PK0-005 Must KNOW

SDLC Phases

1. Planning 2. Analysis 3. Design 4. Development 5. Testing 6. Implementation 7. Maintenance

How does a PDM diagram differ from a PERT chart?

A PDM diagram includes activities, sequencing, and dependencies. A PERT chart includes activities, sequencing, dependencies, and a duration estimate.

Why does the PERT estimate use a weighted estimation formula? The formula is: PERT Estimate = (O + 4M + P) / 6

A PERT estimate is helpful for calculating realistic timing estimates. It represents a typical schedule with a slight adjustment for worst-case and best-case scenarios.

Pareto chart

A bar chart or histogram that illustrates the causes of problems and their relative severity. Used for prioritizing efforts to solve problems.

least privilege

A basic principle of security stating that something should be allocated the minimum necessary rights, privileges, or information to perform its role.

business case

A brief document that justifies the investments made for a project and describes how a particular investment is in accordance with the organization's policy.

project charter

A brief, formal document created in the project initiation phase that outlines the project parameters.

Computing services

A broad term referring to all IT systems, including hardware, software, networking, storage, and maintenance.

project management office (PMO)

A centralized, ongoing administrative unit or department that serves to improve project-management performance within an organization by providing oversight, support, tools, and helpful methodologies to project managers.

RAM (Responsibility Assignment Matrix)

A chart that links key project stakeholders to specific project deliverables or activities by assigning responsibilities to each stakeholder for each element of work.

responsibility assignment matrix (RAM)

A chart that links key project stakeholders to specific project deliverables or activities by assigning responsibilities to each stakeholder for each element of work.

phase gate review

A checkpoint review of project deliverables and performance at the end of each phase or sub-phase of a project at which point a management review or sign-off may be required.

phase gate reviews

A checkpoint review of project deliverables and performance at the end of each phase or sub-phase of a project at which point a management review or sign-off may be required.

Platform as a service (PaaS)

A cloud service model that provisions application and database services as a platform for development of apps.

Software as a service (SaaS)

A cloud service model that provisions fully developed application services to users.

Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)

A cloud service model that provisions virtual machines and network infrastructure.

wiki

A collaborative knowledge base (KB) built and maintained by contributors who are also the product's users or audience; often more informal than traditional KBs.

portfolio

A collection of projects, programs, and operational work to achieve the strategic business objectives of an organization.

DevOps

A combination of software development and systems operations; refers to the practice of integrating one discipline with the other.

DevSecOps

A combination of software development, security operations, and systems operations; refers to the practice of integrating each discipline with the others.

predictability

A common agile performance metric that compares how much work a team planned to complete in a sprint against how much work they actually completed.

firm fixed-price (FFP)

A commonly used contract type favored by most buying organizations because the price for products or services is set at the outset and not subject to change unless the scope of work changes.

increment

A complete body of work that meets the definition of done and moves toward the product goal.

scope baseline

A component of the project management plan that describes the need, justification, requirements, and boundaries for the project. Components of the scope baseline include the detailed project scope statement, the Work Breakdown Structure, and the Work Breakdown Structure dictionary.

Earned Value (EV)

A composite measurement of both cost and time performance in relation to scheduled or planned cost and time performance. EV is calculated by multiplying the percentage of work completed by the budgeted cost for the activity as laid out in the cost baseline.

project governance

A comprehensive methodology to control a project and ensure its success.

smoothing

A conflict resolution strategy that attempts to redirect focus away from the conflict by finding points of agreement.

collaborating

A conflict resolution strategy that enables parties to resolve conflict by designing a new solution that satisfies everybody.

compromising

A conflict resolution strategy that enables the parties to resolve conflict by meeting in the middle; everybody gives up something and retains something else.

avoiding

A conflict resolution strategy that ignores a conflict or chooses not to address it.

forcing

A conflict resolution strategy that removes conflict by enforcing a solution.

Internal customers

A consumer of a good or service that works in the same organization as the supplier.

External customers

A consumer of a good or service who does not work in the same organization as the supplier.

Why do you need to create a PO when a vendor has already signed a contract?

A contract establishes an agreement to purchase something at some point. However, it doesn't specify when the vendor should begin work. On the other hand, a PO is a customer's order for specific goods or services, which initiates the vendor's work.

unit price contract

A contract that ensures that the vendor is paid a fixed price per unit of work delivered.

master service agreement (MSA)

A contract that establishes precedence and guidelines for any business documents that are executed between two parties.

cost-plus contract

A contract type that provides vendors a refund of the expenses incurred while providing a service, plus a fee representing vendor profit.

milestones

A control point event in a project with zero duration that triggers a reporting requirement or requires sponsor or customer approval before proceeding with the project.

cost-plus percentage of cost (CPPC)

A cost-reimbursable contract that ensures that the vendor is reimbursed for all allowable costs for performing the work and a fee equal to a percentage of all costs.

cost-plus incentive fee (CPIF)

A cost-reimbursable contract that ensures that the vendor is reimbursed for all allowable costs for performing the work; the vendor also receives a predetermined target fee and an incentive fee.

cost-plus fixed fee(CPFF)

A cost-reimbursable contract that ensures that the vendor is reimbursed for all allowable costs for performing the work; the vendor receives a fixed fee payment based on the initial estimated project costs.

cost-plus award fee (CPAF)

A cost-reimbursable contract that ensures that the vendor is reimbursed for all legitimate costs; the majority of the fee is earned based on satisfying certain broad subjective performance criteria defined and incorporated into the contract.

Why would a project team choose to include an end-user or customer on the team?

A customer or end-user can offer valuable perspective. Some of the services they provide are the following: Offer end-user perspective about the final product's usability. Suggest new features or the next development priority in the project. Collaborate with team members to design the product.

weighted factor

A decision model that applies a multiplier based on importance to each criterion, which is factored into the scoring.

criteria profiling

A decision model that is used to evaluate and score alternatives on each criterion.

capital budgeting

A decision-making process that is used to evaluate fixed asset purchases.

Cost-benefit analysis (CBA)

A decision-making tool used in projects and procurement that compares the cost of a solution against the financial benefit it will provide to determine if it is a sound investment.

activity list

A definitive list of activities that must be completed to produce the desired project deliverables.

escape

A deliverable containing an unacceptable deviation or defect that was not detected by the producer or quality team.

quality escape

A deliverable containing an unacceptable deviation or defect that was not detected by the producer or quality team.

epic

A deliverable in an agile team that is equivalent in size to a project; often lasts several iterations or several months.

epics

A deliverable in an agile team that is equivalent in size to a project; often lasts several iterations or several months.

external dependency

A dependency that is contingent on inputs from outside the project activities.

internal dependency

A dependency that is contingent on inputs from within the organization.

mandatory dependency

A dependency that is inherent to the work itself. It is usually affected by physical constraints. Activities must be performed in a specific sequence for the work to be successful.

resource allocation

A description of resources and quantities necessary to complete project activities.

flowchart

A diagram that shows the relationships of various elements in a system or process.

activity

A discrete, scheduled component of work performed during the course of a project; it has estimated duration, cost, and resource requirements.

defect log

A document containing a list of defects for a project or product; includes the defect and relevant information, such as when it was found, which environment, and its current status.

Risk Register

A document highlighting the results of risk assessments in an easily comprehensible format (such as a "traffic light" grid); for department managers and technicians to understand risks associated with the workflows that they manage.

Milestone charts

A document that contains the project milestones and indicates if achieving the milestones are mandatory or optional.

statement of work (SOW)

A document that defines the expectations for a specific business arrangement.

requirements management plan

A document that describes how project requirements will be analyzed, documented, and managed throughout the project life cycle.

transition plan

A document that describes how the outputs of a project will be transferred either to another organization or to a functional group within the performing organization.

communication plan

A document that describes the project team's approach to communicating project information.

management plan

A document that describes the team's approach to manage risks.

project management plan

A document that details how a project will be executed to achieve the specified objectives.

stakeholder register

A document that identifies stakeholders of a project with information that includes their identification, assessment, and stakeholder classification.

requirements traceability matrix (RTM)

A document that is created by associating the project's deliverables with the requirements for creating each deliverable.

issue log

A document that is used to list, track, and assign project items that need to be addressed by the project team.

procurement plan

A document that outlines the specifications for procuring work from outside sources; specifies the types of contracts that will be used, describes the process for obtaining and evaluating bids, mandates the standardized procurement documents , and describes how multiple providers will be managed.

human resource plan

A document that provides guidance on how the human resources required for a project should be defined, staffed, managed, controlled, and eventually released after the end of the project.

feasibility

A feasibility study to analyze the hardware, software, facilities, and databases needed for a proposed project.

technical feasibility

A feasibility study to analyze the hardware, software, facilities, and databases needed for a proposed project.

project closeout report

A final summary of the project's performance, outcomes, and lessons learned; created in the closing phase and includes a request to close the project.

Your project is three weeks behind schedule, and you don't know why. You would like to lead a problem-solving activity with the team to brainstorm potential causes for the problem. What type of gap analysis tool would you use?

A fishbone diagram will allow you to list many potential causes for one problem.

fixed-price incentive fee (FPIF)

A fixed-price contract that is flexible in that it allows for deviation from performance.

fixed-price with economic price adjustment (FP-EPA)

A fixed-price contract type with special provision to allow predefined final adjustments to the contract price due to changed conditions.

software development life cycle methodology (SDLM)

A flexible software development framework that aims to produce high-quality, low-cost, and thoroughly tested software.

What is the difference between a flowchart and a decision tree?

A flowchart describes a process and may include many decisions. A decision tree represents a single decision with many factors.

Estimate at completion (EAC)

A forecast of total costs needed to complete the project; used to predict and control cost problems.

Estimate to complete (ETC)

A forecasting technique based on a new estimate that is more accurate and comprehensive; it is independent for all outstanding work.

request for proposal (RFP)

A formal business document that announces a project, describes it, and solicits bids from qualified contractors to complete it.

Terms Of Reference (TOR)

A formal document that defines a body of work's purpose, structure, boundaries, and expectations.

product transition

A formal hand-off of a project's outcome to its recipients.

key performance indicators (KPIs)

A formal mechanism designed to measure performance of a program against desired goals.

Notice of Escape

A formal notification provided from a company to one of its suppliers informing the supplier of a defect in a shipment. An NOE often requires corrective measures, such as analysis, additional inspections, and financial penalties.

escalation plan

A formal procedure that outlines when an event should be escalated to the next level of management or technical expert and defines the people or groups to contact.

request for quote (RFQ)

A formal solicitation for goods or services in which a company invites vendors to submit price quotes and bid on the job.

reward and recognition system

A formal system used to reinforce behaviors or performance. The purpose is to motivate the team to perform well and achieve and maintain the desired level of individual and team morale.

change control board (CCB)

A formally chartered group responsible for reviewing, evaluating, approving, delaying, or rejecting changes to the project and recording and communicating such decisions.

80/20 rule

A general guideline with many applications; in terms of controlling processes, it contends that a relatively large number of problems or defects, typically 80 percent, are commonly due to a relatively small number of causes, typically 20 percent.

Pareto principle

A general guideline with many applications; in terms of controlling processes, it contends that a relatively large number of problems or defects, typically 80 percent, are commonly due to a relatively small number of causes, typically 20 percent.

voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP)

A generic name for protocols that carry voice traffic over data networks.

objectives and key results (OKRs)

A goal-setting framework that creates powerful results through loose organizational alignment. The objective is an aspirational goal, and it is paired with measurable key results to track progress.

steering committee

A governing body that oversees a project or program; guides priorities, policies, standards, and next steps.

probability scale

A graph showing the assignment of value to the likelihood of a risk occurring.

Control charts

A graph that is used to analyze and communicate the variability of a process or project activity over time.

project network diagram

A graphical representation of the sequence of project activities and the dependencies among them.

project network diagrams

A graphical representation of the sequence of project activities and the dependencies among them.

Agile team

A group of professionals working on the same project or product and operating within any agile framework; typically cross functional and highly collaborative.

agile team

A group of professionals working on the same project or product and operating within any agile framework; typically cross functional and highly collaborative.

summary activity

A group of related activities that are reported as an aggregate activity.

project stages

A group of related project activities that results in the completion of a major deliverable.

program

A group of related projects that have a common objective.

brainstorming

A group session where many people contribute ideas to help reach a goal or solve a problem.

Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS)

A hierarchical arrangement of identified risks that helps project managers organize potential sources of risk to the project.

Project road maps

A high-level summary of a project's goals that focuses on outcomes over timelines.

Kanban

A highly visual agile development methodology that emphasizes controlling work in progress and visualizing work.

checklist

A job aid that prompts employees to perform activities according to a consistent quality standard.

run chart

A line graph that plots data longitudinally, with time on the horizontal axis and the output on the vertical axis.

sprint backlog

A list of user stories selected from the product backlog that the Scrum team chooses and commits to complete in that sprint cycle.

work breakdown structure (WBS)

A logical grouping of project deliverables arranged in a hierarchical structure that defines the total scope of work required to complete the project.

dependency

A logical relationship that exists between two project activities.

product goal

A long-term goal of an agile product.

When would you opt for a lowest-cost vendor instead of a best-value vendor?

A lowest-cost evaluation technique only works when vendors have no discernible difference. In other words, vendors are providing a commoditized product or service.

stakeholder engagement plan

A management strategy that is created to ensure increase in support and minimize the negative impacts of stakeholders throughout the entire project life cycle.

Cost performance index (CPI)

A measurement of cost performance that is used to determine whether the project is over or under budget. The formula for calculating CPI is CPI = EV/AC.

Daily stand-up

A meeting in which the complete team gets together for a quick status update. These meetings are short, 15-minute meetings that are conducted by standing in a circle.

daily Scrum

A meeting in which the complete team gets together for a quick status update. These meetings are short, 15-minute meetings that are conducted by standing in a circle.

product owner

A member of a Scrum team who maximizes outcomes and selects and prioritizes the work that the agile team will complete.

three-point estimating

A method of activity duration estimating in which three types of estimates are incorporated into a single scenario: most likely, optimistic, and pessimistic.

benchmarking

A method of addressing the evaluation of a group's business or project practices in comparison to those of other groups. It is used to identify best practices in order to meet or exceed them.

Expected monetary value (EMV)

A method of calculating the average outcome when the future is uncertain.

Bottom-up estimating

A method of estimating the cost for each work package in the work breakdown structure (WBS). The estimates are then rolled up or aggregated for progressively higher levels within the WBS.

iterative and incremental development (IID)

A method that builds an incremental model that is developed in multiple cycles of iterations. A product may begin with relatively small components or steps, and incremental milestones are made during each cycle of the iterations until the final product is achieved.

Scrum

A methodology that focuses on iterative and incremental delivery of products; owes its popularity to a simple approach, high productivity, and scope for applicability to multiple areas.

Earned value management (EVM)

A methodology that measures project progress by comparing actual schedule and cost performance against planned performance as laid out in the schedule and cost baselines.

ROI

A metric to calculate whether an asset is worth the cost of deploying and maintaining it.

Lagging indicators

A metric used to evaluate business performance. The information is measurable after a process; therefore, a lagging indicator lags behind business decisions.

Leading indicators

A metric used to evaluate the performance of inputs into a business process or project. Strong performance in a leading indicator should lead to strong business results.

groupthink

A mode of thinking or phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome

Multitiered architecture

A modular software design that physically and logically separates the software elements into separate, isolated tiers; increases system durability and reduces downtime.

tiered software architecture

A modular software design that physically and logically separates the software elements into separate, isolated tiers; increases system durability and reduces downtime.

contracts

A mutually binding agreement that details the obligations of the buyer and vendor.

procurement contract

A mutually binding agreement that details the obligations of the buyer and vendor; can be a simple purchase order or a complex contract.

Quantitative risk analysis

A numerical method that is used to assess the probability and impact of risk and measure the impact.

risk report

A periodic summary of relevant information about a project's risks; provides a summarized overview of known and realized risks and their impact on the organization.

project stakeholder

A person who has a business interest in the outcome of a project or is actively involved in its work.

SME (Subject Matter Expert)

A person with technical expertise in a particular subject area.

task board

A physical or virtual board that tracks work activities and their progress towards completion.

token

A physical or virtual item that contains authentication and/or authorization data, commonly used in multifactor authentication.

contingency plan

A plan included in the contingent response strategy that is implemented if the initial response strategy is ineffective in responding to the risk event.

SAFe

A popular agile-at-scale framework incorporating multiple agile practices and frameworks.

Risk sharing

A positive risk response strategy where the risk owner extends its benefits to others.

contingency reserve

A predetermined amount of additional time, money, or resources set aside in advance to be used to further the project's objectives if unknown risks or accepted known risks become reality.

You are a PM for implementing a COTS work management product. You received a change request to add a many-to-many relationship between a person and a team. During the first step of the change control process, Initiate Request, you decide to conduct a preliminary assessment and confirm that the software can accommodate this request. Why might you conduct a preliminary assessment ahead of the impact assessment in step 2, Evaluate Impacts?

A preliminary assessment clarifies the request and eliminates any unviable requests. For example, changes outside the project's authority, duplicate requests, and requests not feasible within the solution's capabilities would be eliminated.

product backlog

A prioritized list of customer requirements. It is the first step of Scrum.

backlog

A prioritized list of requirements and functionality that could be added to a product or project; items at the top of the list are highly valuable, clearly defined, and ready for the agile team to begin delivering them.

rollback plan

A proactive strategy that defines when and how to restore a system back to its last known good state in the event of issues during a release.

iterative development

A process by which product development, such as software development, is broken down from a large application into smaller chunks. A product or product component is designed, developed, and tested in repeated cycles.

retrospective

A process improvement session where an agile team reflects on the previous sprint and identifies ways that the team can improve how they work together.

requirements documentation

A process of describing how individual requirements meet the business requirements for the project.

progressive elaboration

A process of development in which additional layers of detail are defined over the course of a project.

refinement

A process where a list of potential work items is analyzed, prioritized, and clarified; new information continually modifies the contents and sequence of backlog items.

PRINCE2

A process-based project management methodology that aims to control the project management process by predefining clear project phases, roles, and tasks.

PRojects IN Controlled Environments (PRINCE2)

A process-based project management methodology that aims to control the project management process by predefining clear project phases, roles, and tasks.

Architect

A professional designer of various solutions. Organizations hire specialized architects who design and oversee different solution elements. For example, value stream architects arrange value streams, and solution architects design computer and networking systems.

product manager

A professional responsible for developing and improving a company's offerings; experts in their customers' problems who develop product strategies and road maps to meet their needs.

solution architect

A professional who designs computer and networking systems to optimize efficiency and value to the organization and meet business and customer requirements.

What is the difference between a program and a portfolio?

A program is a collection of projects that will accomplish a single, expansive objective. A portfolio is an arbitrary group of projects that aren't related to each other but exist in the same section of the organization. Portfolios represent the organization's balance of projects, and they often exist at higher organizational levels, such as the enterprise or division.

You are breaking down work for a project. The project team is self-organized and is only available to work on the project for eight weeks. The project sponsor requested three fixed and four preferred deliverables. They approved removing the preferred deliverables if the team runs out of time. Would you create a project backlog or WBS? Why did you make that choice?

A project backlog is the better choice because the project has a flexible scope and fixed time and resources.

How can a PM recognize when a project is ready to close?

A project is ready to enter the closing phase when all the project objectives are met, it is canceled, or it is suspended.

Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)

A project network diagram representing duration, activities, and dependencies, including an estimate based on the weighted average duration of activities.

precedence diagram method (PDM)

A project schedule network diagramming method that uses rectangular or circular nodes to represent activities and arrows to represent precedence relationships between activities.

benefit measurement models

A project selection decision model that analyzes the predicted value of the completed projects in different ways. They may present the value in terms of forecasted revenue, ROI, predicted consumer demand in the marketplace, or the Internal Rate of Return (IRR).

mathematical models

A project selection decision model that uses different types of mathematical formulas and algorithms to determine the optimal course of action. Variables such as business constraints, the highest possible profit that could be made on a project, and the laws and safety regulations that govern business operations may be considered.

Why would a team member and the project sponsor use different versions of the project schedule?

A project team member needs a highly detailed schedule that describes which activities they need to complete and the sequence. However, the project sponsor doesn't need as much detail, and viewing the detailed schedule would be inefficient.

business analyst (BA)

A project team member who closely understands business direction and company priorities and is familiar with the software environment, operating as a translator between business and IT.

warranty

A promise, explicit or implied, that goods or services will meet a predetermined standard. The standard may cover reliability, fitness for use, safety, and so on.

releases

A published version of a software product. This is the delivery channel for new features and functionality.

Synchronous communication

A real-time exchange of information. The sender and recipient receive and respond to information immediately, creating a continuous communication stream.

You are the PM for a marketing project. The team is anticipating multiple issues and risks throughout the project. They are confident they can manage the issues but would like to rebaseline the project every three months. How would a rebaseline help the team?

A rebaseline adjusts the project baseline to remove previous variances. This method helps projects with many unknowns because they cannot accurately estimate the entire project.

test plan

A reference document that describes how a project will verify that its outputs meet the expected quality; includes the overarching test strategy, the specific schedule of events, tests to run, and the necessary resources.

Risk enhancement

A response strategy for positive risks that attempts to increase their positive effects.

Detectability

A risk evaluation parameter that defines the likelihood of a company detecting a risk occurrence before it impacts the project, process, or end-user.

What is the difference between a positive risk and a negative risk?

A risk is something that you think will happen that you don't control. A negative risk would cause harm to the organization if it were to happen, and a positive risk would benefit the organization.

What is the difference between a mitigation plan and a contingency plan?

A risk mitigation plan is implemented before a risk occurs, and it aims to optimize the impact of risk. A risk contingency plan is a strategy for how to react if a risk occurs. It is created before a risk happens but is implemented only if it occurs.

contingent response strategy

A risk response strategy developed in advance; it is meant to be used in the event that identified risks become reality.

Risk exploitation

A risk response strategy for positive risks where the risk owner tries to guarantee that they will happen.

Scrum master

A role in the Scrum framework that enables the team to apply the framework; offers coaching, training, and guidance.

You are the PM for a cloud migration project. A requirement for the new solution is automated rollback. Why is rollback significant?

A rollback will restore the system to a previous working state. It is your recovery method when a release fails. You can roll back the system and fix the release without impacting the end-user.

agenda

A schedule of events for a meeting; can include topics, presenters, speakers, and timing.

escalation path

A sequence of increasingly higher-authority individuals who will engage with an issue to resolve it and mitigate its impacts.

team life cycle

A sequence of stages that describe a working team's interactions, productivity, and needs at varying maturity levels.

Content management systems (CMSs)

A server or web application designed to provide authorized access to documents.

Sprint planning

A session where the scrum team selects enough work for the upcoming sprint to build a sprint backlog.

sprint planning

A session where the scrum team selects enough work for the upcoming sprint to build a sprint backlog.

change request form

A simple document used to submit a new request for a change to a project.

Five Why Analysis

A simple root cause analysis that looks for hidden root causes of issues by continuing to identify why an issue occurred until you reach a solvable root cause.

prototype

A simulated version of a new system, essential for clarifying information elements.

Project management software

A software application that generates and organizes resource information, such as cost estimates and Work Breakdown Structures, which helps optimize resource utilizations.

records management systems (RMSs)

A software application that is used to manage the project vendors, procurements, and contract documentations.

software engineer

A software developer with additional technical expertise who optimizes the broader software environment.

CI/CD

A software development method combining app and platform updates (rapidly committed to production) with code updates (rapidly committed to a code repository or build server).

Continuous delivery (CD)

A software development method in which app and platform requirements are frequently tested and validated for immediate availability.

Continuous deployment (CD)

A software development method in which app and platform updates are rapidly committed to production.

Continuous integration (CI)

A software development method in which code updates are tested and rapidly committed to a development or build server/code repository.

agile

A software development model that focuses on iterative and incremental development to account for evolving requirements and expectations.

Waterfall

A software development model where the phases of the SDLC cascade so that each phase will start only when all tasks identified in the previous phase are complete.

simulation

A software program that generates many simulated, likely outcomes for a real-world process; enters a realistic range of inputs to generate a distribution of reasonable outcomes.

Manual testing

A software quality verification process that requires a person to test and review each piece of functionality in real time.

Automated testing

A software quality verification process that runs automatically using previously developed scripts and procedures.

Stress testing

A software testing method that evaluates how software performs under extreme load.

request for information (RFI)

A solicitation document used when a business knows the solution it needs but requires information on how vendors will provide the solution.

Spreadsheet

A spreadsheet consists of a table containing rows, columns, and cells. When values are entered into the cells, formulas can be applied to them, enabling complex calculations to be carried out.

In Scrum, what is the difference between a sprint backlog and a product backlog?

A sprint backlog includes the items that the Scrum team plans to complete in the sprint. The sprint backlog will deliver an increment of value to the product. The Scrum team owns the sprint backlog. A product backlog is an ordered list of all the potential product changes or enhancements. It is much larger than the sprint backlog. Where a sprint backlog is a plan for a short duration and relatively fixed, the product backlog is a wish list and will change over time.

Sprint Demo

A sprint review activity where the product backlog items that are completed will be demonstrated. The intention is to encourage an information-rich discussion between the Scrum team and other sprint review participants.

project requirements

A statement that defines why a project is being undertaken, the functionality that a project is designed to accommodate, or how the functionality will be achieved and satisfied by the solution.

issue resolution plan

A strategy for minimizing an issue's impact and reducing or eliminating its recurrence.

Organizational change management (OCM)

A structured approach to building change plans that manage the strategy, artifacts, and processes that help people adapt to new business processes and technology.

performance management

A structured system of processes and tools that improves an organization's ability to meet targets; evaluates current performance and improves future outcomes; and is used to improve the performance of projects, employees, departments, or organizations.

project evaluation

A structured, objective assessment of a project's performance and how well it was served by the organization's project management processes.

local installation

A subset of on-premises solutions where an application is installed on the computer or device that will use it.

Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA)

A system that consists of reviewing components, assemblies, and subsystems to identify how they might fail and the causes and effects of a failure. It is often the first step in a system reliability study and sometimes used in risk mitigation.

The project team finds the long task list hard to read and sort through. The members agree to update their tasks, but they'd like something easier to use and more visual. What tool would you recommend?

A task board. It shows each work item as a card, and the cards are organized into lanes by their work states. Activity owners move the cards across the board, from a "to do" state to a "finished" state, as they finish work.

decomposition

A technique for creating the Work Breakdown Structure by subdividing project deliverables to the work package level.

Monte Carlo analysis

A technique that is used by project managers to make predictions about the optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic estimates for variables in the model; simulates various outcomes of the project schedule to provide a statistical distribution of the calculated results.

Cost aggregation

A technique that is used to calculate the cost of a whole component by finding the aggregate of the cost of the constituent parts of the whole component.

Parametric estimating

A technique that is used to predict total project costs by using the project's characteristics and historical information in a mathematical model.

Root cause analysis

A technique used to determine the true cause of the problem that, when removed, prevents the problem from occurring again.

smoke test

A test of the most important operations of a component or a system. This type of test is limited only to the most crucial functions, ensuring that those pieces work, and does not analyze finer details. Typically, this test is done after a build and before a release.

Performance tests

A test that shows an application's ability to function under a given workload in order to confirm performance and scalability.

A team's average throughput for the last eight sprints is 24. What would they do with this information?

A throughput of 24 means the team completes an average of 24 work items each sprint. They use this information to set the size of the sprint backlog in their next planning session, where they will plan to deliver 24 items in the next sprint.

budget burndown chart

A time series chart that plots how much of the project's budget has been used and how much remains.

cost baseline

A time-phased budget that will monitor and measure cost performance throughout the project life cycle.

Customer relationship management (CRM)

A tool to organize the relationship between a business and its customers for the purpose of customer retention and satisfaction.

burndown chart

A tool used to track the progress of the project by plotting the number of work days against the number of hours of work remaining.

burnup chart

A tool used to track the total amount of work completed each day.

Analogous estimating

A top-down estimating technique using duration of previous similar activities to estimate future duration.

RACI charts

A type of Responsibility Assignment Matrix that helps detect the level of responsibility for each project team member.

joint application development (JAD)

A type of collaborative meeting where the team and customer meet and design a product together in a working session.

term contract

A type of contract that engages the vendor to deliver a set amount of service—measured in staff-hours or a similar unit—over a set period of time.

time and materials (T&M) contract

A type of contract that includes aspects of both fixed-price and cost-reimbursable contracts. The buyer pays the vendor a negotiated hourly rate and full reimbursement for materials used to complete the project.

purchase orders (POs)

A type of fixed-price contract or a separate document that is appended to a contract. It is sent from a buyer to a vendor with a request for an order. When the vendor accepts the purchase order, a legally binding contract is formed.

decision tree

A type of screening system decision model that uses a branch diagram to choose among two different alternatives. This model incorporates probabilities of occurrence and the costs or rewards of each decision.

competitive analysis

A vendor analysis process where the organization evaluates competitors within the same market.

market research

A vendor analysis process where the organization researches a product or service and the vendors that deliver it.

vendor viability

A vendor that has a viable and in-demand product and the financial means to remain in business on an ongoing basis.

minimum viable product (MVP)

A version with just enough functionality to demonstrate how a final product will operate; intended for use by early adopters, who can provide valuable feedback to the development team, and to build stakeholder confidence in a project.

whiteboard

A virtual, interactive canvas where multiple users can contribute to the contents; often includes a blank white space and electronic sticky notes to recreate the look and feel of a physical whiteboard.

scatter diagram

A visual chart that plots pairs of numerical values; shows the level of correlation between two variables.

throughput chart

A visual representation of a team's output over time; shows how many items are completed each sprint or iteration.

velocity chart

A visual representation of a team's output over time; shows how many story points are completed each sprint or iteration.

project organizational chart

A visual representation of the project's organizational structure.

effect-based risk classification

A way of analyzing the major risks that are inherent to a project that could have an impact on its success. These major risks include time, cost, quality, and scope.

The team has an issue with their cloud-based analysis application. The team wants to create a workaround to use local installations, then upload or email files daily. Why would a team need a workaround?

A workaround allows the team to keep working while an issue is resolved. It circumvents a problem as a temporary measure.

The project team assigns an "accept" response to a negative risk. What happens if the risk occurs?

Accept means the team will do nothing to manage the risk. Instead, the risk will impact the project, and the team accepts the consequences.

documentation

Accurate and up to date documentation is essential for maintaining effective and secure business procedures. The sorts of things that need documenting include policies, procedures, systems architecture, and assets.

rollback

Action taken to restore a system to the last known good state.

Processes

Activities that underlie the effective practice of project management; they include all the phases of concept/discovery, initiation, planning, execution, and closing a project.

project management processes

Activities that underlie the effective practice of project management; they include all the phases of initiating/pre-project setup, planning, executing, monitoring/controlling, and closing a project.

Digital transformation

Adopting technology to increase an organization's efficiency and competitiveness. Digital transformation modernizes existing processes and creates new processes and customer offerings.

expert judgment

Advice sought from individuals having expertise in a particular knowledge area, an application area, an industry, or discipline.

What are the size limitations of agile, scaled agile, and waterfall project teams?

Agile teams are 3-10 members. Scaled agile teams can be any size because multiple agile teams work together to form a larger group. Waterfall teams can be any size on a single project team.

service level agreement (SLA)

Agreement that sets the service requirements and expectations between a consumer and a provider.

service-level agreements (SLAs)

Agreement that sets the service requirements and expectations between a consumer and a provider.

You work for a medium-sized coffee shop, Deja Brew. The manager asked you to prepare a business case for increasing the company's online presence. Currently, the company has one social media account and no website. You are drafting options for the business case. You selected four options. Set up at least three additional social media channels. Set up a company website. Set up a company website and at least three additional social media channels. Do nothing. Why did you offer "do nothing" as an option? How would doing nothing impact the business?

Always offer "do nothing" as an option because the company can choose not to pursue this project. Doing nothing could lead to both positive and negative impacts. Assuming the company is missing out on revenue by not connecting with potential online customers, it would continue to lose this revenue. However, not pursuing this project means the funding is available for another project. Business cases help management allocate time and money to the most beneficial projects.

critical roles

An HR term for people working in positions that would heavily impact the business if they were suddenly vacant. Critical roles include positions where a single person knows how to complete tasks. Sudden vacancies in critical roles will negatively impact revenue, reputation, or business continuity.

IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL)

An IT best practice framework, emphasizing the alignment of IT Service Management (ITSM) with business needs. ITIL was first developed in 1989 by the UK government. ITIL 4 was released in 2019 and is now marketed by AXELOS.

You are the PM working with a procurement specialist to obtain a new process automation product. The procurement specialist wants to start the solicitation process with an RFI. Why would they choose this document?

An RFI is an educational tool that is used to research product options. It is useful when you need to learn more about solutions before creating a formal solicitation.

Why does an SLA benefit both parties in the agreement?

An SLA also improves relationships by reducing friction. The SLA sets clear expectations and represents an agreement between the parties.

quality metrics

An actual value that describes the measurements for the quality control process.

revised baseline

An adjustment to project baselines resulting from project change requests.

rebaseline

An adjustment to project baselines to remove variances that aren't related to a change request.

Extreme programming (XP)

An agile software development framework noted for its heavy emphasis on software engineering practices.

timebox

An agreed-upon, fixed length of time allocated to a specific topic or activity.

timebox

An agreed-upon, fixed length of time allocated to a specific topic or project activity.

nondisclosure agreement (NDA)

An agreement that stipulates that entities will not share confidential information, knowledge, or materials with unauthorized third parties.

workaround

An alternative approach to executing tasks; often circumvents issues when they cannot be eliminated immediately.

Scenario analysis

An analysis method that allows you to plan for unexpected issues or problems that will interfere with the schedule.

critical path method (CPM)

An analysis method that uses a sequential Finish-to-Start network logic and calculates one early and late start and finish date for each activity using a single-duration estimate. Also called "critical path analysis."

lessons learned report

An analysis of events that can provide insight into how to improve response and support processes in the future.

Gap analysis

An analysis that measures the difference between the current and desired states in order to help assess the scope of work included in a project.

Real-time, multi-authoring editing software

An application that allows multiple users to update the same file simultaneously; usually allows contributors to comment on each other's work and view version history.

incremental development

An approach that breaks the software development process down into small, manageable portions known as "increments." Each increment builds on the previous version so that improvements are made step by step.

acquisition

An approach that is used to acquire resources when enough staff is not available within the project team or organization to complete the project.

negotiation

An approach used by individuals or organizations with mutual or opposite interests to come together to reach a final agreement.

project baseline

An approved time phased plan for a project, a work breakdown structure component, a work package, or an activity, plus the approved scope, cost, schedule, and technical changes.

record

An artifact that preserves historical information needed to operate the business later, such as financial records, business decisions, and operating licenses.

decision tree analysis

An assessment of the data obtained using the decision tree method to evaluate various possible outcomes.

Interconnectivity

An assessment of the interrelated nature of business processes and systems; a change or issue in one area has a ripple effect throughout the organization.

multifactor authentication (MFA)

An authentication scheme that requires the user to present at least two different factors as credentials; for example, something you know, something you have, something you are, something you do, and somewhere you are. Specifying two factors is known as "2FA."

WBS Dictionary

An auxiliary document containing details about each element in the work breakdown structure.

Top-down estimating

An estimation technique encompassing the entire project or its key deliverables that cascades estimates down to the activity level; not particularly accurate, so best used during the discovery phase, when information is sparse.

project audit

An examination of a project's goals and achievements, including adequacy, accuracy, efficiency, effectiveness, and compliance with applicable methodologies and regulations.

data warehouse

An extensive database that allows designers to create multiple dashboards using the same data set.

How does an external stakeholder meeting differ from an internal stakeholder meeting?

An external stakeholder meeting is a public event and needs to adopt a more positive tone. It will also focus on successes instead of problems and reference major external milestones only.

quality audit

An independent evaluation, inspection, or review of a project's quality assurance system.

Program managers

An individual who coordinates with the project managers, oversees related projects in a program to obtain maximum benefits, and provides guidance and support to every individual project.

risk manager

An individual who gathers, administers, and reports on a risk register for a project or program.

risk owner

An individual who is accountable for developing and implementing a risk response strategy for a risk documented in a risk register.

sprint review

An informal, end-of-sprint meeting of the agile team and product stakeholders to review the product's newest functionality in a working session, collaboratively adjust the backlog, and decide what to work on next.

fixed-price contract

An instrument that establishes a total price for a product or service. The vendor agrees to perform the work at the negotiated contract value.

reorganization

An internal adjustment to the organization's hierarchy, reporting structure, job titles, and responsibilities.

communication requirements analysis

An investigation that leads to a clear articulation of the stakeholders' communication needs.

Mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive (MECE)

An organization and problem-solving method. Each element exists without overlapping anything else, and all the elements combined represent the entire topic.

Change adoption

An organizational change management metric that measures how many end-users use a new offering.

functional organizational structure

An organizational structure where reporting is hierarchical, with each individual reporting to a single manager.

projectized organizational structure

An organizational structure where the project manager and a core project team operate as a completely separate organizational unit within the parent organization.

matrix organizational structure

An organizational structure with a blend of functional and project-based structures in which individuals still report upward in the functional hierarchy, but they also report horizontally to one or more project managers.

Written communication

Any information exchange where information occurs through handwritten or typed messages, such as text messages and Braille.

Asynchronous communication

Any information exchange where the message is shared and received at different times, such as a letter or an email.

Action items

Any piece of work that needs to be performed by a resource at any time during the project.

Why are regulatory changes considered a project risk?

Any regulation change requires a thorough environmental assessment to evaluate what needs to be updated. For instance, if you are managing a project when privacy laws change, all the data fields need to be compared to the new regulations to ensure they are compliant. You might need to change the project plan to include remediation tasks.

code of accounts

Any system that is used for numbering the elements in a Work Breakdown Structure.

communication technology

Any type of technology that is used for communicating information, including websites, email, instant messaging, phones, and video conferencing. Some technologies are instantaneous, whereas others take time; some are interactive, whereas others are one-way only.

risk

Any unexpected event that can affect your project. The effect might be either positive or negative and might be on any aspect of the project, such as personnel, processes, technology, or resources. These unexpected events are difficult or impossible to predict.

risks

Any unexpected event that can affect your project. The effect might be either positive or negative, and the impact might be on any aspect of the project from personnel, processes, technology, and resources. These unexpected events are difficult or impossible to predict.

project resource

Any useful material object or person necessary to complete project work.

Collaboration tools

Applications that allow multiple individuals to contribute to shared documents and workflows.

single sign-on

Authentication technology that enables a user to authenticate once and receive authorizations for multiple services.

workflow management systems

Automated applications that create and execute repeatable tasks; track progress, send notifications, and collect and track approvals.

How are confidential and restricted data different?

Both data types have limited access, but restricted data access imposes stricter limits. Access to restricted data must be justified and is only granted on a need-to-know basis.

Management reserve

Buffer added to the project tasks for unplanned changes to scope and cost.

lease, rent, or buy decision

Business analysis that determines the most cost-effective way to procure the necessary equipment for a project.

You are pulling customer information from a system. This system lets you see the customer's interactions with the company and their purchase history. What type of system is this?

CRM

How does the message transmission differ between chat messaging and SMS?

Chat messages transmit via an internet connection, and SMS messages transmit via cellular networks.

cloud service model

Classifying the provision of cloud services and the limit of the cloud service provider's responsibility as software, platform, infrastructure, and so on.

error handling

Coding methods to anticipate and deal with exceptions thrown during execution of a process.

request for bid (RFB)

Commonly used when deliverables are commodities with clear specifications and when price will be the primary determining factor.

language barriers

Communication challenges stemming from people who lack a common language.

regulations

Compliance-mandatory characteristics for specific products, services, or processes.

cloud computing

Computing architecture where on-demand resources provisioned with the attributes of high availability, scalability, and elasticity are billed to customers on the basis of metered utilization.

emotional conflict

Conflicts around relationships and feelings, such as due to personality, working styles, insecurity, and envy.

project team

Consists of the project manager, the project management team, and other individual team members. The project team contains people from different groups who possess knowledge on specific subjects or have unique skill sets to carry out project work.

qualified vendors list

Contains details regarding vendors who are qualified by the organization and to whom requests can be sent. It is sometimes known as an approved vendor list.

What is the difference between core and extended team members?

Core team members are full-time members; they have specialized skills and handle the project's day-to-day operational work. Extended team members are part-time members with specialized skills.

ROI can be calculated as ______.

ROI : (Profit / Cost of investment) * 100 Profit = Current value - Cost of investment or ROI: (Revenue - Cost of good sold ) / Cost of good sold

data

Raw information, facts, and figures available within systems and artifacts.

chat messaging

Real-time text communications products that also support file exchange and remote desktops.

work performance information

Periodically collected information about project activities being performed to accomplish the project work.

decision-makers

Person or group with the authority to select the next course of action.

Print media

Physical copies of information, such as posters on the wall, printed brochures, and flip charts.

vendor management

Policies and procedures to identify vulnerabilities and ensure security of the supply chain.

QA plan

Policies, procedures, and tools designed to ensure defect-free development and delivery.

Quality assurance (QA)

Policies, procedures, and tools designed to ensure defect-free development and delivery.

What does a post-project evaluation measure?

Post-project evaluations focus on the project's final results, including the performance metrics, organizational impact, and deliverables. They compare expected and actual impacts and incorporates feedback from stakeholders, including the team members and customers.

How can you validate that deliverables are completed if a project was canceled or suspended?

Prepare a summary outlining which deliverables are complete and to what degree.

Presentation

Presentation software enables users to create sophisticated business presentations that can be displayed as an on-screen slide show or printed onto overhead projector transparencies.

risk analysis

Process for qualifying or quantifying the likelihood and impact of a factor.

configuration management

Process through which an organization's information systems components are kept in a controlled state that meets the organization's requirements, including those for security and compliance.

Change management

Process through which changes to the configuration of information systems are implemented as part of the organization's overall configuration management efforts.

end of life (EOL)

Product life cycle phase where mainstream vendor support is no longer available.

quality assurance specialists

Professionals who improves an organization's quality standards through inspection and process improvement.

developer

Professionals who program an application or other piece of code that executes on a computer.

developers

Professionals who program an application or other piece of code that executes on a computer.

testers

Professionals who validate that a program performs as expected.

ad hoc report

Progress summaries that are generated as needed.

How are program managers similar to and different from PMs?

Project and program managers are similar because they manage their respective areas' schedules, flow, and budgets. They differ because PMs focus on projects that deliver a single project or objective, often in less than one year. Conversely, program managers must coordinate multiple projects to complete a significant, multi-year goal.

verified deliverables

Project products or results that are completed and verified for their correctness while performing quality control.

Functional requirements

Project requirements that detail the desired functionality, capacity, or capability expected from the project.

performance appraisals

Project team reviews that are conducted to clarify the roles and responsibilities of project team members, provide constructive feedback, identify unknown or unresolved issues, develop individual training plans, and establish future goals.

Which three characteristics differentiate projects from operations?

Projects are unique, have a specific reason or purpose, and are temporary, with defined start and end points.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

Provisions and requirements protecting the personal data of European Union (EU) citizens. Transfers of personal data outside the EU Single Market are restricted unless protected by like-for-like regulations, such as the US Privacy Shield requirements.

change requests

Requests to modify a project's activities or resources, which would lead to a change in the project's scope, budget, or timeline.

vendor proposals

Responses submitted by potential vendors that are prepared in accordance with the requirements stated in the procurement documents.

RACI

Responsible, Accountable, Consult, Inform

Databases

Data storage systems that organize electronic information into structured tables, allowing for the easy retrieval and interpretation of data. Many databases are operated using Structured Query Language (SQL, pronounced "sequel"). Database design, programming, and administration is complex and security should be considered as a critical requirement.

Personal health information (PHI)

Data that can be used to identify an individual and includes information about past, present, or future health as well as related payments and data used in the operation of a healthcare business.

Personally identifiable information (PII)

Data that can be used to identify or contact an individual (or, in the case of identity theft, to impersonate them).

Intellectual property (IP)

Data that is of commercial value and can be granted rights of ownership, such as copyrights, patents, and trademarks.

ticketing system

Database software designed to implement a structured support process by identifying each case with a unique job ticket ID and with descriptive fields to record how the issue was resolved.

What is the difference between a dedicated resource and a shared resource?

Dedicated resources work on one project at a time, and shared resources work on two or more projects simultaneously.

discretionary dependency

Defined by the project and the project management team, at their discretion, based on the best practices followed in a specific application area or on specific requirements. If there is no mandatory or external dependency between two activities, the team has some flexibility in activity sequencing.

solution requirements

Defines the criteria for a solution to a given problem that software or services are expected to meet.

project scope statement

Defines the project and what it does and does not need to accomplish.

product training events

Demonstrations provided by the company on a product or service during its transition phase.

specifications

Descriptions of the work to be done or the service or product to be provided; they define the requirements that must be met in exacting detail.

compliance audits

Detailed and specific evaluation of a process, procedure, organization, job function, or system; results are gathered and reported to ensure that the target of the audit is in compliance with the organization's policies, regulations, and legal responsibilities.

Requirements

Discrete descriptions of how a project or product needs to look, behave, or operate; often categorized as, for example, functional, technical, or nonfunctional.

Why would a team define a discretionary dependency?

Discretionary dependencies are optional, but they improve work for the project team. For instance, an internal dependency might optimize efficiency, lower cost, or improve quality.

project sign-off

Documented communication from project stakeholders that they agree to close the project. By signing off, the stakeholder indicates they agree that the completed work meets the agreed-upon requirements.

procurement documents

Documents submitted to prospective vendors or service providers to solicit their proposals for the work needed.

project performance reports

Documents that report the progress made in the project activities against the scheduled performance.

You are managing a project to implement a new third-party enterprise planning tool. The company's current planning product, Assemble, will be EOL in six months. What does EOL mean, and why is it relevant?

EOL software is end of life, which means the provider is no longer updating or supporting it. Understanding when software is EOL is relevant because it is more likely to have security vulnerabilities and compatibility issues in the future. As a result, companies strive to decommission and replace EOL products ahead of the final EOL date.

How do you know when it is time to escalate a problem?

Each escalation point includes a trigger, which describes the conditions that initiate an escalation. You will define the triggers when you create the escalation plan, and the escalation plan is reviewed and approved by the escalation owners.

operational training

Education provided to individuals to prepare them for using, maintaining, and improving a product long term.

Email

Electronic store and forward messaging system. Email supports text messages and binary file attachments. For Internet email, an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server is used to forward mail to a host. A mail client then uses either POP3 (Post Office Protocol) or IMAP (Internet Mail Access Protocol) to access the mailbox on the server and download messages.

project momentum

Energy that keeps the project focused and moving forward at an appropriate pace.

ESG

Environmental, Social, Governance

A high-priority risk just turned into an issue. What can you use to respond to the issue quickly?

Execute the contingency plan for the risk, which is your response plan for the issue.

vendors

External parties who enter into a contractual agreement with the organization and provide components or services needed for the project. Seller, contractor, and supplier are also used when referring to vendors.

breach of contract

Failure to meet some or all of the obligations of a contract. It may result in damages paid to the injured party, litigation, or other ramifications.

The waitstaff will not bring dessert until after the staff clears the dinner dishes from the table. What type of dependency is this? (The dependency types are FS, SS, FF, and SF.)

Finish-to-Start (FS). Activity 1, clear the dishes, must finish before Activity 2, serve dessert, begins.

Negative risks

Risks that have a negative impact on the project.

Positive risks

Risks that when taken, produce a positive project outcome.

You are the PM for a project running two weeks ahead of schedule. The PMO director reviewed your project chart and asked you to complete a gap analysis. Why would you do this when you are exceeding goals?

Gap analysis is used any time there is a difference between expected and actual values. You can use gap analysis to find the root cause of the variation and close the gap. In this scenario, a lower variance will improve the reliability of your project schedule.

Decisive meetings

Gatherings where one or more attendees are expected to make decisions for specific items based on information provided.

dashboards

Graphical summaries of project measures, often a collection of multiple KPIs, that provide an "at-a-glance" view of important data that managers can use when making project-related decisions.

ground rules

Rules that set clear expectations of the expected code of conduct from team members so as to increase productivity and decrease misunderstandings.

How has SDLC adapted to waterfall and agile methodologies?

SDLC started as a waterfall methodology. The framework introduced iterative cycles to support agile approaches. The various models introduce multiple levels of iterations. The iterative SDLC model repeats the research, development, and testing phases, allowing teams to develop in small batches. However, it maintains fixed planning and deployment processes. The spiral and agile models iterate across all SDLC phases.

Workshop

Group sessions that bring together key stakeholders to define the project or product requirements for the project.

What does high detectability mean?

High detectability means you can quickly tell when a risk has occurred or will occur. You can either recover quickly or avoid it. For example, a fuel gauge on a vehicle warns you when you will run out of fuel.

What are the three major types of resources in project management?

Human, physical, and capital are the three resource types. Human resources are people, physical resources are materials and equipment, and capital is the money that pays for human and physical resources.

What is the difference between IaaS and PaaS?

IaaS provides basic computing services; PaaS provides computing services and development tools.

user stories

In Agile methodology, these are the customer requirements or features. Each user story emphasizes the functionality of the feature and how it adds to the final product.

user story

In Agile methodology, these are the customer requirements or features. Each user story emphasizes the functionality of the feature and how it adds to the final product.

sprint

In Agile project management, this represents a complete process, from planning to delivery and demo of a part of the product. The sprint cycle begins when the product owner defines and prioritizes the product backlog.

feature

In agile development, a sizeable piece of functionality that is larger than a user story and smaller than an epic. Epics are broken into multiple features, which are then refined into multiple user stories.

Risk avoidance

In risk mitigation, the practice of ceasing activity that presents risk.

Risk transference

In risk mitigation, the response of moving or sharing the responsibility of risk to another entity, such as by purchasing cybersecurity insurance.

loops

In scripting and programming, control statement that executes code repeatedly based on a condition.

Why is waterfall described as linear and sequential?

In waterfall, project phases are complete one at a time and in one order only. Therefore, projects cannot move backward or revisit completed phases.

How can improving a team's work systems help a project maintain momentum?

Inadequate work systems drain an employee's energy and demotivate them. Conversely, soliciting their feedback and improving their work area is energizing and motivating.

business partners

Individuals and organizations who are external to the company and provide specialized support to tasks such as installation, customization, training, or support.

sponsor

Individuals or groups that provide financial assistance to the project. If the sponsor is outside of the company, such as a customer, their duties may be the responsibility of the project manager.

functional manager

Individuals who are part of management in the administrative or functional side, such as human resources, finances, accounting, or even procurement of the business in the organization. They sometimes act as subject matter experts or may provide services needed for the project.

portfolio management

Individuals, often executives, in the portfolio review board who are part of the project selection committee and belong to the high-level project governance side of the organization.

maintenance windows

Scheduled periods of system outages that an organization uses to perform system maintenance and deploy releases.

Trade secrets

Intellectual property that gives a company a competitive advantage but hasn't been registered with a copyright, trademark, or patent.

Collaborative meetings

Interactive sessions where attendees work together on a shared goal.

enterprise environmental factors

Internal or external factors that can have a positive or negative influence on the project outcome.

Why should you review existing artifacts when you start a project?

It allows you to catch up on a project's progress quickly. It improves your project management approach. It helps you learn contextual information about the environment.

The data analyst on the project team identified a need for additional analysis software. They decided to purchase a one-year subscription to a popular analytical product. Is this a CapEx or OpEx?

It is OpEx. Recurring expenses are considered OpEx.

The project team identified an exciting new enterprise software that they would like to buy. Unfortunately, they don't meet the minimum license quantity requirements, so they contact their peers in the company to see if any other teams would like to buy licenses. What mitigation strategy is this?

It is a "share" response to a positive risk. The team is partnering with others and sharing the benefits. Sharing usually increases one's ability to benefit from a risk.

You are assuming project management responsibilities for a team. Their project charter has the following objective: Respond to new customer contact requests within 48 hours. Is this a KPI or OKR? How can you tell?

It is a KPI. A KPI sets an operational target measured over a long time and has upper and lower limits. In this example, responses in 0-48 hours are acceptable, and responses in 49 or more hours are an issue. An OKR sets a goal that introduces change. OKRs are comprehensive and include one objective statement and up to five key results.

What is a mandatory internal dependency?

It is a dependency that is unavoidable and originated inside the company. For example, an internal audit process is a mandatory internal dependency.

You are the PM for a cloud migration project. The vendor is advertising a possible upcoming feature that would simplify configurations. If this feature were available, the team could implement it in one day, and it would save several hours of work on each system update for the life of the project. Is this a risk, change, or issue?

It is a positive risk. It is an event that may happen in the future, and it would positively impact the project if it were to occur.

After every sprint, an agile project team meets to reflect on their work and identify ways to improve. What is this quality activity called?

It is a retrospective.

You need to purchase project management software. You opt for a cloud-based solution that charges an annual fee to access the product. Is this a buy, lease, or subscription purchase? How can you tell?

It is a subscription. You purchase access one year at a time for as long as you want to use the product.

A caterer provides meals and beverage service at the project wrap-up party. They charge $35 per guest. What type of contract is this?

It is a unit price contract.

You hired a vendor to create and send handmade greeting cards to all the company's clients. The vendor will receive $10,000 when they are finished. What type of contract did the vendor sign?

It is an FFP contract.

The software architect is reviewing the LLD with you. They have listed a risk that the industry's average availability of 98% is lower than the organization's expected 99.999% uptime. What type of requirement is this?

It is an NFR. NFRs are passive measures of system attributes. An NFR often ends in "-ility" or "-ability."

You are planning a project closeout celebration. You identified a risk that the catering center could cancel your reservation, so you obtained catering quotes from two other restaurants in the area. Which risk response strategy is this?

It is mitigation against a negative risk.

Variance at completion (VAC)

It is the difference between the BAC and the EAC. The formula to calculate VAC is BAC - EAC.

knowledge base (KB)

Searchable database of product Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), advice, and known troubleshooting issues. The Microsoft KB is found at support.microsoft.com.

knowledge bases

Searchable database of product Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), advice, and known troubleshooting issues. The Microsoft KB is found at support.microsoft.com.

process flowchart

It shows the sequence of events and the flow of inputs and outputs between elements in a process or system.

artifacts

Items such as plans, standards and procedures, estimations, metrics, risks, and other historical information that provide evidence for lessons learned.

How are the iteration in SAFe and the sprint in Scrum similar and different?

Iterations and sprints are both fixed timeboxes lasting 1-4 weeks. The agile teams use the timeboxes as their planning cadence. "Iteration" is a more general term. Any team using SAFe would work in an iteration, whether they used Scrum, XP, or any other approach. However, a sprint is specific to Scrum.

What is the difference between iterative and incremental?

Iterative refers to starting with something small and improving with each iteration. Incremental refers to completing one small portion at a time. For example, imagine you are painting a house. Iteration: Tape the kitchen. Remove fixtures in the bathroom. Cover carpet in the bedroom. Increment: Tape the bedroom. Cover the bedroom carpet and windows. You will not paint until the entire house is ready to be painted. Iterative Increment: Tape the bedroom. Cover the bedroom carpet and windows. Paint the bedroom. Remove tape and coverings. You have finished one room in the house.

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A)

Legal processes that change company ownership. A merger combines two companies into a new legal entity, with both original companies under new ownership. In an acquisition, Company A purchases Company B, and Company B is under new ownership.

The project team is reviewing the WBS draft, and they identified an issue that the level 2 deliverables are not MECE. What does this mean?

MECE means mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive. The level 2 deliverables need to cover all of the project's scope without overlapping each other. In this scenario, level 2 isn't MECE. This means that either something is missing or multiple existing items would accomplish the same work.

You are managing a project, and it is 40% complete. However, the project's vendor is dropping out unexpectedly, and you need to find a new vendor and restart the process. Would you use contingency reserves or management reserves to cover this expense? Why?

Management reserves. Management reserves cover "unknown unknown" risks and significant project changes.

The procurement specialist plans to research the industry and identify a list of vendors who provide the needed service. What type of research is this?

Market research.

You are the PM monitoring a vendor's performance. You've gathered the data, visualized it in a dashboard, and analyzed the information. You identified a downward trend in the vendor's quality performance. What should you do next?

Meet with the vendor to review its performance.

project meetings

Meetings held among the project stakeholders to discuss or convey project-related information.

Informative meetings

Meetings intended to distribute specific information to increase an organization's knowledge about a subject.

demonstrations

Meetings where developers and product owners demonstrate a product's functionality; can show incremental feature development, such as sprint demos, or full functionality, such as product demonstration.

project management team

Members of the project team who perform management activities, such as acting as the procurement manager for projects that involve multiple contracts and vendors, being responsible for inputting data into the PMIS and confirming the accuracy of that data, and assuming the role of Project Manager in his or her absence.

negative risk strategies

Methods that specify how to deal with risk scenarios that have a possible negative impact on the project.

positive risk strategies

Methods that specify how to deal with risk scenarios that have a possible positive impact on the project.

Key performance indicators (KPIs)

Metrics generally used to evaluate factors crucial to the success of a project or organization. In project management, a KPI consists of tools that indicate if the project is meeting specific goals. The best practice is to define KPIs early in the project; they should be quantifiable and measured regularly. Common KPIs relate to how well the project is tracking against the planned schedule and cost baselines and if project milestones are being met.

outsourcing

Moving beyond the organization to secure services and expertise from an outside source on a contract or short-term basis.

When planning resources for a project, the development team insisted on having multitiered environments. They want at least three: development, beta, and production. Why would a developer want multiple environments?

Multitiered environments reduce risk on a project by separating development and test operations from the production environment. As a result, multiple people can work on the product without placing the customer or source code at risk.

Nonfunctional Requirements (NFRs)

Necessary system attributes that do not present as functionality but instead describe how a system operates; often called the "ilities" because many end in "-ility," such as scalability, portability, and extensibility.

How does nonverbal communication affect verbal communication?

Nonverbal communication includes the signals we send during verbal communication. The audience receives and interprets both verbal and nonverbal cues during verbal communication to create a message. Therefore, inconsistencies between the two can create an unexpected effect. For instance, suppose you are presenting a project presentation, and the sponsor spent the meeting in a sidebar conversation. You might interpret this as disengagement or disinterest in your project. That doesn't mean the sponsor is disinterested, but it affects how people perceive them.

You are mentoring a new PM. How would you describe the relationship between OCM and change adoption?

OCM is the process of helping people adapt to change. Change adoption measures how many people have adapted to the change. Therefore, a change adoption metric is usually the success metric of an OCM implementation.

metrics

Quantifiable measurements of the status of results or processes.

Resource leveling

One of the four common methods for achieving schedule network analysis; used to analyze the schedule model and allows you to readjust the work as appropriate.

operations

Ongoing, repetitive tasks that produce the same outcome every time they are performed.

cloud service providers

Organization providing infrastructure, application, and/or storage services via an "as a service" subscription-based, cloud-centric offering.

ESG

Organizational performance measures unrelated to financial performance that assess how an organization contributes to society.

separation of duties

Security policy concept that states that duties and responsibilities should be divided among individuals to prevent ethical conflicts or abuse of powers.

closure meeting

Sessions held at the end of a project or phase in which you discuss and document areas for improvement and capture lessons learned for use in future projects.

lessons learned

Sessions held at the end of a project or phase in which you discuss and document areas for improvement and capture lessons learned for use in future projects.

Project status meetings

Short project meetings conducted to discuss the current status of the project among the team members and other stakeholders.

project status meetings

Short project meetings conducted to discuss the current status of the project among the team members and other stakeholders.

What are three common strategies for closing skills gaps on a project team?

Skill gaps are covered by training team members, adding team members, or hiring external services.

The quality test team wants to add smoke tests to the quality plan. Why would a team use a smoke test?

Smoke testing runs a high-level system test after a build and before running detailed tests. A smoke test confirms that the software's core functions are operating as expected.

Enterprise social media

Social networking tools used to connect with others within an organization with shared professional interests.

Survey and polling tools

Software products that allow many participants to respond to predetermined questions quickly; with structured formats that can generate valuable insights and visualizations.

Electronic document management systems (EDMSs)

Software that allows the user to create, track, and share business documents. This tool builds in workflows and other features to create streamlined processes.

Video conferencing platforms

Software that allows users to configure virtual meeting rooms, with options for voice, video, instant messaging, and screen-sharing.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP)

Software that enables an organization to manage services, personnel, and IT resources.

enterprise resource planning (ERP)

Software that enables an organization to manage services, personnel, and IT resources.

Calendaring tools

Software that maintains electronic calendars for individuals and groups; synchronizes schedules across time zones and updates in real time.

time tracking application

Software that tracks task completion and how much time is spent on each task.

In solution design, what does the term "solution" mean?

Solution describes the set of products that will solve a problem. It could be one product or many.

On-premises solutions

Solutions installed on the buyer's hardware, such as a server or computer.

issue

Something already happening in a project that you do not control. Issue management serves to document issues after they arise and recover from them.

points of escalation

Specific events or conditions that will activate a need to notify a higher level of authority to resolve or mitigate an issue's impact.

OpEx (Operational Expenditure)

Spending business funds for ongoing business costs, such as utilities, payroll, etc. Cloud subscriptions are usually an operational expense.

CapEx (Capital Expenditure)

Spending business funds to buy or maintain fixed business assets, such as data centers, servers, and buildings.

capital expense (CapEx)

Spending business funds to buy or maintain fixed business assets, such as data centers, servers, and buildings.

How does stakeholder communication differ between agile and waterfall projects?

Stakeholder communication occurs throughout an entire agile project. Team members share progress at every iteration and contact the stakeholders directly whenever they need to. Stakeholder communication is limited in timing, frequency, and channels in a waterfall project. The stakeholders share requirements at the project's start and receive the finished product when the project ends. They are primarily hands off during the rest of the project stages. The PM handles most stakeholder communication during a waterfall project.

Financial systems

Systems that track an organization's finances, including budgets, spending, and cost estimates.

documents

Tangible artifacts containing data; used to organize data, preserve records, and communicate information.

How can time zones affect your communication strategy?

Team members spread across multiple time zones will limit the time you have available to schedule synchronous meetings. Therefore, you may need to rely on more asynchronous communication and coordinate with the team to find acceptable meeting times.

What happens next after a change control board (CCB) declines to approve a change request?

The CCB notifies the requester that their change request was denied.

Why do agile projects rely on an MVP?

The MVP creates an early working product that the team can continue to enhance. This early product is a cornerstone of iterative development. It also generates feedback early and often so the team can adjust the plan.

How does the requirements gathering process differ between agile and waterfall projects?

The PM captures all requirements at the start of a waterfall project. In an agile project, the PM captures only high-level requirements initially. Then, the requirements are continually updated throughout the project as development progresses.

Who attends the project closure meeting?

The PM, project team, sponsor, and key stakeholders attend the project closure meeting.

Why is the Pareto principle called the 80-20 Rule?

The Pareto principle asserts that you can solve 80% of a problem by addressing 20% of causes.

Why is an RAM also called a RACI chart?

The RAM uses the acronym RACI to represent the four roles assigned to each task: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed. The RAM forms a grid when it is filled out, and the RACI letters fill out the grid.

On a CPM diagram, Activity X has an ES of 9 weeks and an LS of 12 weeks. What is the TF? What does this mean?

The TF for Activity X is 3 weeks (TF = LS - ES). Activity X can start as early as week 9 or as late as week 12 without delaying the project's finish.

What does the UCL on a control chart represent?

The UCL shows the highest expected value for the process, assuming everything is under control.

project selection

The act of choosing a project from among competing proposals.

tailoring

The act of determining which processes are appropriate for any given project.

Alternatives identification

The act of generating different plans for achieving project goals.

critical activities

The activities that are on the critical path.

On a CPM diagram, what does it mean if an activity has a TF of 10 days and FF of 5 days?

The activity can shift by up to 10 days without delaying the project's timeline. In addition, the activity can shift up to five days without affecting the timeline of other activities.

You are reviewing the project's budget burndown chart. What does it mean if the actual budget value is above the target line on the chart?

The actual budget value is above the target line, which indicates that the project is spending more money than was originally planned and is, therefore, over budget.

You are working with a new PM drafting milestones for an agile project. They plan to define sprint goals for the team and add them to the milestone chart. Why would you discourage this practice?

The agile team creates the sprint goals. So, while the PM needs to translate goals into items on the project schedule, they should not take sprint goal creation authority away from the agile team.

Free float (FF)

The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start of any activity that immediately follows it.

Duration

The amount of time expressed in days, weeks, months, or years taken to complete a particular task or work package from start to finish.

conflict management

The application of one or more strategies for dealing with disagreements, struggles, and compatibility issues that may be detrimental to team performance.

impact scale

The assignment of a value that reflects the magnitude of the impact of a risk event on project objectives.

probability and impact risk rating matrix

The assignment of risk rating to risks or conditions.

total cost of ownership (TCO).

The associated costs of an asset, including acquisition costs and costs to maintain and safely operate it over its entire life-span.

solution design

The blueprinting process where the architect and project team select the technologies that will meet the project's requirements; the architect will consider tradeoffs and find a best-fit solution even when nothing will meet all requirements perfectly.

lower control limit (LCL)

The bottom limit in quality control for data points below the control or average line in a control chart.

Planned Value (PV)

The budgeted portion of the approved cost estimate to be spent during a particular time period to complete the scheduled project work; previously known as the "budgeted cost of work scheduled."

Why is it important to intentionally design the project cadence?

The cadence sets the pace and tone for the project. The frequency of meetings and demos affects the project's pace, work item sizing, and change adaptability. A fast cadence creates a fast-paced, ever-changing project. A slow cadence creates a slow, stable project.

You are a PM in an organization. You assume line manager and budget responsibilities for the project team members whenever you lead a project. The project team members also support operational work related to their field of expertise, and functional managers provide support for skill development. What organizational structure are you most likely operating in?

The company is a matrix organization because employees work with a PM and a functional manager. It is a strong matrix because the PM has management responsibilities and the functional manager is a dotted line manager.

You are a PM working with a mix of your coworkers and third-party contractors. The contractors have signed an NDA, and they access documents through a secure file share. They cannot download files. Why would these measures be in place?

The company is establishing policies to protect the communication security of confidential data. Companies need to protect confidential data from unauthorized access. External parties, such as vendors or contractors, may need to sign an NDA. In addition, any data transmitted electronically must move through encrypted channels.

organizational structure

The compositional makeup of an organization that dictates how the various groups and individuals within the organization interrelate.

Anything as a service (XaaS)

The concept that most types of IT requirements can be deployed as a cloud service model.

You are managing a project with a cost baseline of $20,000 and contingency reserves of $2,000. However, the project experienced a risk event and spent $1,000 of the contingency reserves. What is the new cost baseline?

The cost baseline is still $20,000 because contingency reserves don't change the cost baseline. After the risk event, the contingency reserves reduced to $1,000, and the cost estimate increased to $19,000.

unit test

The developer writes a simple "pass/no pass" test for code. This ensures that a particular block of code performs the exact action intended, and provides the exact output expected.

One of the team's software developers recently lost a day of productivity. They spent the day searching through their files to find code problems when a build failed. They finally found the issue in one of their personal files titled "Code-XYZ-Update-Final-Revised." What tool would help the software team recover this information faster?

The development team needs a version control tool, which tracks and manages code changes by automatically logging what changed, when, and by whom. Furthermore, they retain previous code versions, allowing you to revert to a working version whenever necessary.

Cost variance (CV)

The difference between the EV and the AC incurred to complete that work. The formula for calculating CV is CV = EV - AC.

business requirements

The document defining a project's scope, success factors, constraints, and other information to achieve project goals

Deliverables

The end result of work; it can be a product, service, or outcome that responds to a business need or fits the sponsor's requirements.

budget forecast

The estimated budget required to complete the remaining project work.

scope creep

The extension of the project scope caused by unapproved and uncontrolled changes that impacts the cost, quality, or timing of the project.

severity

The extent to which an event will impact the project, business, or end-users.

Why is it helpful to have separate people fulfill the facilitator and scribe roles in a meeting?

The facilitator should focus on the meeting flow, and capturing notes disrupts the flow. Likewise, the scribe can take more thorough notes if they aren't distracted by moderating the conversation's tone while documenting its contents.

constraints

The factors that limit the way that the project can be approached.

adjourning

The fifth and final team life cycle stage; concluding work and preparing to disband.

project kickoff

The first meeting between the project manager, project team, and stakeholders or customers; marks the end of the initiation phase and the start of the project work.

You work for a medium-sized coffee shop, Deja Brew. The manager asked you to prepare a business case for increasing the company's online presence. Currently, the company has one social media account and no website. You collected meaningful data about the company, and you are considering two different problem statements. Problem Statement One: Deja Brew experienced a 5% increase in sales after a recent promotion on their social media page. Approximately 15% of local consumers use that platform, but the other 85% of the market cannot connect with Deja Brew unless they visit or call the store. Problem Statement Two: Deja Brew does not have a website, and other coffee shops in the area do. Additionally, competitors have up to five social media pages with up to 12,000 followers per page. Which problem statement should you use in the business case, and why?

The first problem statement is a better, outcome-focused problem statement. It discusses the real business problems: lost revenue and connecting to customers. Additionally, you could solve this problem in many ways, allowing more flexibility as you research the business case.The second statement focuses on technology and the solution only. It refers to the social media presence and competitors. However, the only way to solve this problem statement is to build social media pages, which may or may not increase revenue. (The information in the second statement is valuable, but it would be a better fit in the problem analysis section, where you can explore ways to reach more customers.)

forming

The first team life cycle stage, marked by low productivity and friendly introductions.

stakeholder analysis

The formal process of identifying all the stakeholders by gathering and analyzing quantitative and qualitative information and building coalitions at the onset of a project by identifying their needs, objectives, goals, and issues.

performing

The fourth and most productive team life cycle stage; marked by cohesion and focus on the work.

target audience

The group or people intended to receive an artifact or invitation to a meeting; includes those most likely to contribute value to or benefit from the offering.

Senior management

The highest level of management in an organization, such as the executive team.

dependency determination

The identification of the dependencies of one activity over the other; involves establishing the precedence relationships among activities and creating logical sequences.

PM

The individual who is responsible for managing all aspects of the project.

PMs

The individual who is responsible for managing all aspects of the project.

precedence relationship

The logical relationship between two activities that describes the sequence in which they should be carried out.

Procurement management

The management of processes involved in acquiring the necessary products and services from outside the project team.

schedule baseline

The management-approved version of the project schedule; it is drawn from schedule network analysis and includes baseline start and finish dates.

Probability

The mathematical measure of the possibility of a risk occurring.

success criteria

The measurable targets a project must meet before it can be considered successful.

Schedule variance (SV)

The measured difference between the actual completion of an activity and the planned or scheduled completion of an activity. The formula for calculating SV is EV - PV = SV.

process analysis

The method used for identifying organizational and technical improvements to processes.

predetermined client

The model user or preferred configuration of a software product.

go-live

The moment a software or product moves from a test environment into production; the first time users can access the product.

Capital resources

The monetary funds needed for a project; pays for the other project resources: human and physical resources.

critical path

The network path that has the longest duration in a project or work package.

A scatter diagram revealed a positive correlation between site visitors and email signups. What does this mean?

The number of email signups increases as the number of site visitors increases.

You were confident that the number of unit tests was strongly correlated with the quality of the releases. You ran a scatter diagram, and it returned an R2 of 0. How would you describe this relationship?

The number of unit tests has no correlation with release quality.

end-user

The people who will be affected by the product or service generated by the project. This might be but is not necessarily the individuals or organization in the customer role.

facilitator

The person responsible for ensuring an activity generates the expected results efficiently and productively.

scribe

The person who documents and distributes critical meeting information, such as decisions and outcomes.

version control

The practice of ensuring that the assets that make up a project are closely managed when it comes time to make changes.

team logistics

The practice of providing materials and facilities needed by the team to accomplish their tasks.

Finish-to-Finish (FF)

The precedence relationship between two activities where the predecessor activity must finish before the successor activity can finish. It can be expressed as, "Activity A must finish before Activity B can finish."

Finish-to-Start (FS)

The precedence relationship between two activities where the predecessor activity must finish before the successor activity can start. It can be expressed as, "Activity A must finish before Activity B can begin."

Start-to-Finish (SF)

The precedence relationship between two activities where the predecessor activity must start before the successor activity can finish. It can be expressed as, "Activity A must start before Activity B can finish."

Start-to-Start (SS)

The precedence relationship between two activities where the predecessor activity must start before the successor activity can start. It can be expressed as, "Activity A must start before Activity B can start."

cadence

The predictable, rhythmic repetition of events or schedules that creates a sense of stability for teams.

sprint goal

The primary value that a team plans to deliver in a given sprint.

Issue management

The process and activities a project manager uses to identify, monitor, and resolve events outside the control of the project team.

issue tracking

The process and activities a project manager uses to identify, monitor, and resolve events outside the control of the project team.

Change control

The process by which the need for change is recorded and approved.

change control

The process by which the need for change is recorded and approved.

change control process

The process by which the need for change is recorded and approved.

alternatives analysis

The process of analyzing the different methods of accomplishing activities and determining a globally preferred method.

estimation

The process of assigning a forecasted value to an activity's duration, effort, or cost.

resource loading

The process of assigning work to a person until all of their available capacity is consumed.

procurement negotiation

The process of bargaining to come to a mutual agreement regarding the terms and conditions of a contract.

data gathering

The process of collecting project-related data using techniques such as interviewing, questionnaires, expert brainstorming, and Delphi techniques.

vendor evaluation techniques

The process of comparing vendor proposals against requirements and selecting one or more vendors to complete the work.

records management

The process of controlling data throughout its lifecycle

access control

The process of determining and assigning privileges to resources, objects, and data. Each resource has an access control list (ACL) specifying what subjects (users and hosts) can do.

Qualitative risk analysis

The process of determining the probability of occurrence and the impact of identified risks by using logical reasoning when numeric data is not readily available.

impact analysis

The process of evaluating the impact of an event on the project.

impact assessment

The process of evaluating the impact of an event on the project.

Reserve analysis

The process of identifying and adding extra time that will serve as contingency or management reserves to the duration estimates.

risk assessment

The process of identifying risks, analyzing them, developing a response strategy for them, and mitigating their future impact.

Issue escalation

The process of involving an additional member of management or technical expert to help resolve an issue.

Escalation

The process of involving expert and senior staff to assist in problem management.

backlog prioritization

The process of rearranging a backlog's contents to ensure that the most valuable work is at the top of the list.

refactor

The process of restructuring application code so that the same functionality is provided by different programming methods; often used to improve an application's design without affecting the external behavior of the application or to enable it to handle particular situations.

regression test

The process of testing an application after changes are made to see if these changes have triggered problems in older areas of code.

software development life cycle (SDLC)

The processes of planning, analysis, design, implementation, and maintenance that often govern software and systems development.

Procurement SOW (statement of work)

The procurement SOW (Statement of Work) is a narrative description of the resources, goods, or services that are being sought from external sources to fulfill a project's requirements; it is distributed to potential vendors, who will use it to evaluate their capability to perform this work or provide the services.

Why is the project closeout significant?

The project closeout report serves as the official project sign-off request. The project sponsor and stakeholders sign off on the report, which officially closes the project.

What is the difference between the project cost baseline and the project budget?

The project cost baseline includes the cost estimate and the contingency reserve. The project budget totals the cost estimate, contingency reserve, and management reserve.

You received an offer to manage a project, and you must have Secret clearance. Why?

The project is handling national security information that requires Secret clearance.

You are applying earned value management (EVM) to a project and calculated a CPI of 0.75. What conclusions can you draw?

The project is over budget; CPI is less than 1. For every dollar the project spends, it only generates $0.75 in value.

administrative closure

The project management process of verifying and documenting project results to formalize project or phase completion.

relative authority

The project manager's authority relative to the functional manager's authority over the project and the project team.

You are reviewing another project team's status report, and you see that they published a revised baseline, which increased the project budget by $15,000. What can you infer from this information?

The project plan incorporated one or more change requests at an estimated cost of $15,000. You can infer this because revised baselines occur in response to project changes.

A project team's target remaining hours increased from 1,000 to 1,500 between Month 3 and Month 4. What is the most likely cause of this increase?

The project scope increased.

communication requirements

The project stakeholders' documented communication needs.

project schedule

The project team's plan for starting and finishing activities on specific dates and in a certain sequence. The schedule also specifies planned dates for meeting project milestones.

ownership

The property by which a user is allowed to apply and modify the permissions of a file or directory.

Impact

The quantitative effect of an event, such as the number of users affected of the cost of recovery.

burn rate

The rate at which you are using up your budget.

schedule performance index (SPI)

The ratio of work performed to work scheduled. The formula for SPI is SPI = EV/PV.

Urgency

The relative time sensitivity of an event.

You are reviewing the RTM, and you notice one of the requirements doesn't have any tests. What does this mean?

The requirement hasn't been met yet. A requirement with no tests in the RTM isn't complete.

Risk acceptance

The response of determining that the organization is willing to accept a risk and no countermeasures other than ongoing monitoring is needed.

Risk mitigation

The response of reducing risk to fit within an organization's willingness to accept risk.

probability distribution

The scattering of values assigned to a likelihood in a sample population.

You are managing a software development project. During the resource allocation process, you notice that one developer is 40% utilized, and another developer is at 120% utilization. How would you respond?

The second developer is overutilized because 100% is full utilization. Meanwhile, the first developer is underutilized. Therefore, the best course of action with the given information is to move some work from the second to the first developer to create a more even distribution of work. This practice is known as "resource leveling."

storming

The second team life cycle stage, with the most conflict; individuals are competing for position and learning about each other.

work package

The smallest, most granular deliverable that is displayed in the lowest-level component of the work breakdown structure.

causes of variance

The sources or reasons for deviations from the expected standard in a process or item.

operational expense (OpEx)

The spending of business funds for ongoing business costs, such as utilities, payroll, etc. Cloud subscriptions are usually an OpEx.

source selection criteria

The standards used to rate or score proposals, quotes, or bids and form a part of the procurement solicitation documents.

mean

The sum of the events divided by the number of occurrences.

Succession planning

The task of identifying ways in which a business could cope if a disaster led to loss of key staff.

A team's average velocity for the last eight sprints is 40. What does this mean?

The team completes an average of 40 points in each sprint.

You are working on a project to develop a new shopping application. A team member asks you when they can start writing software code for the project. What phase would you tell them?

The team delivers work in the execution phase.

Your project team is tracking their task hours on a burnup chart. The team's completed hours have been above the target line for the last five days. What does this mean?

The team has been ahead of schedule for five days.

Your project team is tracking their task hours on a burndown chart. Every day, the "Target Hours" value decreases by 20. What does this mean?

The team should complete 20 task hours each day to stay on schedule.

You are the PM for a new training platform. The project sponsor is concerned that new users won't adopt the new solution willingly. What can the project team implement to increase adoption?

The team should implement OCM to increase user adoption.

The project team wants to build a series of FAQs that the project's end-users can access whenever they need to complete various tasks. It would be good if the operations team could also continue to add to it over time. What OCM tool would you recommend?

The team should implement a knowledge base (KB), which works well when a system has many small pieces of information that users would consume in an ad hoc manner. In addition, it is a modular, living system, so the operations team can continue contributing to it throughout the product's life cycle.

The project team needs to set a time to plan, and the group is evenly divided. Group A wants to plan on Monday afternoon, and Group B wants to plan on Friday morning. The two factions presented their arguments for why their time slot was better for the team. Through the conversation, the team realized that some of their partners work half days on either Monday or Friday, and both meeting times conflicted. So they revisited the schedule and decided to plan on Tuesday afternoon instead. What conflict resolution strategy did the team use?

The team used a collaborating conflict resolution strategy. The collaborating style is also called a "win-win situation." In this scenario, the parties in the conflict work together to design a new idea that works for everybody.

norming

The third team life cycle stage; marked by increased productivity and reduced conflict as teams learn how to work together.

upper control limit (UCL)

The top limit in quality control for data points above the control or average line in a control chart.

Actual Cost (AC)

The total amount of costs incurred while accomplishing work, during completion of either a schedule activity or a work breakdown structure component.

Total float (TF)

The total amount of time that an activity can be delayed without delaying the project finish date. It is obtained by subtracting an activity's early finish from its late finish or its early start from its late start.

slack

The total amount of time that an activity can be delayed without delaying the project finish date. It is obtained by subtracting an activity's early finish from its late finish or its early start from its late start.

Budget at completion (BAC)

The total budgeted cost of the project at completion.

cost of quality

The total cost of effort to achieve an acceptable level of quality in the project's product or service.

project budget

The total financial sum available to pay for a project's expenses; includes the cost estimates and additional reserves to cover issues.

quality

The totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs.

project interfaces

The various reporting relationships that occur within a project.

A vendor's proposal seemed ideal, but the procurement manager rejected it because it lacked physical capacity. What does this mean?

The vendor could not deliver the amount of work requested. For instance, it could only produce 500 units per month when you need 1,000 units per month.

prequalified vendors

The vendors who are approved to deliver the products, services, or results based on the procurement requirements identified for a project.

Gantt charts

The visual representation of a project schedule in a bar chart. Activities are listed down the left side and dates across the top or bottom, with bars to indicate start and finish dates. Time is represented with horizontal bars that correspond to the activities. Gantt charts may also show activities' dependencies, percentage of the activity completed to date, and actual progress in relation to planned progress.

You are the PM for a team. Lately, you've noticed that the team is having a lot of fun. They chat before meetings and improve their processes regularly. Last week, they led the planning activity and hit a new productivity goal. Which Tuckman team life cycle stage is this team in, and why?

They are in the performing stage. Productivity is highest in this stage. Teams in the performing stage are the high-performing, cohesive teams we all strive to work on. The team members know how to work together and what to do, and they don't need much guidance.

histogram

They are quality control tools that organize individual measured values in a data set according to the frequency (number or percentage) of occurrence.

You are mentoring a junior PM. They are calculating EAC and don't know when it is appropriate to use the budgeted rate to calculate EAC. What guidance can you offer them?

They should only use the budgeted rate when they aren't expecting any more variance in the project. This method works well if the cause of the previous variance is fully resolved and will not recur.

You are the PM for a new dashboarding project. Six weeks into the project, a key stakeholder called you and asked you to add three new data sources to the data model. What would you advise them to do next?

They should submit a change request form, which initiates the change request process, documents their request, and gives the team the information they need to research the impacts of the change.

Fishbone diagram

This diagram provides a structured method to identify and analyze potential causes of problems in a process or system.

Which projects are more likely to calculate project reserves by calculating a percentage of the project's costs?

This method works well for small projects and small organizations.

You are a PM for a project to design a new data management system. The customers are internal to your company. While they can't describe every feature that they need, they are really excited to work with you throughout the project. You've been given a full development and operations team for up to one year to complete the project. Would you use an agile or waterfall methodology? Why did you make that choice?

This project should use an agile methodology. Agile will be a good fit because the scope is not fixed, and the customer is available to collaborate during the project.

Common cause variation

Those everyday occurrences that are always present in project work; as such, they may be unavoidable. They may be either insignificant and have little impact on the overall quality performance, or they may have a dramatic effect on quality.

File sharing platforms

Tools that allow users to post files in a single location and grant access to one or more users.

reporting system

Tools used to collect, store, and distribute project information to stakeholders.

focus groups

Trained moderator-guided interactive discussions that include stakeholders and Subject Matter Experts.

computer-based training

Training and education programs delivered using computer devices and e-learning instructional models and design.

operational handoff

Transferring a project's outputs to another organization or functional group, which will oversee the product's day-to-day activities.

bottlenecks

Troubleshooting issue where performance for a whole network or system is constrained by the performance of a single link, device, or subsystem.

If a project's duration is 20 weeks and the EF is 20 weeks, what is the LF?

Twenty weeks. A project will have the same value for the duration, EF, LF, ES, and LS because the end date is a fixed point. Likewise, the project's start will have a duration, EF, LF, ES, and LS of zero because it is the fixed beginning point.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

U.S. federal law that protects the storage, reading, modification, and transmission of personal health care data.

Informal communication

Unofficial information flows in an organization, such as casual conversations and nonverbal communication.

Special cause variation

Unusual, sporadic occurrences; they are the result of some unexpected circumstance and are typically not caused by a flaw in the overall production process.

How often will you revise the project communication plan?

Update the plan as often as you need to throughout the project's life cycle. The plan can change whenever stakeholders change, a communication frequency needs to change, or any event warrants an adjustment to the plan.

User acceptance testing (UAT)

Usually one of the last stages in software development before release (beta testing); proves that a program is usable and fit for purpose in real-world conditions.

How does verification differ from validation?

Verification is an objective, internal assessment; it measures if a project meets the documented specifications. Validation is a subjective, external measure. It measures if the project meets the customer's expectations.

budget reconciliation

Verification that each financial transaction in the project budget is matched with a corresponding payment or activity; reconciles the project's records against the organization's financial records.

successor

When sequencing two activities, the activity that must take place after the other and is driven by the relationship.

predecessor

When sequencing two activities, the activity that must take place prior to the other.

Word processing

Word processing means applications that help users to write and edit documents. A word processor will come with features enabling the user to edit, format, and review text quickly.

rules of engagement

Working agreements that set the operating norms for a project team.

You are investigating a new project idea. You plan to determine if it would create a positive financial return. What project phase are you in? How can you tell?

You are in the concept or discovery phase, which occurs before the project starts. Leaders and analysts review ideas for potential projects and decide if they are practical. For example, they analyze financial returns, feasibility, and implementation options.

You are leading a project with a tight timeline. Your project sponsor is a visual learner, and they have requested a project schedule that they can read at a glance without getting distracted by the details. What chart would you create for them, and why?

You would create a Gantt chart because it creates a visual timeline of the project's activities. You can customize Gantt charts to show varying levels of detail as well.

You are the PM for a new project team. The team includes 20 people, and some members don't know each other. You would like to create a visual to help the team understand who is on the team and how they are organized. What artifact could you develop, and why?

You would create a project organizational chart. It looks like a traditional organizational chart, but it shows just your project team. It's visual and easy to read, so it helps team members learn about each other and the authority distribution on the team.

If activities A, B, and C are on the critical path, what is their TF?

Zero. The critical path is composed of activities with a TF of zero. A TF of zero means the activity can shift zero days before impacting the project's timeline.

fishbone diagram

cause-and-effect diagram It provides a structured method to identify and analyze potential causes of problems in a process or system.

change log

A document used to maintain a list of formal project change requests and their status.

change

A modification to a project's scope, budget, or timeline by adjusting project activities or resources.

project life cycle

A process that defines the five phases that a project goes through from the beginning to the end.

substantive conflict

A task-based conflict, such as disagreements over goals, projects, or processes.

cloud-based solutions

Applications, storage, and functionality accessed through an internet browser.

decision makers

Person or group with the authority to select the next course of action.

project objectives

The criteria used to measure whether a project is successful or not.

Physical resources

The finished and intermediate goods needed in a project, including raw materials, equipment, software, buildings, and office supplies.

assumptions

The statements that must be taken to be true in order to begin project planning.

C-suite

Top-level management personnel, such as the CEO and CIO.

ROI

return on investment