Application Area
A category of projects that have common components significant in such projects, but are not needed or present in all projects. Application areas are usually defined in terms of either the product (i.e., by similar technologies or production methods) or the type of customer (i.e., internal versus external, government versus commercial) or industry sector (i.e., internal versus external, government versus commercial) or industry sector (i.e., utilities, automotive, aerospace, information technologies). Application areas can overlap.
Close Project [Process]
The process of finalizing all activities across all of the project process groups to formally close the project or phase.
Composite Organizations
Organizations that contain elements of functional, matrix and/or projectized structures. Such as, having a project management office (PMO) within a clearly hierarchical organization combines elements of functional and projectized structures, making this a "composite" organization.
Decomposition [Technique]
A planning technique that subdivides the project scope and project deliverables into smaller, more manageable components, until the project work associated with accomplishing the project scope and providing the deliverables is defined in sufficient detail to support executing, monitoring, and controlling the work.
Fast Tracking [Technique]
A specific project schedule compression technique that changes network logic to overlap phases that would normally be done in sequence, such as the design phase and construction phase, or to perform schedule activities in parallel. See schedule compression and see also crashing.
Functional Organization
A hierarchical organization where each employee has one clear superior, staff are grouped by areas of specialization, and managed by a person with expertise in that area.
Integrated Change Control [Process]
The process of reviewing all change requests, approving changes and controlling changes to deliverables and organizational process assets.
Matrix Organization
Any organizational structure in which the project manager shares responsibility with the functional managers for assigning priorities and for directing the work of persons assigned to the project.
Non-project-based organizations
These organizations are comprised of clear hierarchical units assigned to specialized work functions. This structure is often called "functional" and by itself does not provide an effective environment for practicing project management.
Portfolio Management [Technique]
The centralized management of one or more portfolios, which includes identifying, prioritizing, authorizing, managing, and controlling projects, programs, and other related work, to achieve specific strategic business objectives.
Product Life Cycle
A collection of generally sequential, non-overlapping product phases* whose name and number are determined by the manufacturing and control needs of the organization. The last product life cycle phase for a product is generally the product’s
deterioration and death. Generally, a project life cycle is contained within one or more product life cycles.
Program Management
The centralized coordinated management of a program to achieve the program’s strategic objectives and benefits.
Progressive Elaboration
Continuously improving and detailing a plan as more detailed and specific information and more accurate estimates become available as the project progresses, and thereby producing more accurate and complete plans that result from the successive iterations of the planning process.
Project
A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result.
Project Charter [Output/Input]
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.
Project Life Cycle
A collection of generally sequential project phases whose name and number are determined by the control needs of the organization or organizations involved in the project. A life cycle can be documented with a methodology.
Project Management
The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to meet project requirements.
Project Management Office (PMO)
An organizational body or entity assigned various responsibilities related to the centralized and coordinated management of those projects under its domain. The responsibilities of a PMO can range from providing project management support functions to actually being responsible for the direct management of a project. See also program management office.
Project Management Plan [Output/Input]
A formal, approved document that defines how the projected is executed, monitored and controlled. It may be summary or detailed and may be composed of one or more subsidiary management plans and other planning documents.
Project Management System [Tool]
The aggregation of the processes, tools, techniques, methodologies, resources, and procedures to manage a project. The system is documented in the project management plan and its content will vary depending upon the application area, organizational influence, complexity of the project, and the availability of existing systems. A project management system, which can be formal or informal, aids a project manager in effectively guiding a project to completion. A project management system is a set of processes and the related monitoring and control functions that are consolidated and combined into a functioning, unified whole.
Project-based organizations
Organizations that manage their work as discrete "projects" according to the principles and methodology of project management. Some of these organizations manage their work as projects in order to derive more profit or they have determined that "management by projects" is more effective even in a programmatic or operational setting.
Projectized Organization
Any organizational structure in which the project manager has full authority to assign priorities, apply resources, and direct the work of persons assigned to the project.
Regulation
Requirements imposed by a governmental body. These requirements can establish product, process or service characteristics—including applicable administrative provisions—that have government–mandated compliance.
Scope Creep
inching forward of scope to introduce more requirements that are not included in the initial planning of the project whilst maintaining the same time frame and cost for project delivery.
Stakeholders
Person or organization (e.g. customer, sponsor, performing organization, or the public) that is actively involved in the project, or whose interests may be positively or negatively affected by execution or completion of the project. A stakeholder may also exert influence over the project and its deliverables.
Standard
A document established by consensus and approved by a recognized body that provides, for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context.
Subproject
A smaller portion of the overall project created when a project is subdivided into more manageable components or pieces. Subprojects are usually represented in the work breakdown structure. A subproject can be referred to a as a project, managed as a project and acquired from a seller. May be referred to as a subnetwork in a project schedule network diagram.
Triple Constraints
three factors to achieve a project's objectives: scope, time, and cost.
