PMPA key terms

A temporary effort with a defined start and end, undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result, constrained by scope, time, cost, and quality expectations.

The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet requirements, balancing competing demands among scope, schedule, cost, quality, resources, and risk.

The person assigned by the performing organization to lead the team and achieve project objectives, carrying accountability for integration, communication, and delivery outcomes.

The interdependent relationship among scope, time, and cost that defines the performance envelope of a project; changing one normally forces adjustment of at least one other.

The sequence of phases a project passes through from initiation to closure, each ending in a deliverable or approval gate that shapes cost, staffing, and risk profiles.

A review point at the end of a project phase where deliverables and business case are assessed before authorizing the next phase or terminating the work.

A document issued by the sponsor that formally authorizes the project, names the project manager, and states high-level objectives, boundaries, and success criteria.

The documented economic and strategic justification for the project, explaining expected benefits, costs, risks, and the rationale for the investment decision.

The executive who provides resources and political support, approves key decisions and changes, and champions the project within the organization.

Any individual, group, or organization that can affect, be affected by, or perceive itself affected by a project decision, activity, or outcome.

A living record of identified stakeholders with their roles, contact details, requirements, expectations, influence, and preferred engagement approach.

The ongoing process of identifying, analyzing, and communicating with stakeholders to build commitment, manage expectations, and reduce resistance throughout the project.

A classification tool that maps stakeholders by authority and level of concern, guiding tailored engagement strategies such as manage closely, keep satisfied, or monitor.

A narrative description of project boundaries that lists major deliverables, acceptance criteria, exclusions, assumptions, and constraints used to control scope.

A hierarchical decomposition of total project scope into manageable work packages, forming the foundation for estimating, scheduling, and assigning responsibility.

The lowest level of a work breakdown structure, small enough to be estimated, scheduled, assigned, and controlled without further decomposition.

The approved combination of the scope statement, work breakdown structure, and WBS dictionary, used as the reference for measuring scope performance and controlling changes.

A table linking each requirement to its source, related deliverables, and verification method, ensuring approved requirements are delivered and tested.

The documented set of scheduled activities derived from work packages, each with a description, identifier, and sufficient detail to support sequencing and estimating.

A scheduling technique that identifies the longest sequence of dependent activities, determining the shortest possible project duration and the activities with zero float.

The amount of time an activity can slip without delaying the project finish date (total float) or its successor (free float).

The approved version of the project schedule, including start and finish dates, used to compare actual progress against plan and to assess schedule variance.

The approved time-phased budget, excluding management reserve, against which cost performance is measured and change requests are evaluated.

A performance measurement method comparing planned value, earned value, and actual cost to quantify cost and schedule variance and forecast completion outcomes.

The technique of comparing planned versus actual performance for scope, schedule, or cost, then investigating causes and deciding whether corrective action is warranted.

The process-oriented set of activities that audits processes and standards to confirm the team is building quality in, rather than only inspecting defects afterward.

The product-oriented process of inspecting and testing deliverables against acceptance criteria, recording defects, and verifying that results meet requirements.

A document defining quality standards, metrics, roles, and inspection or testing activities the project will use to meet stakeholder requirements.

A chart mapping work packages or activities to team members, clarifying who is responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed for each piece of work.

A document describing how project resources will be acquired, allocated, developed, and released, including roles, authority, and team development approaches.

A plan specifying who needs what information, when, in what format, and through which channel, along with escalation paths and feedback mechanisms.

A log of identified risks with their causes, potential effects, probability, impact, owner, and planned response, updated as the project progresses.

A planned action for a threat or opportunity, such as avoid, mitigate, transfer, accept, exploit, enhance, share, or escalate, matched to its significance.

Budget or time set aside for identified risks with accepted residual exposure, held by the project manager and released when the associated risk occurs.

Funds or time held outside the cost baseline for unforeseen work within project scope, typically controlled by the sponsor and requiring approval to use.

The documented approach for acquiring goods or services, covering make-or-buy decisions, contract types, selection criteria, and supplier management.

A legally binding agreement between buyer and seller stating deliverables, price, schedule, acceptance terms, and remedies for nonperformance.

The formal process of submitting, evaluating, approving, or rejecting changes to baselines, ensuring impacts on scope, schedule, cost, and risk are assessed before action.

A designated group, often including the sponsor and key stakeholders, that reviews change requests and decides whether to approve, defer, or reject them.

The activity of confirming that a deliverable meets its documented acceptance criteria, typically through inspection or testing before formal customer acceptance.

The process of tracking whether the business benefits promised in the business case actually materialize after deliverables are handed over and used.

The final phase in which deliverables are accepted, contracts closed, resources released, lessons captured, and the project formally transitioned or terminated.

Documented insights about what went well and what should change, captured throughout the project and archived for use by future teams.