Project Management Vocabulary

Product Acceptance Criteria | Project Scope Statement

Defines the process and criteria for accepting completed products, services, or results.

Project Deliverables | Project Scope Statement

Deliverables include both the outputs that comprise the product or service of the project, as well as ancillary results, such as project management reports and documentation. The deliverables may be described at a summary level or in great detail.

Accepted Deliverables | Verify Scope

Deliverables that meet the acceptance criteria are formally signed off and approved by the customer or sponsor. Formal documentation received from the customer or sponsor acknowledging formal stakeholder acceptance of the project's deliverables.

Requirements Documentation

Describes the collection of requirements from various stakeholders. Requirements may start out at a high level and become progressively more detailed as more is known. The requirements document may range from a simple document listing all the requirements categorized by stakeholder and priority, to more elaborate forms containing an executive summary, detailed descriptions, and attachments.

WBS Dictionary

Document generated by the Create WBS process that supports the WBS. The WBS Dictionary provides more detailed descriptions of the components in the WBS.

Project Files | Organizational Process Assets Updates

Documentation resulting from the project's activities, for example, project management plan, scope cost, schedule and project calendars, risk registers, change management documentation, planned risk response actions and risk impact.

Requirements Management Plan

Documents how requirements will be analyzed, documented, and managed throughout the project.

Prototypes

Is a method of obtaining early feedback on requirements by providing a working model of the expected product before actually building it. Since prototypes are tangible, it allows stakeholders to experiment with a model of their final product rather than only discussion abstract representations of their requirements.

Decomposition

Is the subdivision of project deliverables into small, more manageable components until the work and deliverables are defined to the work package level. The work package level is the lowest level in the WBS, and is the point at which the cost and activity durations for the work can be reliably estimated and managed. The level of detail for work packages will vary with the size and complexity of the project.

Expert Judgement

Is used to analyze the information needed to develop the project scope statement. Such judgement and expertise is applied to any technical details. Such expertise is provided by any group or individual with specialized knowledge or training, and is available from many sources.

Key Project Team Members | Team Concept, Roles, and Responsibilities

Project Manager, Project Sponsor, & Project Team Members

Scope Creep

Scope creep is the uncontrolled expansion to product or project scope without adjustments to time, cost, and resources.

Stakeholder

Stakeholders are persons or organizations who are actively involved in the project or whose interest may be positively or negatively affected by the performance or completion of the project.

Majority | Group Decision-Making Techniques

Support from more than 50% of the members of the group.

Schedule Baseline

A specific version of the schedule model used to compare actual results to the plan to determine if preventive or corrective action is needed to meet the project objectives. 1. A project is rarely a simple, linear movement of tasks progressing as initially anticipated. 2. A schedule baseline provides a project manager with a tool to monitor actual project progress with an "approved" version of the project schedule 3. Changes to this baseline schedule require approval by the change control board or the customer/project sponsor.

Logically Grouped Project Management Processes

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Process Stages

5

Project Charter

A document issued by the project initiator or sponsor that formally authorizes the existence of a project, and provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities. The project charter documents the business needs, current understanding of the customer's needs, and the new product, service, or result that it is intended to satisfy, such as: A. Project Purpose or Justification B. Measurable Project Objectives and other success criteria C. High-Level Project Description D. Summary Milestones E. Summary Budget F. Project approval requirements G. Key Stakeholders: 1. Assigned project manager, responsibility, and authority level 2. Team members, roles, responsibilities, expectations 3. Sponsor or other authority authorizing the project

Corrective Action

A documented direction for executing the project work to bring expected future performance of the project work in line with the project management plan.

Preventative Action

A documented direction to perform an activity that can reduce the probability of negative consequences associated with project risks.

Project Management Plan

A formal approved document that defines how the project is executed, monitored, and controlled. 1. Maybe a summary or a detailed document. 2. Should include at minimum baselines for each of the triple constraints: A. schedule baseline B. cost performance baseline C. and scope baseline

Change Control System

A formal, documented process that describes when and how official project documents and work may be changed.

Change Control Board (CBB)

A formally constituted group of stakeholders responsible for reviewing, evaluating, approving, delaying, or rejecting changes to a project, with all decisions and recommendations being recorded.

Contract

A mutually binding agreement that obligates the seller to provide a specified product or service or result and obligates the buyer to pay for it. A Statement of Work (SOW) can form a useful addition to the main body of a contract to define the detail of deliverables, timescales and management procedures.

Project Statement of Work (SOW)

A narrative description of products or services to be delivered by the project

Project

A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. The temporary nature of projects indicates a definite beginning and end.

Delphi Technique | Group Creativity Techniques

A selected group of experts answers questionnaires and provides feedback regarding the responses from each round of requirements gathering. The responses are only available to the facilitator to maintain anonymity.

Cost Performance Baseline

A specific version of the time-phased budget used to compare actual expenditures to planned expenditures to determine if preventive or corrective action is needed to meet the project objectives. 1. There are always unknown variables that occur within a project, especially in the early stages of development. 2. A cost performance baseline provides a budgeting tool for measuring how the project changes affect the budget.

Brainstorming | Group Creativity Techniques

A technique used to generate and collect multiple ideas related to project and product requirements.

Risk

A threat of a damage, liability, loss, or other negative occurrence that is caused by external or internal vulnerabilities, and that may be minimized or neutralized through preemptive action.

Communication

A two-way process of reaching mutual understanding in which participants not only exchange information but also create and share meaning.

Scope Baseline

An approved specific version of the detailed scope statement, work breakdown structure (WBS), and its associated WBS dictionary, Acts as a reference point throughout the project life: 1. Project Scope Statement includes the product scope description and the project deliverable, and it also defines the product user acceptance criteria. 2. WBS defines each deliverable and further breaks down deliverables into smaller tasks. 3. WBS Dictionary contains the actual detailed description of the work required and is often a very detailed and technical description of each task.

Interview Protocol

An interview is a formal or informal approach to discover information from stakeholders by talking to them directly. It is typically done by asking prepared or spontaneous questions and recording the responses. Interviews are often conducted "one-on-one," but many involve multiple interviewers and/or multiple interviewees. Interviewing experienced project participants, stakeholders, and subject matter experts can aid in identifying and defining the features and functions of the desired project deliverables. Open-ended Questions - These questions are not able to be answered with a simple yes/no, or one-word response. Open-ended questions are formulated to illicit an elaborated response from the interviewee.

Enterprise Environmental Factors

Any or all external environmental factors and internal organizational environmental factors that surround or influence the project's success. These factors are from any or all of the enterprises involved in the project, and include organizational culture and structure, infrastructure, existing resources, commercial databases, market conditions, and project management software. Includes all policies, practices, procedures, and legislations that exist both inside and outside of the organization that will impact the way the project is managed.

Organizational Process Assets

Any or all process-related assets, from any or all of the organizations involved in the project that are or can be used to influence the project's success. These process assets include formal and informal plans, policies, and guidelines. The process assets also include the organizations' knowledge bases such as lessons learned and historical information.

Deliverable

Any unique and verifiable product, result or capability to perform a service that must be produced to complete a process, phase, or project. Often used more narrowly in reference to an external deliverable, which is a deliverable that is subject to approval by the project sponsor or customer.

Group Dynamics

As an ongoing process, team building is crucial to project success. While team building is essential during the initiating of a project, it is an ongoing process. The project manager should continually monitor team functioning and performance to determine if any actions are needed to prevent or correct various team problems. One theory stated that there are five stages of development that teams may go through. Usually these stages occur in order. However, it is not uncommon for a team to get stuck in a particular stage or revert to an earlier stage. Also, projects with team members who have worked together in the past could skip a stage.

Group Creativity Techniques

Brainstorming, Nominal Group Technique, Delphi Technique, Idea/Mind Mapping, & Affinity Diagram

Focus Groups

Bring together prequalified stakeholders and subject matter experts to learn about their expectations and attitudes about a proposed product, service, or result. A trained moderator guides the group through an interactive discussion.

Scope

Defines the boundaries of the project and what is outside those boundaries.

Norming | Tuckman's Ladder of Group Development | Group Dynamics

During the norming stage, interpersonal relations are characterized by cohesion. Group members are engaged in active acknowledgement of all members' contributions, community building and solving of group issues. Leadership is now shared and cliques are dissolved. Team members would as a whole to share feelings and ideas, solicit and give feedback to one another, and explore actions related to the task. Creativity is at its highest. The focus of the group is on the task and not on individual personalities; however, the group may be resistant to change as they now function as a unit.

Storming | Tuckman's Ladder of Group Development | Group Dynamics

During the storming stage, interpersonal skills are characterized by competition and conflict. As group member attempt to organize for the task, conflicts occur. Individuals are forced to mold their feelings, ideas, attitudes, and beliefs to suit the group organization. Cliques are formed. Questions arise to roles, responsibilities, rules, rewards and evaluation. During this stage leadership is often challenged. In order to progress to the next stage, group member must move from testing and challenging beliefs to a problem-solving mentality. Communication, particularly the ability to listen, must be stressed to team members.

Unanimity | Group Decision-Making Techniques

Everyone agrees on a single course of action.

Expert Judgment

Expert judgment is often used to assess the inputs used to develop the project charter. Such judgment and expertise is applied to any technical and management details during this process. Such expertise is provided by any group or individual with specialized knowledge or training, and is available from many sources.

Adjourning | Tuckman's Ladder of Group Development | Group Dynamics

Following a period of research, Tuckman developed a fifth stage called 'adjourning'. This final stage involves the disengagement of relationships between team members and a short period of recognition for the team's achievements. Sometimes, concluding the operations of a team is disturbing for members, especially if they have worked together for long periods of time creating a brief time of mourning.

Product Analysis

For projects that have a product as a deliverable, as opposed to a service or result, product analysis can be an effective tool. Each application area has one or more generally accepted methods for translating high-level product descriptions into tangible deliverables.

Interviews

Formal or informal approach to discover information from stakeholders by talking to them directly. It is typically performed by asking prepared and spontaneous questions and recording the responses. Interviews are often conducted "one-on-one," but may involve multiple interviewers and/or multiple interviewees.

Project Exclusions | Project Scope Statement

Generally identifies what is excluded as from the project. Explicitly stating what is out of scope for the project helps to manage stakeholders' expectations.

Gold Plating

Gold plating means intentionally adding extra features or functions to the products which were not included in the scope statement.

Historical Information | Organizational Process Assets Updates

Historical information and lessons learned information are transferred to the lessons learned knowledge base for use by future projects or phases. This can include information on issues and risks as well as techniques that worked well that can be applied to future projects.

Idea/Mind mapping | Group Creativity Techniques

Ideas created through individual brainstorming are consolidated into a single map to reflect commonality and differences in understanding, and generate new ideas.

Alternatives Identification

Identifying alternatives is a technique used to generate different approaches to execute and perform the work of the project. A variety of general management techniques can be used such as brainstorming, lateral thinking, pairwise comparisons, etc.

Forming | Tuckman's Ladder of Group Development | Group Dynamics

In the forming stage, personal relations are characterized by dependence. The group members rely on safe, patterned behavior and look to the group leader for guidance and direction. During this stage, the team becomes oriented to the task and goals are defined. Behaviors between group members are typically polite and non-threatening. To move to the next stage, group members must relinquish the comfort of non-threatening topics and risk the possibility of conflict.

Verify Scope

Inspection & Accepted Deliverables

Inspection | Verify Scope

Inspection includes activities such as measuring, examining, and verifying to determine whether work and deliverables meet requirements and product acceptance criteria.

Time

Involves establishing a timeline for completion of the project, including deadlines, benchmarks, and milestones.

Expert Judgement | Stakeholder Analysis

Judgment or expertise should be sought from groups or individuals with specialized training or knowledge on the subject matter. Examples include: a. Senior Management b. Other units within the organization c. Identified key stakeholders d. Project managers who have worked on similar projects e. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in business or project area f. Industry focus groups and consultants g. Professional and technical associations.

Project Assumptions | Project Scope Statement

Lists and describes the specific project assumptions associated with the project scope and the potential impact of those assumptions if they prove to be false. Project teams frequently identify, document, and validate assumptions as part of their planning process.

Project Constraints | Project Scope Statement

Lists and describes the specific project constraints associated with the project scope that limits the team's options. For example, a predefined budget or any imposed dates or schedule milestones that are issued by the customer or organization. When a project is performed under contact, contractual provisions will generally be constraints.

A Project Statement of Work (SOW) Contains The Following Sections

Objectives, Scope, Schedule, Price, Key Assumptions, & Acceptance

Dictatorship | Group Decision-Making Techniques

On individual makes the decision for the group.

Product Scope Description | Project Scope Statement

Progressive elaborates the characteristic of the product, service, or result described in the project charter and requirements documentation.

Project or Phase Closure Documents | Organizational Process Assets Updates

Project or phase closure documents, consisting of formal documentation that indicates completion of the project or phase and the transfer of the complete project or phase deliverables to others, such as an operations group or to the next phase. If the project was terminated prior to completion, the formal documentation indicated why the project was terminated and formalizes the procedures for the transfer of the finished and unfinished deliverables of the cancelled project to others.

Variance Analysis | Control Scope

Project performance measurements are used to assess the magnitude of variation from the original scope baseline.

Observations

Provide a direct way of viewing individuals in their environment and how they perform their jobs or task and carry out processes. Great for understanding how end users interact with a product or situation.

Enterprise Environmental Factors

Refer to both internal and external environmental factors that surround or influence a project's success.

Final Product/Service/Result

Refers to the transition of the final product, service, or result that the project was authorized to produce.

Change Request

Requests to expand or reduce the project scope, modify policies, processes, plans, or procedures, modify costs or budgets, or revise schedules.

Facilitated Workshops

Requirements workshops are focused sessions that bring key cross-functional stakeholders together to define product requirements.

Facilitated Workshops

Requirements workshops are focused sessions that bring key cross-functional stakeholders together to define product requirements. Stakeholders work together to identify their requirements and work through any conflict requirements.

Project Manager | Key Project Team Members | Team Concept, Roles, and Responsibilities

Responsible for developing a definition of the project; ensures that the project is delivered on time, to budget and to the required quality standard; ensures the project is effectively resourced and manager relationships with a wide range of groups; maintains a cooperative, motivated and successful team.

Quality

The ability of a process or product to satisfy both stated and implied needs, with those needs being defined by the stakeholders.

Planning

The activities performed in order to establish the total scope of the project, define and refine the objectives, and develop the course of action that will be followed to achieve the objectives.

Executing

The activities performed to carry out and complete the work as defined in the project management plan. Executing activities include coordinating people and resources and performing and integrating the activities as specified in the project plan.

Initiating

The activities performed to define a new project or a new phase of an existing project. Initiating activities include the definition of initial scope, identification of initial financial resource commitments, identification of stakeholders, selection of the project manager, the establishment of a project charter, and getting full authorization for the project.

Closing

The activities performed to finalize the project - to bring it to a conclusion and to meet contractual obligations. Closing activities include obtaining acceptance by the customer or sponsor, conducting post-project or phase-end review, recording impacts, documenting lessons learned, and closing out procurements.

Monitoring & Controlling

The activities performed to track, review, and regulate the execution of the project; identify any areas in which changes to the plan are required; and initiate corresponding changes.

Cost

The amount of money that will be required to complete the project successfully.

Business Case

The business case document provides the necessary information from a business standpoint to determine whether or not the project is worth the required investment. Typically, the business case will include the business need and the cost-benefit analysis in order to justify the project. In order to get stakeholders or management to approve a project, build a business case to state why the projects needed and what the benefits of the project will be when it is finished.

Project Management

The discipline of planning, organizing, and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of a project, namely, achieving its goals and objectives.

Defect Repair

The formally documented identification of a defect in a project component with a recommendation to either repair the defect or completely replace the component.

Human Resources

The knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes of those working on the project.

Plurality | Group Decision-Making Techniques

The largest block in a group decides even if a majority is not achieved.

Organizational Process Assets Updates

The organizational process assets that are updated as a result of the Project Close process include: Project Files, Project or Phase Closure Documents, & Historical Information

Performing | Tuckman's Ladder of Group Development | Group Dynamics

The performing stage is not reached by all groups. If group members are able to move beyond the norming stage, their capacity, range, and depth of personal relations expand to true interdependence. In this stage, people work independently, in subgroups, or as a total unity with equal facility. Their roles and authority adjusts to meet the changing needs of the group. At this stage, the group is the most productive. Group members are both highly task oriented and people oriented. The overall goal is productivity through problem solving and work.

Project Sponsor | Key Project Team Members | Team Concept, Roles, and Responsibilities

The person who commissions others to deliver the project and champions the cause throughout the project; typically, a senior member of staff with a relevant area of responsibility that will be affected by the outcome of the project; involved from the start of the project including defining the project with the Project Manager.

Identify Stakeholders

The process of identifying all people or organizations impacted by the project, and documenting relevant information regarding their interests, involvement, and impact on project success.

Project Scope Statement

The project scope statement describes, in detail, the project's deliverables and the work required to create those deliverables. The project scope statement also provides a common understanding of the project scope among project stakeholders. Includes: Project Scope Description, Product Acceptance Criteria, Project Deliverables, Project Exclusions, Project Constraints, & Project Assumptions

Scope Baseline

The scope baseline is a component of the project management plan. Components of the scope baseline include Project Scope Statement, WBS and WBS Dictionary.

Project Team Members | Key Project Team Members | Team Concept, Roles, and Responsibilities

The staff who actively work on the project, at some stage, during the lifetime of the project; some may have a specific role - for example, the team may include a Project Administrator, a Communications Manager, a Financial/Resource Manager, etcetera.

Team Concept, Roles, and Responsibilities

The team concept is a modern business model that is based on the belief that people who work effectively in teams can accomplish more than individuals can accomplish working alone. Building the team concept requires that project managers get each team member to personally commit to the team's goal. In a well-functioning team, members understand the personalities and motivations of the members and communicate clearly to avoid misunderstanding and to ensure that the goal will be met. The project team includes a mix of people and goes beyond just the project member performing specific tasks.

Stakeholder Analysis | Stakeholder Analysis

The technique of systematically gathering and analyzing quantitative and qualitative information to determine whose interests should be taken into account throughout the project. a. Identify all potential stakeholders and relevant information, such as their roles, departments, interests, knowledge levels, expectations, and influence levels. b.Identify the potential impact or support each stakeholder could generate and classify them as so to define an approach strategy.

Procurement

The way that businesses and organizations purchase or obtain goods or services. Procurement may involve specifications development, price negotiation, purchase orders, purchasing, inventory control, and invoices.

WBS (Work Breakdown Structure)

The work to be executed by the project team to accomplish project objectives and create the required deliverables.

Requirements Traceability Matrix

This is a table that links requirements to their origin and traces them throughout the project life cycle.

Affinity Diagram | Group Creativity Techniques

This technique allows large numbers of ideas to be sorted into groups for review and analysis.

Nominal Group Technique | Group Creativity Techniques

This technique enhances brainstorming with a voting process used to rank the most useful ideas for further brainstorming or for prioritization.

Group Decision-Making Techniques

Unanimity, Majority, Plurality, & Dictatorship

Control Scope

Variance Analysis & Work Performance Measurements

Questionnaires and Surveys

Written sets of questions designed to quickly accumulate information from a wide number of respondents.