See Actual Cost

A set of conditions that is required to be met before deliverables are accepted. 

Within the quality management system, accuracy is an assessment of correctness.

A documented tabulation of schedule activities that shows the activity description, activity identifier, and a sufficiently detailed scope of work description so project team members understand what work is to be performed. 

The realized cost incurred for the work performed on an activity during a specific time period.

A development approach in which the requirements are subject to a high level of uncertainty and volatility and are likely to change throughout the project. 

A diagram that shows large numbers of ideas classified into groups for review and analysis.

The process of classifying items into similar categories or collections on the basis of their likeness.

A term used to describe a mindset of values and principles as set forth in the Agile Manifesto.

An individual with knowledge and experience in agile who can train, mentor, and guide organizations and teams through their transformation.

The original and official definition of agile values and principles.

A way of thinking and behaving underpinned by the four values and twelve principles of the Agile Manifesto.

A person embracing the agile mindset who collaborates with like-minded colleagues in cross-functional teams. Also referred to as an agilist.

The twelve principles of agile project delivery as embodied in the Agile Manifesto.

A method used to evaluate identified options in order to select the options or approaches to use to perform the work of the project.

A state of being unclear, having difficulty in identifying the cause of events, or having multiple options from which to choose.

A method for estimating the duration or cost of an activity or a project using historical data from a similar activity or project.

A template, document, output, or project deliverable.

A factor in the planning process that is considered to be true, real, or certain, without proof or demonstration. 

An assessment that ensures assumptions and constraints are integrated into the project plans and documents, and that there is consistency among them. 

A project document used to record all assumptions and constraints throughout the project. 

The right to apply project resources, expend funds, make decisions, or give approvals. 

See Budget At Completion

An ordered list of work to be done.

Progressive elaboration of the content in the backlog and (re)prioritization of it to identify the work that can be accomplished in an upcoming iteration. 

The approved version of a work product, used as a basis for comparison to actual results.

Supporting documentation outlining the details used in establishing project estimates such as assumptions, constraints, level of detail, rages, and confidence levels. 

The comparison of actual or planned products, processes, and practices to those of comparable organizations to identify best practices, generate ideas for improvement, and provide a basis for measuring performance.

The documented explanation defining the processes for creating, maximizing, and sustaining the benefits provided by a project or program.

A type of multipoint estimating which recognizes the uncertainty in the estimation of time, and where the most likely duration estimate is weighted by a factor of four. Also known as Program Evaluation Review Technique or PERT.

All documents used to solicit information, quotations, or proposals from prospective sellers.

The meeting with prospective sellers prior to the preparation of a bid or proposal to ensure all prospective vendors have a clear and common understanding of the procurement. Also known as a contractor conference, vendor conference, or pre-bid conference. 

See Impediment.

The approved estimate for the project or any work breakdown structure (WBS) component or any schedule activity.

The sum of all budgets established for the work to be performed. 

A graphical representation of the work remaining versus the time left in a timebox.

A graphical representation of the work completed toward the release of a product.

A value proposition for a proposed project that may include financial and nonfinancial benefits. 

The net quantifiable benefit derived from a business endeavor that may be tangible, intangible, or both. 

A visual representation that helps trace an undesirable effect back to its root cause.

See Change Control Board

A modification to any formally controlled deliverable, project management plan component, or project document.

A process whereby modifications to documents, deliverables, or baselines associated with the project are identified, documented, approved, or rejected. 

A formally chartered group responsible for reviewing, evaluating, approving, delaying, or rejecting changes to the project, and for recording and communicating such decisions.

A component of the project management plan that establishes the change control board, documents the extent of its authority, and describes how the change control system will be implemented. 

A set of procedures that describes how modifications to the project deliverables and documentation are managed and controlled. 

A comprehensive list of changes submitted during the project and their current status. 

A comprehensive, cyclic, and structured approach for transitioning individuals, groups, and organizations from a current state to a future state with intended business benefits. 

A formal proposal to modify a document, deliverable, or baseline. 

See Project Charter and Team Charter. 

A tally sheet that can be used when gathering data.

The process(es) performed to formally complete or close a project, phase, or contract.

A component of the project, program, or portfolio management plan that describes how, when, and by whom information about the project will be administered and disseminated. 

A characteristic of a program or project or its environment that is difficult to manage due to human behavior, system behavior, and ambiguity.

The degree to which the results meet the set quality requirements.

A limiting factor that affects the execution of a project, program, portfolio, or process. 

An event or occurrence that could affect the execution of the project, which may be accounted for with a reserve. 

Time or money allocated in the schedule or cost baseline for known risks with active response strategies. 

The practice of delivering feature increments immediately to customers, often through the use of small batches of work and automation technology.

A practice in which each team member’s work products are frequently integrated and validated with one another.

A mutually binding agreement that obligates the seller to provide the specified product, service, or result and obligates the buyer to pay for it. 

The process of comparing actual performance with planned performance, analyzing variances, assessing trends to effect process improvements, evaluating possible alternatives, and recommending appropriate corrective action as needed.

A graphic display of process data over time and against established control limits, which has a centerline that assists in detecting a trend of plotted values toward either control limit. 

See Cost Of Quality

The approved version of the time-phased project budget, excluding any management reserves, which can be changed only through formal change control procedures and is used as a basis for comparison to actual results. 

A component of a project or program management plan that describes how costs will be planned, structured, and controlled. 

All costs incurred over the life of the product by investment in preventing nonconformance to requirements, appraisal of the product or service for conformance to requirements, and failure to meet requirements.

A measure of the cost efficiency of budgeted resources expressed as the ratio of earned value to actual cost. 

A category of contract that involves payments to the seller for all legitimate actual costs incurred for completed work, plus an award fee representing seller profit. 

Cost Plus Fixed Fee Contract (CPFF). A type of cost-reimbursable contract where the buyer reimburses the seller for the seller’s allowable costs (allowable costs are defined by the contract) plus a fixed amount of profit (fee). 

A type of cost-reimbursable contract where the buyer reimburses the seller for the seller’s allowable costs (allowable costs are defined by the contract), and the seller earns its profit if it meets defined performance criteria.

The amount of budget deficit or surplus at a given point in time, expressed as the difference between the earned value and the actual cost. 

A financial analysis method used to determine the benefits provided by a project against its costs. 

A type of contract involving payment to the seller for the seller’s actual costs, plus a fee typically representing the seller’s profit. 

See Cost Plus Award Fee

See Cost Plus Fixed Fee

See Cost Performance Index

See Cost Plus Incentive Fee

See Critical Path Method

A method used to shorten the schedule duration for the least incremental cost by adding resources. 

Standards, rules, or tests on which a judgment or decision can be based or by which a product, service, result, or process can be evaluated. 

The sequence of activities that represents the longest path through a project, which determines the shortest possible duration.

A method used to estimate the minimum project duration and determine the amount of schedule flexibility on the logical network paths within the schedule model.

A team that includes practitioners with all the skills necessary to deliver valuable product increments.

See Cost Variance

A brief, daily collaboration meeting in which the team reviews progress from the previous day, declares intentions for the current day, and highlights any obstacles encountered or anticipated. Also known as daily standup.

A brief, daily collaboration meeting in which the team reviews progress from the previous day, declares intentions for the current day, and highlights any obstacles encountered or anticipated.

A set of charts and graphs showing progress or performance against important measures of the project.

Methods used to collect, assess, and evaluate data and information to gain a deeper understanding of a situation.

A method used for dividing and subdividing the project scope and project deliverables into smaller, more manageable parts.

A checklist of all the criteria required to be met so that a deliverable can be considered ready for customer use.

A checklist for a user-centric requirement that has all the information the team needs to be able to begin working on it.

Any unique and verifiable product, result, or capability to perform a service that is required to be produced to complete a process, phase, or project.

See Iteration Review

A method used to create and evolve the product, service, or result during the project life cycle, such as a predictive, adaptive, or hybrid method.

A relationship that is based on best practices or project preferences.

See Definition Of Done

The total number of work periods required to complete an activity or work breakdown structure component, expressed in hours, days, or weeks. Contrast with effort.

See Estimate At Completion

The measure of work performed expressed in terms of the budget authorized for that work.

An analysis method that uses a set of measures associated with scope, schedule, and cost to determine the cost and schedule performance of a project. Also known as Earned Value Management (EVM).

See Enterprise Environmental Factors

The number of labor units required to complete a schedule activity or work breakdown structure component, often expressed in hours, days, or weeks. Contrast with duration.

The activity of drawing out information from stakeholders and other sources.

The ability to identify, assess, and manage the personal emotions of oneself and other people, as well as the collective emotions of groups of people.

See Expected Monetary Value

Conditions, not under the immediate control of the team, that influence, constrain, or direct the project, program, or portfolio.

A large, related body of work intended to hierarchically organize a set of requirements and deliver specific business outcomes.

A quantitative assessment of the likely amount or outcome of a variable, such as project costs, resources, effort, or durations.

The expected total cost of completing all work expressed as the sum of the actual cost to date and the estimate to complete.

The expected cost to finish all the remaining project work.

Methods used to develop an approximation of work, time, or cost on a project.

See Estimate To Complete

See Earned Value

See Earned Value Analysis

Those processes performed to complete the work defined in the project management plan to satisfy the project requirements.

Knowledge that can be codified using symbols such as words, numbers, and pictures.

A relationship between project activities and non-project activities.

A schedule compression method in which activities or phases normally done in sequence are performed in parallel for at least a portion of their duration.

A set of related requirements or functionalities that provides value to an organization.

See Firm Fixed Price

A type of fixed-price contract where the buyer pays the seller a set amount (as defined by the contract), regardless of the seller’s costs.

A type of activity where the length of time required to complete the activity remains constant regardless of the number of people or resources assigned to the activity.

A type of contract where the buyer pays the seller a set amount (as defined by the contract), and the seller can earn an additional amount if the seller meets defined performance criteria.

A fixed-price contract, but with a special provision allowing for predefined final adjustments to the contract price due to changed conditions, such as inflation changes, or cost increases (or decreases) for specific commodities.

The depiction in a diagram format of the inputs, process actions, and outputs of one or more processes within a system.

An estimate or prediction of conditions and events in the project’s future based on information and knowledge available at the time of the forecast.

See Fixed Price With Economic Price Adjustment

See Fixed Price Incentive Fee

A specific behavior that a product or service should perform.

A specific function that a system or application is required to perform. Typically represented in a functional specifications document.

A bar chart of schedule information where activities are listed on the vertical axis, dates are shown on the horizontal axis, and activity durations are shown as horizontal bars placed according to start and finish dates.

The framework for directing and enabling an organization through its established policies, practices, and other relevant documentation.

A category or rank used to distinguish items that have the same functional use but do not share the same requirements for quality.

A chart that begins with high-level information that is progressively decomposed into lower levels of detail.

A bar chart that shows the graphical representation of numerical data.

A combination of two or more agile and non-agile elements, having a non-agile end result.

See Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity

A strategic planning method that serves as a visual roadmap for the organization during product development.

An obstacle that prevents the team from achieving its objectives. Also known as a blocker.

A functional, tested, and accepted deliverable that is a subset of the overall project outcome.

An adaptive development approach in which the deliverable is produced successively, adding functionality until the deliverable contains the necessary and sufficient capability to be considered complete.

An approach that provides finished deliverables that the customer may be able to use immediately.

A contract that provides for an indefinite quantity of goods or services, with a stated lower and upper limit, within a fixed time period.

A visible, physical display that provides information to the rest of the organization, enabling timely knowledge sharing.

Those processes performed to define a new project or a new phase of an existing project by obtaining authorization to start the project or phase.

A relationship between two or more project activities.

Skills used to establish and maintain relationships with other people.

A current condition or situation that may have an impact on the project objectives.

A project document where information about issues is recorded and monitored.

A timeboxed cycle of development on a product or deliverable in which all of the work that is needed to deliver value is performed.

A detailed plan for the current iteration. Also known as Sprint Plan.

A meeting to clarify the details of the backlog items, acceptance criteria, and work effort required to meet an upcoming iteration commitment. Also known as Sprint Planning.

A meeting held at the end of an iteration to demonstrate the work that was accomplished during the iteration.

A development approach that focuses on an initial, simplified implementation then progressively elaborates adding to the feature set until the final deliverable is complete.

An approach that allows feedback for unfinished work to improve and modify that work.

A visualization tool that shows work in progress to help identify bottlenecks and overcommitments, thereby allowing the team to optimize the workflow.

An agile method inspired by the original Kanban inventory control system and used specifically for knowledge work.

A gathering of team members and other key stakeholders at the start of the executing phase of a project to formally set expectations, gain a common understanding, and commence work.

A mixture of experience, values and beliefs, contextual information, intuition, and insight that people use to make sense of new experiences and information.

The amount of time whereby a successor activity will be delayed with respect to a predecessor activity.

The amount of time whereby a successor activity can be advanced with respect to a predecessor activity.

The time between a customer request and the actual delivery.

A diagram showing the trend over time of the average lead time of the items completed in work.

The knowledge gained during a project, which shows how project events were addressed or should be addressed in the future, for the purpose of improving future performance.

A project document used to record knowledge gained during a project, phase, or iteration so that it can be used to improve future performance for the team and the organization.

See project life cycle.

The process through which a product is imagined, created, and put into use.

A tool used to evaluate the total environmental impact of a product, process, or system.

A document used to record and describe or denote selected items identified during execution of a process or activity. Usually used with a modifier, such as issue, change, or assumption.

The process of gathering and organizing data about product requirements and analyzing them against available alternatives including the purchase or internal manufacture of the product. 

An amount of the project budget or project schedule held for management control purposes that is reserved for unforeseen work that is within the project scope.

A relationship that is contractually required or inherent in the nature of the work.

A system of practices, techniques, procedures, and rules used by those who work in a discipline.

A description of a project or product attribute and how to measure it.

A significant point or event in a project, program, or portfolio.

A type of schedule that presents milestones with planned dates.

A concept used to define the scope of the first release of a solution to customers by identifying the fewest number of features or requirements that would deliver value.

A technique in which multiple team members focus simultaneously and coordinate their contributions on a particular work item.

Creating simplified representations of systems, solutions, or deliverables, such as prototypes, diagrams, or storyboards.

Collect project performance data, produce performance measures, and report and disseminate performance information.

Those processes required to track, review, and regulate the progress and performance of the project; identify any areas in which changes to the plan are required; and initiate corresponding changes.

A method of identifying the potential impacts of risk and uncertainty using multiple iterations of a computer model to develop a probability distribution of a range of outcomes that could result from a decision or course of action. 

A method used to estimate cost or duration by applying an average or weighted average of optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely estimates when there is uncertainty with the individual activity estimates.

See Minimum Viable Product

A sequence of activities connected by logical relationships in a project schedule network diagram.

Something toward which work is to be directed, a strategic position to be attained, a purpose to be achieved, a result to be obtained, a product to be produced, or a service to be performed.

See Organizational Process Assets

A risk that would have a positive effect on one or more project objectives.

Plans, processes, policies, procedures, and knowledge bases that are specific to and used by the performing organization.

A technique of pairing two team members to work simultaneously on the same work item.

An estimating method in which an algorithm is used to calculate cost or duration based on historical data and project parameters.

Parkinson’s Law states that “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”.

An archetype user representing a set of similar end users described with their goals, motivations, and representative personal characteristics.

See Program Evaluation Review Technique

A review at the end of a phase in which a decision is made to continue to the next phase, to continue with modification, or to end a project or program.

A proposed means of accomplishing something.

An iterative management method used in organizations to facilitate the control and continual improvement of processes and products.

The authorized budget assigned to scheduled work.

Those processes required to establish the scope of the project, refine the objectives, and define the course of action required to attain the objectives that the project was undertaken to achieve.

See Project Management Body of Knowledge

See Project Management Office

Projects, programs, subsidiary portfolios, and operations managed as a group to achieve strategic objectives.

The centralized management of one or more portfolios to achieve strategic objectives.

Within the quality management system, precision is an assessment of exactness.

A development approach in which the project scope, time, and cost are determined in the early phases of the life cycle.

A more traditional approach, with the bulk of planning occurring up-front, then executing in a single pass; a sequential process.

A grid for mapping the probability of occurrence of each risk and its impact on project objectives if that risk occurs.

A component of the project or program management plan that describes how a project team will acquire goods and services from outside of the performing organization.

An artifact that is produced, is quantifiable, and can be either an end item in itself or a component item.

An ordered list of user-centric requirements that a team maintains for a product.

See Iteration Review

A series of phases that represent the evolution of a product, from concept through delivery, growth, maturity, and to retirement.

The integration of people, data, processes, and business systems to create, maintain, and evolve a product or service throughout its life cycle.

A person responsible for maximizing the value of the product and accountable for the end product.

The features and functions that characterize a product, service, or result.

Related projects, subsidiary programs, and program activities that are managed in a coordinated manner to obtain benefits not available from managing them individually.

A type of three-point estimating which recognizes the uncertainty in the estimation of time, and where the most likely duration estimate is weighted by a factor of four. Also known as Beta Distribution.

The application of knowledge, skills, and principles to a program to achieve the program objectives and obtain benefits and control not available by managing program components individually.

The iterative process of increasing the level of detail in a project management plan as greater amounts of information and more accurate estimates become available.

A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.

A high-level overview of the goals, deliverables, and processes for the project.

A calendar that identifies working days and shifts that are available for scheduled activities.

A document issued by the project initiator or sponsor that formally authorizes the existence of a project and provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities.

The framework, functions, and processes that guide project management activities in order to create a unique product, service, or result to meet organizational, strategic, and operational goals.

The series of phases that a project passes through from its start to its completion.

The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements.

A term that describes the knowledge within the profession of project management.

A management structure that standardizes the project-related governance processes and facilitates the sharing of resources, methodologies, tools, and techniques.

The document that describes how the project will be executed, monitored and controlled, and closed.

A logical grouping of project management inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs. The Project Management Process Groups include Initiating processes, Planning processes, Executing processes, Monitoring and Controlling processes, and Closing processes.

The members of the project team who are directly involved in project management activities.

The person assigned by the performing organization to lead the team that is responsible for achieving the project objectives. See also project lead.

A collection of logically related project activities that culminates in the completion of one or more deliverables.

An output of a schedule model that presents linked activities with planned dates, durations, milestones, and resources.

A graphical representation of the logical relationships among the project schedule activities.

The work performed to deliver a product, service, or result with the specified features and functions.

The description of the project scope, major deliverables, and exclusions.

A set of individuals performing the work of the project to achieve its objectives.

A concise, high-level description of the project that states the purpose and inspires the team to contribute to the project.

A working model used to obtain early feedback on the expected product before actually building it.

See Planned Value

The degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills requirements.

A component of the project or program management plan that describes how applicable policies, procedures, and guidelines will be implemented to achieve the quality objectives.

A description of a project or product attribute and how to measure it.

A project document that includes quality management issues, recommendations for corrective actions, and a summary of findings from quality control activities and may include recommendations for process, project, and product improvements.

Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed. See RACI Chart.

A type of Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) that describes individuals' roles and responsibilities for project activities and deliverables. Also known as a RACI Matrix.

See Responsibility Assignment Matrix

See Risk Breakdown Structure

A written record of regular entries for evolving aspects of a project, such as risks, stakeholders, or defects.

An analytical method where a series of input variables are examined in relation to their corresponding output results in order to develop a mathematical or statistical relationship.

Requirements imposed by a governmental body. These requirements can establish product, process, or service characteristics, including applicable administrative provisions that have government-mandated compliance.

A method for creating estimates that are derived from performing a comparison against a similar body of work, taking effort, complexity, and uncertainty into consideration.

One or more components of one or more products, which are intended to be put into production at the same time.

The plan that sets expectations for the dates, features, and/or outcomes expected to be delivered over the course of multiple iterations.

The process of identifying a high-level plan for releasing or transitioning a product, deliverable, or increment of value.

A condition or capability that is necessary to be present in a product, service, or result to satisfy a business need.

A record of product requirements and other product information, along with whatever is recorded to manage it.

A component of the project or program management plan that describes how requirements will be analyzed, documented, and managed.

A grid that links product requirements from their origin to the deliverables that satisfy them.

A provision in the project management plan to mitigate cost and/or schedule risk, often used with a modifier (e.g., management reserve, contingency reserve) to provide further detail on what types of risk are meant to be mitigated.

A method used to evaluate the amount of risk on the project and the amount of schedule and budget reserve to determine whether the reserve is sufficient for the remaining risk.

A hierarchical representation of resources by category and type.

A component of the project management plan that describes how project resources are acquired, allocated, monitored, and controlled.

A grid that shows the project resources assigned to each work package.

An output from performing project management processes and activities. See also deliverable.

A regularly occurring workshop in which participants explore their work and results in order to improve both process and product.

Action taken to bring a defective or nonconforming component into compliance with requirements or specifications.

An uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on one or more project objectives.

A risk response strategy whereby the project team decides to acknowledge the risk and not take any action unless the risk occurs.

The degree of uncertainty an organization or individual is willing to accept in anticipation of a reward.

A risk response strategy whereby the project team acts to eliminate the threat or protect the project from its impact.

A hierarchical representation of potential sources of risks.

A risk response strategy whereby the project team acts to increase the probability of occurrence or impact of an opportunity.

A risk response strategy whereby the team acknowledges that a risk is outside of its sphere of influence and shifts the ownership of the risk to a higher level of the organization where it is more effectively managed.

A risk response strategy whereby the project team acts to ensure that an opportunity occurs.

An aggregate measure of the potential impact of all risks at any given point in time in a project, program, or portfolio.

A component of the project, program, or portfolio management plan that describes how risk management activities will be structured and performed.

A risk response strategy whereby the project team acts to decrease the probability of occurrence or impact of a threat.

A repository in which outputs of risk management processes are recorded.

A project document that summarizes information on individual project risks and the level of overall project risk.

A risk response strategy whereby the project team allocates ownership of an opportunity to a third party who is best able to capture the benefit of that opportunity.

The measure of acceptable variation around an objective that reflects the risk appetite of the organization and stakeholders. See also risk appetite.

A risk response strategy whereby the project team shifts the impact of a threat to a third party, together with ownership of the response.

A high-level time line that depicts such things as milestones, significant events, reviews, and decision points.

An iterative planning method in which the work to be accomplished in the near term is planned in detail, while the work in the future is planned at a higher level.

An analytical method used to determine the basic underlying reason that causes a variance or a defect or a risk.

A graph that displays cumulative costs over a specified period of time. 

Sandbagging is the practice of deliberately understating or underestimating how long a task will take to complete.

A graph that shows the relationship between two variables.

The approved version of a schedule model that can be changed using formal change control procedures and is used as the basis for comparison to actual results.

A method used to shorten the schedule duration without reducing the project scope.

Estimates or predictions of conditions and events in the project’s future based on information and knowledge available at the time the schedule is calculated.

A component of the project or program management plan that establishes the criteria and the activities for developing, monitoring, and controlling the schedule.

A representation of the plan for executing the project’s activities including durations, dependencies, and other planning information, used to produce a project schedule along with other scheduling artifacts.

A measure of schedule efficiency expressed as the ratio of earned value to planned value.

A measure of schedule performance expressed as the difference between the earned value and the planned value.

The sum of the products, services, and results to be provided as a project. See also project scope and product scope.

The approved version of a scope statement, work breakdown structure (WBS), and its associated WBS dictionary that can be changed using formal change control procedures and is used as the basis for comparison to actual results.

The uncontrolled expansion to product or project scope without adjustments to time, cost, and resources.

A component of the project or program management plan that describes how the scope will be defined, developed, monitored, controlled, and validated. 

An agile framework for developing and sustaining complex products, with specific roles, events, and artifacts.

An information radiator that is utilized to manage the product and sprint backlogs and show the flow of work and its bottlenecks.

The coach of the development team and process owner in the Scrum framework. Removes obstacles, facilitates productive events and defends the team from disruptions.

Describes the combination of development team, scrum master, and product owner used in Scrum.

A management framework that emerges when teams employ Scrum as the chosen way of working and use the Kanban Method as a lens through which to view, understand, and continuously improve how they work.

A cross-functional team in which people fluidly assume leadership as needed to achieve the team’s objectives.

An analysis method to determine which individual project risks or other sources of uncertainty have the most potential impact on project outcomes by correlating variations in project outcomes with variations in elements of a quantitative risk analysis model. 

The practice of leading through service to the team, by focusing on understanding and addressing the needs and development of team members in order to enable the highest possible team performance.

An analytical method that models the combined effect of uncertainties to evaluate their potential impact on objectives. 

An estimating method that involves using data to calculate a single value which reflects a best guess estimate.

See Team Charter.

See Statement Of Work.

A precise statement of the needs to be satisfied and the essential characteristics that are required.

See Schedule Performance Index

A short time interval within a project, usually of fixed length, during which a team conducts research or prototypes an aspect of a solution to prove its viability.

A person or group who provides resources and support for the project, program, or portfolio and is accountable for enabling success.

A short time interval within a project during which a usable and potentially releasable increment of the product is created. See also iteration. 

A list of work items identified by the Scrum team to be completed during the Scrum sprint.

A collaborative event in Scrum in which the Scrum team plans the work for the current sprint.

See Iteration Review.

An individual, group, or organization that may affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of a project, program, or portfolio. 

A method of systematically gathering and analyzing quantitative and qualitative information to determine whose interests should be taken into account throughout the project. 

A matrix that compares current and desired stakeholder engagement levels. 

A component of the project management plan that identifies the strategies and actions required to promote productive involvement of stakeholders in project or program decision making and execution.

A project document that includes information about project stakeholders including an assessment and classification of project stakeholders.

A narrative description of products, services, or results to be delivered by the project.

A regularly scheduled meeting to exchange and analyze information about the current progress of the project and its performance.

A report on the current status of the project.

An advisory body of senior stakeholders who provide direction and support for the project team and make decisions outside the project team’s authority.

A unit used to estimate the relative level of effort needed to implement a user story.

A high-level document that explains an organization’s vision and mission plus the approach that will be adopted to achieve this mission and vision, including the specific goals and objectives to be achieved during the period covered by the document.

A phenomenon where people delay doing things until right before a deadline.

See Schedule Variance

A technique in which multiple team members focus collectively on resolving a specific impediment.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, And Threats

Analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of an organization, project, or option.

See Time And Materials Contract

Personal knowledge that can be difficult to articulate and share such as beliefs, experience, and insights.

The deliberate adaptation of approach, governance, and processes to make them more suitable for the given environment and the work at hand.

A visual representation of the progress of the planned work that allows everyone to see the status of the tasks.

A document that records the team values, agreements, and operating guidelines, as well as establishes clear expectations regarding acceptable behavior by project team members. Also known as a Social Contract.

The deferred cost of work not done at an earlier point in the product life cycle.

A document describing deliverables that will be tested, tests that will be conducted, and the processes that will be used in testing.

A risk that would have a negative effect on one or more project objectives.

A type of Multipoint Estimating that uses three distinct estimates (optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely) to develop more realistic and reliable estimates, accounting for uncertainty and variability.

A predetermined value of a measurable project variable that represents a limit that requires action to be taken if it is reached.

A type of contract that is a hybrid contractual arrangement containing aspects of both cost-reimbursable and fixed-price contracts.

A short, fixed period of time in which work is to be completed.

The quantified description of acceptable variation for a quality requirement.

An analytical method that uses mathematical models to forecast future outcomes based on historical results.

A type of three-point estimating that considers estimation uncertainty and risk.

A brief description of an outcome for a specific user, which is a promise for a conversation to clarify details.

A visual practice for organizing work into a useful model to help understand the sets of high- value features to be created over time, identify omissions in the backlog, and effectively plan releases that deliver value to users.

See Variance At Completion

The assurance that a product, service, or result meets the needs of the customer and other identified stakeholders. See also verification.

The worth, importance, or usefulness of something.

The value of a product or service that an organization communicates to its customers.

A quantifiable deviation, departure, or divergence away from a known baseline or expected value.

A method for determining the cause and degree of difference between the baseline and actual performance.

A projection of the amount of budget deficit or surplus, expressed as the difference between the budget at completion and the estimate at completion.

A measure of a team’s productivity rate at which the deliverables are produced, validated, and accepted within a predefined interval.

A chart that tracks the rate at which the deliverables are produced, validated, and accepted within a predefined interval.

The evaluation of whether or not a product, service, or result complies with a regulation, requirement, specification, or imposed condition. See also validation.

A group of people with a shared goal who work in different locations and who engage with each other primarily through phone and other electronic communications.

A summarized, high-level description about the expectations for a product such as target market, users, major benefits, and what differentiates the product from others in the market.

See Work Breakdown Structure

A document that provides detailed deliverable, activity, and scheduling information about each component in the work breakdown structure.

The process of evaluating scenarios in order to predict their effect on project objectives.

An estimating method in which subject matter experts go through multiple rounds of producing estimates individually, with a team discussion after each round, until a consensus is achieved.

A hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables.

The work defined at the lowest level of the work breakdown structure for which cost and duration are estimated and managed.