Glossary

Activity

A distinct portion of work performed during the course of a project.

 Assumption

A factor in the planning process considered to be certain without proof or demonstration.

Backlog

A listing of product requirements and deliverables to be completed.

Baseline

The approved version of work that is used as the basis for comparison to actual results.

Benchmark

The comparison of actual practices to those of comparable organizations best practices.

Budget

The approved estimate for the project.

Constraint

A limiting factor that affects the execution of a project.

Contingency

Actions the project team can take if predetermined trigger conditions occur.

Decomposition

A technique used for dividing the project scope into smaller more manageable parts.

Deliverable

Any unique and verifiable product that is produced to complete a phase or project.

Dependency

The logical relationship between two or more activities.

Duration

Total number of work periods required to complete an activity.

Effort

The number of labor units required to complete a schedule activity.

Estimate

An approximation of a projects time and cost.

Float

The time a task can be delayed without delaying the project.

Issue

An event that currently affects a projects ability to produce deliverables.

Iteration

Work done in a series of smaller stages.

Milestone

A significant point in a project.

Portfolio
 
Project
 
Program
 
Quality

The extent the final deliverable conforms to the customer requirements.

Requirement

A condition or capability that is required to be present in a product or service to satisfy imposed specifications.

Resources

Can be people, equipment, services, materials, budgets, or funds that are needed to complete tasks on a project.

Risk

An uncertain event that, if it occurs, has an effect on project objectives.

Schedule

A list of a projects critical elements with intended start and finish dates.

Scope

The total aggregate of products and services to be produced by a project.

Sponsor

A person that provides resources and support for a project and is accountable for enabling success.

Sprint

A repeatable work cycle in Agile, know as an iteration.

Tasks

An activity that needs to be accomplished within a defined period of time to achieve a project milestone.

Timeline

A graphical representation of a sequence of events.

Work Breakdown Structure
 
Work

The amount of effort required to produce a deliverable or complete a task.

Workaround

an immediate response to an issue for which a prior response had not been planned.