Project Management & Agile Fundamentals – Lecture Review

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, roles, processes, and concepts from project management, Agile methodologies, scope, schedule, and risk management.

Project

A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result with a definite beginning and end.

Characteristics of a Project

Unique, temporary, goal-oriented, completed when objectives are met or deemed unviable.

Project Management (PMBOK®)

Application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet requirements.

Project Management Components

Scheduling, budgeting, risk, procurement, negotiation, communication, critical thinking, decision-making, data analysis, information systems.

Portfolio

Projects, programs, subsidiary portfolios, and operations managed together to achieve strategic objectives.

Program

A group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to realize benefits not attainable individually.

Operations

Ongoing, repetitive production of goods or services to meet demand and maintain efficiency.

Reasons Projects Exist

Implement strategy, meet regulations, satisfy stakeholders, create/improve/fix products or processes.

Project Management Challenges

Short timelines, limited resources, shifting priorities, unclear expectations, poor scope, change, uncertainties.

Project Success Criteria

Delivered on time, within budget, full scope, meets quality requirements.

Project Management Success

Proper use of tools, skills, and techniques to manage scope, cost, time, and quality constraints.

Common Causes of Project Failure

Undefined objectives, weak sponsor support, misunderstood requirements, poor planning, scope creep, poor communication.

Project Manager (PMBOK®)

Person assigned to lead the team responsible for achieving project objectives.

PM Competency – Application Knowledge

Understanding of the specific industry, department, technology, or specialty field.

PM Competency – Standards & Regulations

Knowledge of laws and guidelines relevant to the project’s sector.

PM Competency – Project Environment

Awareness of social, cultural, international, and physical factors affecting the project.

PM Competency – Technical PM Skills

Planning, scheduling, tailoring methods, defining success factors.

PM Competency – Interpersonal Skills

Communication, leadership, motivation, negotiation, conflict resolution.

Project Lifecycle Phases

Defining, Planning, Executing, Closing – monitored continuously.

Product vs. Project Lifecycle

Project ends when deliverable is accepted; product lifecycle continues through use and maintenance.

Stage Gate

Go/No-Go checkpoint between project phases such as Requirements, Design, Development, Testing, Deployment, Maintenance.

PMBOK® 49 Processes

Complete set of activities from initiation to closing, grouped by Process Groups and Knowledge Areas.

Process Groups

Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, Closing.

Knowledge Areas (10)

Integration, Scope, Schedule, Cost, Quality, Resource, Communications, Procurement, Risk, Stakeholder.

Development Approach

Structured method (predictive, adaptive, etc.) chosen to plan, execute, and deliver a project.

Predictive (Waterfall) Approach

Fixed scope, budget, and schedule defined upfront; sequential phases.

Iterative Approach

Solution evolves through repeated cycles, refining based on feedback each iteration.

Incremental Approach

Product built and delivered in successive functional pieces that cumulatively add value.

Adaptive (Change-Driven) Approach

Requirements evolve; plans adapt throughout the project—common in IT and high-volatility markets.

Hybrid Approach

Combines predictive and adaptive methods to suit different parts of a project.

Agile Manifesto

Core values favoring individuals, working software, customer collaboration, and responding to change.

Incremental Delivery of Value

Providing usable product segments early and often to gain feedback quickly.

Iterative Delivery of Value

Continuous improvement of the product through repeated plan-do-check-adjust cycles.

Agile Coin Game

Class activity illustrating faster feedback with incremental delivery versus batch delivery.

Agile Ball Point Game

Exercise demonstrating iterative estimation, execution, reflection, and adjustment.

Predictive vs. Agile Comparison

Predictive: fixed scope, sequential; Agile: evolving scope, iterative cycles.

Agile

Set of principles emphasizing adaptive planning, early delivery, continuous improvement, and teamwork.

Product Owner

Agile role that defines and prioritizes the product backlog to maximize value.

Scrum Master

Facilitates Scrum, removes impediments, ensures adherence to Agile practices.

Development Team (Agile)

Cross-functional group that builds working product increments.

Sprint Planning

Meeting where scope and tasks for the upcoming sprint are agreed upon.

Daily Stand-up

15-minute daily meeting to share progress, plans, and blockers.

Sprint Review

End-of-sprint demo to stakeholders for feedback and alignment.

Sprint Retrospective

Team reflection session to identify improvements for the next sprint.

Backlog Refinement

Ongoing process of reviewing and reprioritizing product backlog items.

Product Backlog

Prioritized list of features, fixes, and enhancements owned by the Product Owner.

Iteration

Complete cycle of planning, development, and review that yields a product increment.

Sprint

Time-boxed iteration (2–4 weeks) in which work is completed and reviewed.

User Story

Short statement of user need: “As a [user], I want [feature] so that [benefit].”

Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

Simplest product version that delivers value and enables early feedback.

Work in Progress (WIP)

Tasks started but not finished; limited in Kanban to improve flow.

Agile Principle – Customer Value

Deliver valuable software early and continuously.

Agile Principle – Welcome Change

Embrace changing requirements even late in development.

Agile Principle – Frequent Delivery

Deliver working software frequently, from weeks to months.

Agile Principle – Collaboration

Business people and developers must work together daily.

Agile Principle – Motivated Individuals

Build projects around motivated people and trust them to get the job done.

Agile Principle – Face-to-Face

Most effective communication is face-to-face conversation.

Agile Principle – Working Software

Primary measure of progress is working software.

Agile Principle – Sustainable Pace

Promote a constant, sustainable development pace.

Agile Principle – Technical Excellence

Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design.

Agile Principle – Simplicity

Maximize the amount of work not done—simplicity is essential.

Agile Principle – Self-Organizing Teams

Best architectures and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.

Agile Principle – Regular Reflection

Teams reflect and tune behavior periodically for effectiveness.

Scrum

Agile framework with sprints, defined roles, and ceremonies for iterative delivery.

Kanban

Visual workflow method with WIP limits to enable continuous delivery.

Extreme Programming (XP)

Agile methodology stressing technical excellence, pair programming, and TDD.

Lean Software Development

Agile method focused on eliminating waste and maximizing value.

Feature-Driven Development (FDD)

Model-centric Agile method focused on building features in short iterations.

Crystal Methodology

Family of Agile methods tailored by team size, criticality, and priorities.

DSDM (Dynamic Systems Development)

Agile framework emphasizing active user involvement and frequent delivery.

Adaptive Software Development (ASD)

Agile approach focusing on adaptive cycle of speculate, collaborate, learn.

Planning Poker

Consensus-based effort estimation technique using numbered cards.

T-Shirt Size Estimation

Relative estimation using XS to XL sizes for simple task comparison.

Project Initiation

First lifecycle phase to define the project broadly and obtain authorization.

Project Charter

Formal document authorizing the project and outlining objectives, scope, stakeholders, and success criteria.

Project Sponsor

Executive who champions the project, provides resources, and resolves high-level issues.

Stakeholder

Individual or group that may affect or be affected by the project.

Stakeholder Register

Document listing stakeholder details, influence, interest, and impact.

Power/Interest Matrix

Tool that categorizes stakeholders to determine engagement strategies.

Constraint

Limitation on scope, time, cost, resources, or technology.

Assumption

Unverified factor considered true for planning; must be validated.

Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEF)

Internal or external conditions outside the project team’s control.

Organizational Process Assets (OPA)

Templates, guidelines, and historical data available within the organization.

Scope Management Plan

Defines how the project and product scope will be defined and controlled.

Requirements Management Plan

Describes how requirements will be collected, analyzed, and managed.

Collect Requirements

Process of determining and documenting stakeholder needs.

Define Scope

Developing a detailed description of the project and product.

Scope Statement

Comprehensive document of objectives, deliverables, boundaries, and acceptance criteria.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Hierarchical decomposition of total project scope into manageable work packages.

WBS Dictionary

Detailed information for each WBS element, such as activities and responsibilities.

Work Package

Lowest WBS level that can be assigned, estimated, and managed.

Control Account

Management control point above work packages integrating scope, schedule, and cost.

Code of Accounts

Unique identifier assigned to each WBS component for tracking.

Scope Baseline

Approved scope statement, WBS, and WBS dictionary used for comparison.

Validate Scope

Process of formalizing stakeholder acceptance of completed deliverables.

Control Scope

Monitoring status of the project scope and managing changes.

Plan Schedule Management

Defines how the schedule will be developed, monitored, and controlled.

Activity List

Document that identifies all schedule activities for a project.

Schedule Baseline

Approved version of the schedule model used to measure performance.

Finish-to-Start (FS)

Successor cannot start until predecessor finishes—most common dependency.