170 terms

Project Management Glossary

Plain-English definitions of the terms you will meet in projects, certifications and job interviews. Type to filter instantly.

A

Acceptance criteria: Conditions a deliverable must meet to be accepted by the customer or product owner.
Activity: A distinct, scheduled portion of work performed during a project.
Activity on node (AON): A network diagramming method in which activities are boxes (nodes) and arrows show dependencies.
Actual cost (AC): The realised cost of work performed during a given period. Used in earned value management.
Agile: An iterative approach that delivers work in small increments and adapts based on feedback.
Agile Manifesto: The 2001 statement of four values and twelve principles underpinning agile practices.
Analogous estimating: Estimating duration or cost using actual values from a similar past project.
Assumption: A factor considered true for planning purposes without proof. Assumptions should be logged and validated.

B

Backlog: An ordered list of work items waiting to be done.
Backlog refinement: The ongoing activity of adding detail, estimates and order to backlog items.
Baseline: The approved version of the scope, schedule or cost plan, used for comparison against actual performance.
Benefits realisation: Ensuring that the outcomes a project was funded to deliver are actually achieved after handover.
Bottom-up estimating: Estimating each work package individually and aggregating the totals.
Budget at completion (BAC): The total approved budget for the work to be performed.
Burndown chart: A chart showing work remaining over time, typically within a sprint or release.
Burnup chart: A chart showing work completed over time against total scope, making scope changes visible.
Business case: A justification for a project showing expected benefits, costs, risks and options.

C

Capacity: The amount of work a team or resource can take on in a period.
Change control: A formal process for reviewing, approving or rejecting changes to the baselines.
Change control board (CCB): A group responsible for reviewing and deciding on change requests.
Change request: A formal proposal to modify scope, schedule, cost or another baseline.
Closing: The process group that formally completes a project or phase.
Communication plan: A document describing who needs what information, when, how and from whom.
Constraint: A limiting factor such as a fixed deadline, budget cap or regulation.
Contingency reserve: Time or money set aside for identified risks (known unknowns).
Cost performance index (CPI): EV ÷ AC. A measure of cost efficiency; above 1.0 means under budget.
Cost variance (CV): EV − AC. Negative values indicate a cost overrun.
Crashing: Shortening the schedule by adding resources to critical path activities.
Critical chain: A scheduling method that accounts for resource constraints and uses aggregated buffers.
Critical path: The longest sequence of dependent activities, determining the shortest project duration.
Critical path method (CPM): A technique for calculating early and late dates and float to find the critical path.
Cumulative flow diagram (CFD): A stacked area chart showing the number of items in each workflow state over time.
Cycle time: The time an item takes from when work starts on it to when it is finished.

D

DACI: A decision-making framework: Driver, Approver, Contributors, Informed.
Daily Scrum: A 15-minute daily event for Scrum developers to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal.
Decomposition: Breaking deliverables or work into smaller, more manageable parts.
Definition of Done (DoD): A shared, formal description of the quality standard an increment must meet.
Definition of Ready (DoR): Criteria a backlog item must meet before a team pulls it into work.
Deliverable: Any unique, verifiable product, result or capability produced to complete a project.
Dependency: A logical relationship between activities, such as finish-to-start.
Duration: The number of work periods needed to complete an activity, excluding holidays.

E

Early finish (EF): The earliest date an activity can finish, from the forward pass.
Early start (ES): The earliest date an activity can start, from the forward pass.
Earned value (EV): The budgeted value of the work actually completed to date.
Earned value management (EVM): A method integrating scope, schedule and cost to measure performance objectively.
Effort: The number of labour units (e.g. person-hours) needed to complete an activity.
Epic: A large body of work that can be broken down into smaller user stories.
Escalation: Raising an issue or risk to a higher authority when it exceeds the project's tolerance.
Estimate at completion (EAC): The expected total cost of the project when complete.
Estimate to complete (ETC): The expected cost to finish all remaining work.
Executing: The process group in which the planned work is carried out.
Expected monetary value (EMV): Probability multiplied by impact in money terms; used to size contingency.

F

Fast-tracking: Compressing a schedule by performing activities in parallel that were planned in sequence.
Feature: A distinguishing capability of a product that delivers value to users.
Finish-to-finish (FF): A dependency in which a successor cannot finish until a predecessor finishes.
Finish-to-start (FS): The most common dependency: a successor cannot start until its predecessor finishes.
Float: The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project; also called slack.
Focus factor: The proportion of available time a team can spend on planned work after interruptions.
Forward pass: The calculation of early start and early finish dates through a network.
Free float: How long an activity can be delayed without delaying the early start of any successor.
Functional organisation: A structure where staff are grouped by specialty and the functional manager holds authority.

G

Gantt chart: A bar chart showing activities against a timeline, often with dependencies and milestones.
Gate review: A decision point at the end of a phase to continue, change or stop the project.
Gold plating: Adding features beyond what was requested; a form of uncontrolled scope.
Governance: The framework of authority, decision-making and oversight for a project or portfolio.

H

Hybrid approach: A combination of predictive and adaptive practices within one project.

I

Impediment: Anything that blocks or slows a team's progress.
Increment: A usable piece of the product delivered in an iteration.
Initiating: The process group that defines and authorises a new project or phase.
Issue: A current problem or condition that must be resolved; a risk that has occurred.
Issue log: A record of issues, owners, actions and resolution status.
Iteration: A fixed time-box in which a team delivers a usable increment.

K

Kanban: A method for managing flow by visualising work and limiting work in progress.
Kanban board: A visual board with columns representing workflow states and cards for work items.
Kick-off meeting: The meeting that launches a project and aligns the team and stakeholders.
KPI: Key performance indicator: a measurable value showing progress toward an objective.

L

Lag: A delay imposed between a predecessor and successor activity.
Late finish (LF): The latest date an activity can finish without delaying the project.
Late start (LS): The latest date an activity can start without delaying the project.
Lead: An acceleration that lets a successor start before its predecessor finishes.
Lean: An approach focused on maximising customer value while minimising waste.
Lessons learned: Knowledge gained during a project, captured to improve future work.
Little's Law: Average cycle time equals average work in progress divided by average throughput.

M

Management reserve: Budget held for unidentified risks (unknown unknowns), outside the cost baseline.
Matrix organisation: A structure in which staff report to both functional and project managers.
Milestone: A significant point or event in a project with zero duration.
Minimum viable product (MVP): The simplest version of a product that allows learning from real users.
Monitoring and controlling: The process group that tracks, reviews and regulates progress and performance.
Monte Carlo simulation: A technique that runs many random scenarios to model schedule or cost uncertainty.
MoSCoW: A prioritisation method: Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have this time.

N

Net present value (NPV): The present value of future cash flows minus the investment; used in business cases.
Network diagram: A graphical representation of activities and their dependencies.

O

Objective: A measurable outcome the project is intended to achieve.
OKR: Objectives and Key Results: a goal-setting framework linking ambitious goals to measurable results.
Opportunity: A risk with a potential positive effect on objectives.

P

Parametric estimating: Estimating using a statistical relationship, such as cost per square metre.
PDU: Professional development unit: a measure of learning used to maintain PMI certifications.
PERT: Program Evaluation and Review Technique; uses three-point estimates (O + 4M + P) ÷ 6.
Phase: A collection of logically related activities ending in one or more deliverables.
Planned value (PV): The authorised budget assigned to work scheduled to be done by a given date.
Planning: The process group that establishes scope, objectives and the course of action.
Planning poker: A consensus-based estimation technique using cards with relative size values.
PMO: Project management office: a function that standardises governance and supports project delivery.
Portfolio: A collection of projects and programmes managed together to achieve strategic objectives.
Precedence diagramming method (PDM): A technique for building schedule networks using nodes and four dependency types.
Predictive approach: A plan-driven approach where scope, schedule and cost are defined early; often called Waterfall.
Procurement: Obtaining goods or services from outside the project team.
Product Owner: In Scrum, the person accountable for maximising product value and ordering the backlog.
Programme: A group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits.
Progressive elaboration: Iteratively adding detail to a plan as more information becomes available.
Project: A temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product, service or result.
Project charter: A document that formally authorises a project and names the project manager.
Project management plan: The document describing how the project will be executed, monitored and closed.
Project manager: The person assigned to lead the team responsible for achieving project objectives.
Project sponsor: The person or group that provides resources and support and is accountable for the business case.

Q

Quality assurance: Activities that give confidence that quality requirements will be met through good process.
Quality control: Inspecting deliverables to verify they meet requirements.

R

RACI matrix: A responsibility chart: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed.
RAG status: Red, Amber, Green rating used in status reports to show health at a glance.
RAID log: A combined log of Risks, Assumptions, Issues and Dependencies (or Decisions).
Release: A set of increments delivered to users together.
Requirements traceability matrix: A table linking requirements to their origins and the deliverables that satisfy them.
Resource levelling: Adjusting start and finish dates to balance resource demand with supply.
Resource smoothing: Adjusting activities within their float so resource requirements stay within limits without moving the end date.
Retrospective: A meeting where a team reflects on how it worked and agrees improvements.
Risk: An uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, affects at least one objective.
Risk appetite: The degree of uncertainty an organisation is willing to accept for a reward.
Risk owner: The person responsible for monitoring a risk and implementing responses.
Risk register: A document recording identified risks, analysis, owners and responses.
Roadmap: A high-level timeline of planned outcomes, releases or milestones.
Rolling-wave planning: Planning near-term work in detail and later work at a higher level.

S

S-curve: A graph of cumulative cost or work over time, typically shaped like an S.
Schedule performance index (SPI): EV ÷ PV. Above 1.0 means ahead of schedule.
Schedule variance (SV): EV − PV. Negative values indicate the project is behind schedule.
Scope: The total of products, services and results to be provided by a project.
Scope creep: Uncontrolled expansion of scope without adjustments to time, cost and resources.
Scope statement: A description of the project scope, deliverables, assumptions and constraints.
Scrum: A lightweight agile framework using sprints, three accountabilities, five events and three artifacts.
Scrum Master: The person accountable for a Scrum team's effectiveness and for coaching Scrum practice.
Scrumban: A hybrid combining Scrum's cadence with Kanban's flow management and WIP limits.
Slack: Another term for float.
SMART objectives: Objectives that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.
Sprint: A fixed time-box of one month or less during which a Scrum team creates an increment.
Sprint Goal: The single objective for a sprint, giving the team focus and flexibility.
Sprint Planning: The Scrum event that starts a sprint by defining why, what and how.
Sprint Review: The Scrum event where the team presents results to stakeholders and adapts the backlog.
Stakeholder: An individual, group or organisation that may affect or be affected by a project.
Stakeholder register: A list of stakeholders with their roles, interests, influence and engagement strategy.
Start-to-start (SS): A dependency in which a successor cannot start until a predecessor starts.
Statement of work (SOW): A narrative description of products or services to be delivered, often for a contract.
Status report: A periodic summary of progress, risks, issues and decisions needed.
Steering committee: A senior group that provides direction and makes key decisions for a project.
Story points: A relative unit for estimating effort, complexity and uncertainty of backlog items.
Swimlane: A horizontal row on a board used to separate types or classes of work.

T

Task: A unit of work, usually smaller than an activity, assigned to one person.
Three-point estimating: Estimating using optimistic, most likely and pessimistic values.
Throughput: The number of work items completed per unit of time.
Time-box: A fixed, maximum period of time for an activity or event.
To-complete performance index (TCPI): The cost efficiency needed on remaining work to meet a budget target.
Total float: How long an activity can be delayed without delaying the project finish (LS − ES).
Triple constraint: The interdependence of scope, time and cost; changing one affects the others.

U

User story: A short description of a feature from the user's perspective: As a…, I want…, so that….

V

Variance at completion (VAC): BAC − EAC. The projected budget surplus or deficit at completion.
Velocity: The amount of work, usually in story points, a team completes per iteration.

W

WBS dictionary: A document detailing each WBS element's description, owner, criteria and estimates.
WIP limit: A cap on the number of items allowed in a workflow stage at one time.
Work breakdown structure (WBS): A hierarchical decomposition of the total project scope into deliverables and work packages.
Work in progress (WIP): Items that have been started but not finished.
Work package: The lowest level of a WBS, which can be estimated, scheduled and assigned.
Workaround: An unplanned response to a risk that has occurred and had no planned response.

Spotted a missing term or an error? Tell us.