EXIN Dynamic Project Management Method Foundation flashcards

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

Project goal

The measurable intended effect of the project in the user organization, justified by the business case and distinct from the deliverables that produce it.

Project result vs goal

The result is the deliverable the project hands over; the goal is the effect that deliverable creates after it is put into use.

SMART goal test

A criterion requiring goals to be Specific, Measurable, Acceptable, Realistic and Time-bound so that achievement can be verified objectively.

Scope creep

Uncontrolled accumulation of small unapproved additions to deliverables, detected by comparing requested work with the approved baseline scope.

Business case

The documented justification of the project in terms of expected benefits against costs and risks; the sponsor owns it and it is reviewed at decision points.

Project mandate

The formal authorization to start the project, naming the goal, the sponsor and the project manager and releasing initial resources.

Stakeholder analysis

Identifying everyone affected by or able to affect the project and assessing their interest and influence to plan engagement.

Program versus portfolio

A program groups related projects steered for shared benefit; a portfolio is the organization's complete set of projects and programs.

Decision point

A mandatory go/no-go moment at a phase boundary where the authorized role judges results, business case and risks before releasing the next phase.

Management by exception

Reporting upward only when agreed tolerances are exceeded, so steering attention is spent on real deviations rather than routine progress.

Tailoring the method

Adapting which products, roles and decision points are applied to a project's size and risk, with the choices documented and justified.

Role versus person

Roles carry defined accountabilities independent of who fills them; one person may hold several roles but accountability stays explicit.

Empirical control pillars

Transparency, inspection and adaptation: the three conditions that let a team steer by observed results instead of by prediction alone.

Timebox

A fixed maximum duration for a cycle; if work remains unfinished, scope is reduced rather than the timebox being extended.

Increment

A potentially usable addition to the product produced within one cycle, inspected by stakeholders so feedback can steer the next cycle.

Hybrid delivery

Combining phase-based governance and decision points with iterative execution, a tailoring option DPMM permits where uncertainty is uneven.

Steering group

The decision-making body of the project, accountable for the business case, that takes go/no-go decisions and resolves escalated issues.

RACI matrix

A chart assigning Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed status per activity, with exactly one accountable role per activity.

Quality assurance role

An independent function checking that the project follows agreed method, standards and procedures; it reports outside the project manager's line.

Escalation path

The defined route for raising decisions upward, typically team member to project manager to steering group, triggered when tolerances are threatened.

Product breakdown

Decomposing the project result into deliverable components before planning activities, so that planning follows what must be produced.

Milestone

A zero-duration marker of a verifiable state or decision, used to track progress; it consumes no effort and has no duration.

Critical path

The longest chain of dependent activities through the network; its length sets the minimum project duration and it carries zero slack.

PERT estimate

Expected duration computed as (optimistic + 4 x most likely + pessimistic) divided by six, weighting the most likely value most heavily.

Rolling-wave planning

Planning near-term work in detail while leaving later phases coarse until more information is available at the next decision point.

Quality assurance vs control

Assurance is preventive and process-focused; control is detective and product-focused through tests, reviews and inspections.

Definition of Done

The agreed criteria a product must satisfy, and the acceptance it must receive, before it counts as complete rather than in progress.

Formal inspection

The most formal review type, with defined roles, entry criteria, recorded findings and follow-up verification, used for high-risk products.

Cost of quality

The sum of prevention, appraisal, internal failure and external failure costs; external failure is usually the most expensive category.

Issue versus risk

An issue is a problem that has already occurred and needs action now; a risk is an uncertain future event that may or may not occur.

Issue log fields

Identifier, description, raiser, date, owner, priority, planned action, status and closure date, forming the record of all open problems.

Risk response strategies

For threats: avoid, transfer, mitigate, accept. For opportunities: exploit, share, enhance, accept. Each response names an owner.

Residual and secondary risk

Residual risk remains after a response is applied; secondary risk is a new risk created by the response itself. Both stay in the risk log.

Risk appetite versus tolerance

Appetite is the willingness to accept risk in pursuit of benefit; tolerance is the measurable deviation allowed before escalation is required.

Project closure process

Acceptance of products by the client, final report, lessons learned and release of people and resources, ending the temporary organization.