organization that can influence development approach selection

structure culture capability team size and location

an informational tool that combines its assessment with other data and decision-making activities so that the tailored approach is appropriate for each project.

suitability filter

helps project teams consider whether a project has characteristics that lend themselves toward a predictive, hybrid, or adaptive approach

suitability filter

Product/Deliverable, project team, and culture are only some attributes that influence what for a project?

tailoring

Selecting the tools (e.g., software or equipment) the project team will use for the project is a form of what?

tailoring

the deliberate adaptation of the project management approach, governance, and processes to make them more suitable for the given environment and the work at hand

tailoring

established deliberately by developing project team norms, or informally through the behaviors and actions of its project team members

team culture

emotional intelligence

the ability to recognize emotions in yourself and others and to manage your own emotions effectively

In the COQ model, internal/external failure are associated with the cost of what?

the cost of noncompliance

A cost benefit ratio greater than 1 means what

the costs are greater than the benefits. the project should not be considered unless there are regulatory, social good, or other reasons to do the project.

conceptual ambiguity

the lack of effective understanding; occurs when people use similar terms or arguments in different ways

management activities focus on what?

the means of meeting project objectives, such as having effective processes, planning, coordinating, measuring, and monitoring work, among others.

what if the overall risk on the project is too high?

the organization may choose to cancel the project.

What do principles and performance domains do?

the principles guide behavior, while the performance domains present broad areas of focus in which to demonstrate that behavior

is driven by the guiding project management principles in The Standard for Project Management [1], organizational values, and organizational culture.

the tailoring process

A negative risk is called....

threat

an event or condition that, if it occurs, has a negative impact on one or more objectives.

threat

Frequent demonstrations of increments of the product or service, interim designs, or proof of concepts can surface what?

threats and opportunities

________________ can be established for a variety of metrics such as schedule, budget, velocity, and other project-specific measures. The degree of variance will depend on stakeholder risk tolerances

thresholds

Planning

to proactively develop an approach to create the project deliverables. The

What is the goal of implementing a threat response?

to reduce the amount of negative risk

Model provides an understanding of what occurs to individuals psychologically when an organizational change takes place. This model differentiates between change and transition. Change is situational and happens whether or not people transition through it. Transition is a psychological process where people gradually accept the details of the new situation and the changes that come with it.

transition model

The project manager is key in establishing and maintaining a safe, respectful, nonjudgmental environment that allows the project team to communicate openly. One way to accomplish this is by modeling desired behaviors, such as:

transparency integrity respect positive discourse support courage celebrating success

trend analysis

trend analysis uses mathematical models to forecast future outcomes based on historical results

quantitative forecasts

typically based on historical data or tests and often involve complex statistical computations to estimate what will happen in the future

The project budget should include contingency reserve funds to allow for

uncertainty

iterative approach

useful for clarifying requirements and investigating various options. An iterative approach may produce sufficient capability to be considered acceptable prior to the final iteration.

Regardless of how the management activities are structured, there are common aspects of project team development that are relevant for most project teams. These include:

vision and objectives roles and responsibilities project team operations guidance growth

The possibility for rapid and unpredictable change.

volatility

In order to navigate risk effectively, the project team needs to know what ?

what level of risk exposure is acceptable in pursuit of the project objectives.

Scope and requirements focus on what?

what needs to be delivered

situational ambiguity

when more than one outcome is possible. Having multiple options to solve a problem is a form of situational ambiguity.

This measure indicates the number of work items that are being worked on at any given time. It is used to help the project team limit the number of items in progress to a manageable size.

work in progress

some measures frequently used in projects with adaptive approaches

work in progress lead time cycle time queue size batch size process efficiency

Communication with stakeholders can take place via what?

written or verbal means and can be formal or informal

A good vision is clear, concise, and actionable. It does the following:

▶ Summarizes the project with a powerful phrase or short description, ▶ Describes the best achievable outcome, ▶ Creates a common, cohesive picture in project team members' minds, and ▶ Inspires passion for the outcome.

what are the principles of project management?

▶Be a diligent, respectful, and caring steward (see Section 3.1). ▶ Create a collaborative project team environment (see Section 3.2). ▶ Effectively engage with stakeholders (see Section 3.3). ▶ Focus on value (see Section 3.4). ▶ Recognize, evaluate, and respond to system interactions (see Section 3.5). ▶ Demonstrate leadership behaviors (see Section 3.6). ▶ Tailor based on context (see Section 3.7). ▶ Build quality into processes and deliverables (see Section 3.8). ▶ Navigate complexity (see Section 3.9). ▶ Optimize risk responses (see Section 3.10). ▶ Embrace adaptability and resiliency (see Section 3.11). ▶ Enable change to achieve the envisioned future state (see Section 3.12).

Project aspects that can be tailored include?

▶Life cycle and development approach selection, ▶ Processes, ▶ Engagement, ▶ Tools, and ▶ Methods and artifacts

Analyzing Stakeholders

▶Power, ▶ Impact, ▶ Attitude, ▶ Beliefs, ▶ Expectations, ▶ Degree of influence, ▶ Proximity to the project, ▶ Interest in the project, and ▶ Other aspects surrounding stakeholder interaction with the project.

Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR)

A ratio of benefits to costs. The amount of money a project is going to make versus how much it will cost to build it. The higher these numbers are the better.

Internal Dependency

A relationship between one or more project activities. This type of dependency may be modifiable.

adaptive approach

Adaptive approaches are useful when requirements are subject to a high level of uncertainty and volatility and are likely to change throughout the project. A clear vision is established at the start of the project, and the initial known requirements are refined, detailed, changed, or replaced in accordance with user feedback, the environment, or unexpected events. Adaptive approaches use iterative and incremental approaches. However, on the far side of the adaptive methods, the iterations tend to get shorter and the product is more likely to evolve based on stakeholder feedback.

Parametric Estimating

An estimating technique in which an algorithm is used to calculate cost or duration based on historical data and project parameters.

Deliverable

Any unique and verifiable product, result, or capability to per form a service that is required to be produced to complete a process, phase, or project.

Backlog Refinement

At a backlog refinement meeting, the backlog is progressively elaborated and (re)prioritized to identify the work that can be accomplished in an upcoming iteration.

deterministic estimating

Deterministic estimates, also known as point estimates, present a single number or amount, such as 36 months.

The delivery cadence is based on the way work is structured in the what?

Development Approach and Life Cycle Performance Domain

a schedule compression method in which activities or tasks that are normally done in sequence are performed in parallel, at least for a portion of their duration. often entails applying leads and lags along a network path. A lead is where the work of a successor activity is accelerated, such as starting a successor activity before the predecessor has finished.

Fast Tracking

impact mapping

Impact mapping is a strategic planning method that serves as a visual roadmap for the organization during product development.

Periodic Deliveries

Like multiple deliveries but on a fixed delivery schedule., such as monthly or bimonthly.

Bidder Conference

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. This meeting may also be known as contractor conferences, vendor conferences, or pre-bid conferences

thinking strategy to explain a process, framework, or phenomenon

Model

developed by Karen Whittleworth and Andrew Gilbert. It helps individuals adapt their coaching or leadership styles to support individuals who have an action plan for personal development

OSCAR model

types of formal written communications

Progress reports Project documents Business case

what can impact how uncertainty will be addressed.

The choice of life cycle and development approach

Time and Materials (T&M)

This contract establishes a fixed rate, but not a precise statement of work. It can be used for staff augmentation, subject matter expertise, or other outside support.

Stakeholder engagement assessment matrix.

This matrix compares current and desired stakeholder engagement levels.

Procurement management plan.

This plan is a component of the project or program management plan that describes how a project team will acquire goods and services from outside of the performing organization.

Iteration plan

This plan is a detailed plan for the current iteration.

VDO

Value Delivery Office

3 types of intrinsic motivators

autonomy, mastery, purpose

Gulf of Execution model type

communication model

Correlation vs. Causation

correlation does not equal causation

The most common baseline is

cost and schedule

volatility usually impacts what?

cost and schedule

can be used in any project and are a source for identifying potential threats and opportunities.

daily standup meetings

3 stages of the transition model

ending, losing, letting go the neutral zone the new beginning

processed based ways of working with complexity

iterate engage fail-safe

an amount of time or budget set aside to account for handling risks

reserve

express the acceptable variation around an objective that reflects the risk appetite of the organization and stakeholders

risk thresholds

Each project team develops its own what?

team culture

What is tailoring?

the deliberate adaptation of the project management approach, governance, and processes to make them more suitable for the given environment and the work at hand. The tailoring process is driven by the guiding project management principles, organizational values, and organizational culture.

BAC - EAC is the __________

vac variance at completion

In lean environments information radiators are known as what?

visual controls

(TCPI) to-complete performance index

(BAC - EV) / (BAC - AC)

phase gate review

(also known as stage gate) to check that the desired outcomes or exit criteria for the phase have been achieved before proceeding to the next phase.

How many project performance domains are present? (7th ed)

8 domains

Net Promoter Score® (NPS®).

A Net Promoter Score measures the degree to which a stakeholder (usually the customer) is willing to recommend a product or service to others. It measures a range from -100 to +100. A high Net Promoter Score not only measures satisfaction with a brand, product, or service, it is also an indicator of customer loyalty.

backlog

A backlog is an ordered list of work to be done. Projects may have a product backlog, a requirements backlog, impediments backlog, and so forth. Items in a backlog are prioritized. The prioritized work is then scheduled for upcoming iterations.

Budget

A budget is the approved estimate for the project or any work breakdown structure (WBS) component or any schedule activity.

Business case

A business case is a value proposition for a proposed project that may include financial and nonfinancial benefits.

change control plan

A change control plan is 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.

Hawthorne effect

A change in a subject's behavior caused simply by the awareness of being studied

change log

A change log is a comprehensive list of changes submitted during the project and their current status. A change can be a modification to any formally controlled deliverable, project management plan component, or project document

complexity

A characteristic of a program or project or its environment th at is difficult to manage due to human behavior, system behavior, and ambiguity.

Project Phase

A collection of logically related project activities that culminates in the completion of one or more deliverables.

requirement

A condition or capability that is necessary to be present in a product, service, or result to satisfy a business need.

Metric

A description oof a project or product attribute and how to measure it

Decision tree analysis

A diagramming and calculation technique for evaluating the implications of a chain of multiple options in the presence of uncertainty.

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.

Timebox

A fixed period of time, for example, 1 week, 1 fortnight, 3 weeks, or 1 month. See also Iteration.

Cynefin Framework

A framework used for measuring project complexity; pinpoints five sections of complexity that various projects may fall into: obvious, complex, complicated, chaotic, and disorder

Probability and Impact Matrix

A grid for mapping the probability of each risk occurrence and its impact on project objectives if that risk occurs.

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.

Hybrid Approach

A hybrid development approach is a combination of adaptive and predictive approaches. This means that some elements from a predictive approach are used and some from an adaptive approach are used. This development approach is useful when there is uncertainty or risk around the requirements. Hybrid is also useful when deliverables can be modularized, or when there are deliverables that can be developed by different project teams. A hybrid approach is more adaptive than a predictive approach, but less so than a purely adaptive approach.

kickoff

A kickoff meeting is a gathering of project team members and other key stakeholders at the outset of a project to formally set expectations, gain a common understanding, and commence work. It establishes the start of a project, phase, or iteration.

uncertainty

A lack of understanding and awareness of issues, events, paths to follow, or solutions to pursue.

In fast tracking, what is a lead and lag?

A lead is where the work of a successor activity is accelerated, such as starting a successor activity before the predecessor has finished A lag is a delay of a successor activity. An example of using a lag would be changing the type of relationship between activities, and then applying a lag. For example, rather than waiting for an activity to finish before the next one starts (a finish-to-start relationship), change the relationship to have the end of the successor activity finish a determined amount of time after the end of the predecessor (a finish-to-finish relationship).

lessons learned meeting

A lessons learned meeting is used to identify and share the knowledge gained during a project, phase, or iteration with a focus on improving project team performance. This meeting can address situations that could have been handled better in addition to good practices and situations that produced very favorable outcomes

lessons learned

A lessons learned register is used to record knowledge gained during a project, phase, or iteration so that it can be used to improve future performance for the project team and/or the organization.

risk review

A meeting to analyze the status of existing risks and identify new risks. This includes determining if the risk is still active and if there have been changes to the risk attributes (such as probability, impact, urgency, etc.). Risk responses are evaluated to determine if they are effective or should be updated. New risks may be identified and analyzed and risks that are no longer active may be closed. Risk reassessment is an example of a risk-review meeting.

Steering Committee

A meeting where senior stakeholders provide direction and support to the project team and make decisions outside of the project team's authority

relative estimating

A method for creating estimates that are derived from performing a comparison against a similar body of work, taking effort, complexity, and uncertainty into consideration.

method

A method is the means for achieving an outcome, output, result, or project deliverable.

development approach

A method used to create and evolve the product, service, or result during the project life cycle, such as a predictive, iterative, incremental, adaptive, or hybrid method.

Multipoint Estimating

A method 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.

Crashing

A method used to shorten the schedule duration for the least incremental cost by adding resources. Crashing includes adding people to activities, working OT, paying to expedite deliveries.

model

A model is a thinking strategy to explain a process, framework, or phenomenon

Mood chart

A mood chart can track the mood or reactions of a group of very important stakeholders—the project team. At the end of each day, project team members can use colors, numbers, or emojis to indicate their frame of mind. Figure 2-25 shows a mood chart using emojis. Tracking the project team's mood or individual project team member's moods can help to identify potential issues and areas for improvement.

Predictive Approach

A predictive approach is useful when the project and product requirements can be defined, collected, and analyzed at the start of the project. This may also be referred to as a waterfall approach. The scope, schedule, cost, resource needs, and risks can be well defined in the early phases of the project life cycle, and they are relatively stable. This development approach allows the project team to reduce the level of uncertainty early in the project and do much of the planning up front.

Effective execution of the stakeholder performance domain results in the following desired outcomes:

A productive working relationship with stakeholders throughout the project. Stakeholder agreement with project objectives. Stakeholders who are project beneficiaries are supportive and satisfied while stakeholders who may oppose the project or its deliverables do not negatively impact project outcomes.

project brief

A project brief provides a high-level overview of the goals, deliverables, and processes for the project

project charter

A project charter is 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 closeout

A project closeout meeting is used to obtain final acceptance of the delivered scope from the sponsor, product owner, or client. This meeting indicates that the product delivery is complete

What is a project performance domain?

A project performance domain is a group of related activities that are critical for the effective delivery of project outcomes. Project performance domains are interactive, interrelated, and interdependent areas of focus that work in unison to achieve desired project outcomes. There are eight project performance domains:

project review

A project review meeting is an event at the end of a phase or a project to assess the status, evaluate the value delivered, and determine if the project is ready to move to the next phase, or transition to operations

estimate

A quantitative assessment of the likely amount or outcome of a variable, such as project costs, resources, effort, or durations.

Sensitivity Analysis

A quantitative risk analysis and modeling technique used to help determine which risks have the most potential impact on the project. It examines the extent to which the uncertainty of each project element affects the objective being examined when all other uncertain elements are held at their baseline values. The typical display of results is in the form of a tornado diagram.

External Dependency

A relationship between project activities and non-project activities. usually cannot be modified

Mandatory Dependency

A relationship that is contractually required or inherent in the nature of the work.

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. may be modifiable

Request for Information (RFI)

A request for information is used to gather more information from the market prior to sending out bid documents to a set of selected vendors

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.

Cadence

A rhythm of activities conducted throughout the project.

Monte Carlo Analysis

A risk quantification technique that simulates a model's outcome many times to provide a statistical distribution of the calculated results

risk -adjusted backlog

A risk-adjusted backlog is a backlog that includes work and actions to address threats and opportunities.

Fast Tracking

A schedule compression method in which activities or phases normally done in sequence are performed in parallel for at least a portion of their duration.

Dashboard

A set of charts and graphs showing progress or performance against important measures of the project.

Project Team.

A set of individuals performing the work of the project to achieve its objectives.

stakeholder register

A stakeholder register records information about project stakeholders, which includes an assessment and classification of project stakeholders.

Daily Stand Up

A standup is a brief collaboration meeting during which the project team reviews its progress from the previous day, declares intentions for the current day, and highlights any obstacles encountered or anticipated. This meeting may also be referred to as a daily scrum

ambiguity

A state of being unclear, having difficulty in identifying the c ause of events, or having multiple options from which to choose

status meeting

A status meeting is a regularly scheduled event to exchange and analyze information about the current progress of the project and its performance.

Story map

A story map is a visual model of all the features and functionality desired for a given product, created to give the project team a holistic view of what they are building and why.

Decoupling

A systems-based way of dealing with complexity. Decoupling entails disconnecting parts of the system to both simplify the system and reduce the number of connected variables. Determining how a piece of a system works on its own reduces the overall size of the problem.

simulation

A systems-based way of dealing with complexity. There may be similar though unrelated scenarios that can be used to simulate components of a system. A project to build a new airport that includes an area with shopping and restaurants can learn about consumer buying habits by seeking out analogous information on shopping malls and entertainment establishments

task board

A task board is a visual representation of the planned work that allows everyone to see the status of the tasks. A task board can show work that is ready to be started (to do), work in progress, and work that is completed

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.

Analagous Estimating

A technique for estimating the duration or cost of an activity or a project using historical data from a similar activity or project.

affinity grouping

A technique for organizing similar ideas together in natural groupings

Stakeholder Analysis

A technique of systematically gathering and analyzing quantitative and qualitative information to determine whose interests should be taken into account throughout the project.

Alternative Analysis

A technique used to evaluate identified options in order to select which options or approaches to use to execute and perform the work of the project.

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. This bid document is used for complex or complicated scope where the buyer is looking for the vendor to provide a solution.

user story

A user story is a brief description of an outcome for a specific user, which is a promise of a conversation to clarify details.

theory z spectrum

Abraham Maslow saw Theory Z as a transcendent dimension to work where individuals are motivated by self-realization, values, and a higher calling

Absolute Estimating

Absolute estimates are specific information and use actual numbers. An absolute estimate for effort might be shown as 120 hours of work. One person working full time could accomplish the work in 15 workdays, assuming 8 hours of productivity per workday.

This cost measure compares the actual cost for labor or resources to the estimated cost. This term may be referred to as the burn rate

Actual cost compared to planned cost.

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.

Bid Documents

All documents used to solicit information, quotations, or proposals from prospective sellers.

Drexler/Sibbet Team Performance Model

Allan Drexler and David Sibbet developed a team performance model with seven steps. Steps 1 through 4 describe the stages in creating a project team, and steps 5 through 7 cover project team sustainability and performance.

regression analysis

An analytical method where a series of input variables are examined in relation to their corresponding output results in order to develop a mathematical or statistical relationship. The relationship can be used to infer future performance

artifact

An artifact can be a template, document, output, or project deliverable.

Assumption and Constraint Analysis

An assumption is a factor that is considered to be true, real, or certain, without proof or demonstration. A constraint is a limiting factor that affects the execution of a project, program, portfolio, or process. This form of analysis ensures that assumptions and constraints are integrated into the project plans and documents, and that there is consistency among them.

Assumption log

An assumption is a factor that is considered to be true, real, or certain, without proof or demonstration. A constraint is a factor that limits the options for managing a project, program, portfolio, or process. An assumption log records all assumptions and constraints throughout the project.

To-complete performance index (TCPI)

An earned value management measure that estimates the cost performance required to meet a specified management goal. TCPI is expressed as the ratio of the cost to finish the outstanding work to the remaining budget

Estimate to complete (ETC).

An earned value management measure that forecasts the expected cost to finish all the remaining project work. There are many different ways to calculate the estimate to complete. Assuming past performance is indicative of future performance, a common measurement is calculation of the budget at completion minus the earned value, then dividing by the cost performance index. For more calculations to determine the ETC, see The Standard for Earned Value Management [2].

Variance at Completion (VAC)

An earned value management measure that forecasts the amount of budget deficit or surplus. It is expressed as the difference between the budget at completion (BAC) and the estimate at completion (EAC)

Single-Point Estimating

An estimating method that involves using data to calculate a single value which reflects a best guess estimate.

incremental approach

An incremental approach is used to produce a deliverable throughout a series of iterations. Each iteration adds functionality within a predetermined time frame (a timebox). The deliverable contains the capability to be considered as completed only after the final iteration.

Net Promoter Score (NPS)

An index that measures the willingness of customers to recommend an organization's products or services to others. The score is used as a proxy for gauging the customer's overall satisfaction with an organization's product or service and the customer's loyalty to the brand.

Issue log

An issue is a current condition or situation that may have an impact on the project objectives. An issue log is used to record and monitor information on active issues. Issues are assigned to a responsible party for follow up and resolution

Iteration Planning

An iteration planning meeting is used to clarify the details of the backlog items, acceptance criteria, and work effort required to meet an upcoming iteration commitment. This meeting may also be referred to as a sprint planning meeting

Iteration Review

An iteration review is held at the end of an iteration to demonstrate the work that was accomplished during the iteration. This meeting may also be referred to as a sprint review.

An artifact can be a template, document, output, or project deliverable.

Artifact

Planned benefits delivery compared to actual benefits delivery

As part of a business case, organizations may identify value as the benefit that will be delivered as a result of doing the project. For projects that expect to deliver benefits during the project life cycle, measuring the benefits delivered and the value of those benefits, then comparing that information to the business case, provides information that can justify the continuation of the project, or in some cases, the cancellation of the project.

5 steps individuals undergo when adapting to change in the ADKAR Model

Awareness of the need for change Desire to participate and support the change Knowledge of how to change Ability to implement the change on a daily basis Reinforcement to keep the change in place

batch size

Batch size measures the estimated amount of work (level of effort, story points, etc.) that is expected to be completed in an iteration.

Benchmarking

Benchmarking is the comparison of actual or planned products, processes, and practices to those of comparable organizations, which identifies best practices, generates ideas for improvement, and provides a basis for measuring performance.

Bid Documents

Bid documents are used to request proposals from prospective sellers. Depending on the goods or services needed, bid documents can include, among others: ▹ Request for information (RFI), ▹ Request for quotation (RFQ), and ▹ Request for proposal (RFP).

BVC

Big Visible Charts

types of informal written communications

Brief notes Email Instant messaging/texting Social media

Tuckman Ladder

Bruce Tuckman articulated the stages of team development as forming, storming, norming, and performing. Many people add a fifth stage, adjourning.

What is BAC?

Budget at Completion - total budget for total contract thru any given level

burn charts

Burn charts, such as a burnup or burndown charts, can show project team velocity. Velocity measures the productivity rate at which the deliverables are produced, validated, and accepted within a predefined interval.

Cost of Change

Change gets more expensive over time. Late defects are more expensive to correct

With all forms of communication, quick feedback loops provide useful information to:

Confirm the degree to which the stakeholder(s) heard the message. Determine if stakeholders agree with the message. Identify nuanced or other unintended messages the recipient detected. Gain other helpful insights.

these are set aside to implement a risk response or to respond to risk events should they occur.

Contingency reserves

Earned Value - Actual Cost

Cost Variance

Earned Value/Actual Cost

Cost performance index (CPI)

An earned value management measure that indicates how efficiently the work is being performed with regard to the budgeted cost of the work

Cost performance index (CPI).

determined by comparing the actual cost of a deliverable to the estimated cost. When used with earned value management, it is the difference between the earned value and the actual cost.

Cost variance (CV).

internal failure costs

Costs incurred to fix problems that are detected before the product/service is delivered to the customer.

appraisal costs

Costs of activities designed to ensure quality or uncover defects

Earned Value Analysis

Earned value analysis is a method that utilizes a set of measures associated with scope, schedule, and cost to determine the cost and schedule performance of a project.

Alistair Cockburn developed a model that describes the communication channels along the axes of effectiveness and richness. As defined by Richard Daft and Robert Lengel, richness relates to the amount of learning that can be transmitted through a medium.

Effectiveness of communication channel

(PMO) project management office

Established by organizations to create and maintain procedures and standards for project management methodologies to be used throughout the organization.

What can be helpful for navigating project risk and being proactive with risk responses

Establishing a frequent rhythm or cadence of review and feedback sessions from a broad selection of stakeholders

What is EAC?

Estimate at Completion. Various methods to calculate but the most common is the BAC/CPI

What is the ETC?

Estimate to Complete the cost estimate to complete unfinished work

Examining the rate of feature acceptance during frequent reviews can help assess progress and estimate completion dates and costs

Feature completion rates.

alternatives analysis

Finding and evaluating alternatives, such as looking at different ways to meet an objective, such as using a different mix of skills, resequencing work, or outsourcing work. Alternatives analysis may include identifying the variables to be considered in evaluating options, and the relative importance or weight of each variable.

flow based estimating

Flow-based estimates are developed by determining the cycle time and throughput. Cycle time is the total elapsed time it takes one unit to get through a process. Throughput is the number of items that can complete a process in a given amount of time. These two numbers can provide an estimate to complete a specified quantity of work.

high-level information that is progressively decomposed into greater levels of detail. The information at the upper levels encompasses all the information at the lower or subsidiary levels. Hierarchy charts are often progressively elaborated into greater levels of detail as more information is known about the project

Hierarchy charts

navigating effective stakeholder engagement flow

Identify understand analyze prioritize engage monitor

demoralization

If measures and goals are set that are not achievable, project team morale may fall as they continuously fail to meet targets. Setting stretch goals and aspirational measures is acceptable, but people also want to see their hard work recognized. Unrealistic or unachievable goals can be counterproductive.