PEI PMA Grade 3 key terms

A temporary effort undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. It has a defined start and end, specific objectives, and finite resources.

The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities so that requirements are met. It covers initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, and closing the work.

The series of phases a project passes through from start to finish, such as initiation, planning, execution, and closure. Each phase typically ends with a review or approval point.

Any measurable, tangible output that must be produced to complete a project or phase, such as a report, a software module, or a finished building.

A document that justifies starting a project by comparing expected benefits with estimated costs, risks, and alternatives. It supports the decision to invest.

The process of tracking and confirming that the outcomes promised in the business case actually materialize after the project delivers, often measured over months or years.

The interdependent limits of scope, time, cost, quality, and risk that a project must balance. Changing one usually affects the others, so trade-offs need explicit decisions.

A short document that formally authorizes a project, names the project manager, and states high-level objectives, scope, and constraints. It gives the manager authority to proceed.

A group of related projects managed together to obtain benefits not available from managing them individually. Programs usually have a longer horizon and shared governance.

The framework of authority, policies, and decision rights that directs how a project is approved, monitored, and controlled, including who decides what and how escalations happen.

The senior person who provides resources and political support for a project, approves major changes, and is accountable for realizing its business benefits.

A central unit that sets project standards, provides templates and tools, and may review or support projects. Its authority ranges from advisory to directive depending on the organization.

A documented set of principles, such as honesty, fairness, and responsibility, that guides professional behavior and decision-making, and against which misconduct can be judged.

A situation where a person's private interests or relationships could improperly influence professional decisions. It must be disclosed and managed, even when no improper act has occurred.

A group formally authorized to review, approve, reject, or defer change requests, and to decide how approved changes affect baselines, budget, and schedule.

A document describing what the project will and will not deliver, including objectives, deliverables, acceptance criteria, and exclusions. It forms the basis for later scope control.

A hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work into manageable pieces, with the lowest level being work packages that can be estimated, scheduled, and assigned.

Uncontrolled expansion of project scope through many small, unapproved additions. It erodes schedule and budget because no corresponding change control or re-planning occurs.

The longest sequence of dependent activities through a network diagram, which determines the shortest possible project duration. Any delay on it delays the whole project.

A significant point or event in a project with zero duration, used to mark completion of a key deliverable, phase, or approval, and to track progress.

A technique that compares planned value, earned value, and actual cost to measure schedule and cost performance, and to forecast the final cost and completion date.

Money or time set aside to cover known risks that have been identified and assessed, held by the project manager and released as those risks occur.

A living document that lists identified risks with their causes, probability, impact, owners, and planned responses. It is reviewed regularly throughout the project.

The amount of risk an organization or individual is willing to accept in pursuit of objectives. It guides thresholds for escalation and the choice of risk responses.

A planned action that reduces either the probability or the impact of a threat, such as adding redundancy, testing early, or buying insurance.

The process-oriented activity of evaluating and improving the processes used to build deliverables, so that defects are prevented rather than detected afterwards.

Specific, testable conditions that a deliverable must meet to be accepted by the customer or sponsor. They are agreed before work begins and verified during acceptance.

An agreement where the seller commits to deliver defined work for a set price, so the seller carries most of the cost risk. It suits well-defined, stable scope.

A record of current problems, concerns, or disputes that are already affecting the project, with owners, priorities, and resolution dates, tracked until closed.

A document identifying everyone with an interest in or influence over the project, recording their roles, expectations, impact, and preferred communication needs.

A plan describing how each stakeholder group will be informed, consulted, and involved, including methods, frequency, responsibilities, and how resistance will be addressed.

A responsibility assignment matrix that marks, for each task or deliverable, who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed, clarifying roles and preventing duplication.

A document agreed by the project team that sets out shared values, working norms, communication rules, decision-making methods, and how conflicts will be handled.

Knowledge captured during and after a project about what worked, what failed, and why, stored so future teams can reuse or avoid the same situations.

The legal and ethical obligation to take reasonable steps to protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of workers, users, and others affected by project activities.

Meeting present project needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs, typically balancing environmental, social, and economic impacts across the asset's life.

Conforming to laws, regulations, permits, and standards that apply to the project's location, industry, and activities, verified through inspections, records, and audits.

A formal written authorization allowing specific high-risk work, such as hot work or confined-space entry, under stated precautions, for a defined time and area.

An unplanned event that caused or could have caused injury, illness, property damage, or environmental harm, which must be reported and investigated.