BICSI RTPM flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Work Breakdown Structure

A hierarchical, deliverable-oriented decomposition of total project scope. Its lowest elements are work packages that can be estimated, scheduled, and assigned to a single accountable owner.

Work Package

The smallest WBS element, defined so its cost and duration can be reliably estimated and one person can be held accountable for its completion and quality.

Critical Path

The longest-duration sequence of dependent activities through the network. It determines the shortest possible project duration and normally carries zero total float.

Total Float

The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project finish date. Calculated as late start minus early start, or late finish minus early finish.

Forward Pass

A network calculation that moves from project start to finish, assigning each activity its earliest start and earliest finish based on predecessor durations and dependencies.

Backward Pass

A network calculation that moves from project finish back to start, assigning each activity its latest finish and latest start without delaying the project completion date.

PERT Expected Duration

A weighted three-point estimate equal to (optimistic + 4 times most likely + pessimistic) divided by six, used to model duration uncertainty on activities.

Schedule Crashing

A compression technique that shortens critical-path durations by adding resources or overtime. It usually increases cost and is applied to the cheapest critical activities first.

Fast Tracking

A compression technique that overlaps activities normally performed in sequence. It can shorten duration without added cost but increases risk of rework and coordination problems.

Cost Variance

Earned value minus actual cost. A positive value means the project is under budget for completed work; a negative value means it is over budget.

Schedule Variance

Earned value minus planned value. A positive value indicates more work was completed than planned for the reporting date; a negative value indicates slippage.

Cost Performance Index

Earned value divided by actual cost. A value below 1.0 means each unit of currency spent is buying less completed work than planned.

Schedule Performance Index

Earned value divided by planned value. A value below 1.0 means the project has completed less work than scheduled at the measurement date.

Estimate At Completion

The projected total cost of the project. When current cost efficiency is expected to continue, it equals budget at completion divided by the cost performance index.

Budget At Completion

The total authorized budget for the project scope as recorded in the approved cost baseline. It is the reference value used to compute variances and forecast final cost.

To-Complete Performance Index

The cost efficiency required on remaining work to meet a budget target. Calculated as (BAC minus EV) divided by (BAC minus AC).

Cost of Quality

The total of prevention, appraisal, internal failure, and external failure costs. Rework counts as internal failure; warranty claims and liability count as external failure.

Change Control Board

The authority that reviews, approves, defers, or rejects change requests affecting baselines. Approved changes update the baseline and the change log.

Change Log

A record of every change request, its status, decision, approver, and date. It supports traceability between approved changes and updated project baselines.

Scope Baseline

The approved combination of the project scope statement, the work breakdown structure, and the WBS dictionary, used to detect and control scope creep.

Gold Plating

Adding features or work not requested in the approved scope. It consumes budget and time without customer authorization and is treated as unapproved scope.

RACI Matrix

A responsibility chart assigning Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed roles per task. Each task should have exactly one Accountable party to avoid ambiguity.

Risk Register

A living document listing identified risks with probability, impact, exposure score, owner, planned response, and current status for each entry.

Risk Transfer

A response that shifts financial consequence of a threat to a third party, typically through insurance, performance bonds, or warranty clauses, without eliminating the risk.

Risk Mitigation

A response that reduces either the probability or the impact of a threat before it occurs, lowering overall exposure rather than waiting to react afterward.

Contingency Reserve

Budget held for identified risks with known responses. It sits within the cost baseline and is released by the project manager under defined authority thresholds.

Management Reserve

Budget held for unidentified scope or unknown risks. It sits above the cost baseline and normally requires sponsor or senior management approval to release.

Lessons Learned Register

A running record of knowledge gained during the project, captured throughout rather than only at closure, so later phases and future projects can reuse it.

Stakeholder Register

A record of identified stakeholders with their roles, interests, influence, expectations, and communication needs, used to plan engagement and manage expectations.

Communications Management Plan

A document defining who receives which information, in what format, at what frequency, and through which channel, plus escalation paths for issues.

Quality Assurance vs Control

Assurance is process-focused and preventive, auditing how work is performed. Control is product-focused and detective, inspecting deliverables against requirements and recording defects.

Procurement Statement of Work

A clear description of the products, services, or results to be delivered by a seller, including acceptance criteria, so bids and contracts can be evaluated objectively.