CAPM STUDY HALL - Vocab

Acceptance Criteria

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

Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD)

A method of collaboratively creating acceptance test criteria that are used to create acceptance tests before delivery begins

Activity Diagram

A type of process model that visually shows the complex flow of use cases

Activity List

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

Activity

A distinct, scheduled portion of work performed during the course of a project

Actual Cost (AC)

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

Adaptive Approach

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

Affinity Diagram

A group creativity technique that allows large numbers of ideas to be classified into groups for review and analysis

Agile Coach

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

Agile Manifesto

The original and official definition of agile values and principles

Agile Mindset

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

Agile

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

Agile Principles

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

Alternatives Analysis

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

Analogous Estimating

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

Artifact

Any project management processes, inputs, tools, techniques, and outputs that the project management team uses on their specific project

Assumption and Constraint Analysis

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

Assumption Log

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

Assumption

A factor in the planning processes that's considered to be true, real, or certain without proof or demonstration

Authority

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

Backlog

A listing of product requirements and deliverables to be completed, often written as user stories, and prioritized by the business to manage and organize the project's work

Backlog Refinement

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

Baseline

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

Basis of Estimates

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

Benchmarking

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

Brainstorming

A simple technique used to generate a list of ideas It should be led by a facilitator with a group consisting of stakeholders, team members, and subject matter experts

Budget at Completion (BAC)

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

Budget

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

Burndown Chart

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

Burnup Chart

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

Business Analysis

The set of activities performed to support the delivery of solutions that align to business objectives and provide continuous value to the organization

Business Analyst

The role includes documenting business requirements, ensuring alignment with business needs, and facilitating communication among stakeholders and technical teams.

Business Case

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

Business Need

The impetus for a change in an organization, based on an existing problem or opportunity

Business Objective

Measurable representation of the goals the business is seeking to achieve

Business Requirement

A detailed description of the features and functions of a product or service that fulfills a specific need or want, enabling people to perform tasks, gain knowledge, operate, or possess something new or in a new way

Business Rule

A policy, standard, or regulation that constrains or guides how a business operates

Cause and Effect Diagram

A diagram primarily used in root cause analysis (risk and quality) to uncover the causes of risks, problems or issues

Change Control Board (CCB)

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

Change Control Plan

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

Change Management

A comprehensive, cyclic, and structured approach for transitioning individuals, groups, and organizations from a current state to a future state, where they realize desired benefits

Change Request

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

Closing Focus Area

Processes performed to formally complete or close a project, phase, contract, or, in some cases, to terminate a project before completion

Collective Ownership

A project acceleration and collaboration technique whereby any team member is authorized to modify any project work product or deliverable

Colocation

An organizational placement strategy where the project team members are physically located close to one another in order to improve communication, working relationships, and productivity

Communications Management Plan

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

Constraint

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

Continuous Delivery

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

Continuous Integration

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

Cost-Benefit Analysis

A financial analysis method used to determine the benefits of a project against its costs

Cost Management Plan

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

Cost of Quality (COQ)

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

Cost Performance Index (CPI)

A measure of the cost efficiency of budgeted resources expressed as the ratio of earned value (EV) to actual cost (AC)

Cost Variance (CV)

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

Crashing

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

Critical Path Method (CPM)

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

Critical Path

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

Cross-Functional Team

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

Customer Journey Map

A diagram illustrating the phases that customers go through when utilizing a product and their experiences at each point in the process

Daily Coordination Meeting

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 (Previously, this was commonly referred to as a standup meeting)

Dashboard

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

Data

Discrete, unorganized, unprocessed measurements or raw observations

Decision Tree Analysis

A diagramming and calculation method for evaluating the implications of a chain of multiple options in the presence of uncertainty

Decomposition

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

Defect

An imperfection in a project component where that component does not meet its requirements or specifications and needs to be either repaired or replaced

Definition of Done

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

Definition of Ready (DoR)

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

Deliverable

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

Development Approach

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

DevOps

A collection of practices for creating a smooth flow of delivery by improving collaboration between development and operations staff

Disbenefit

A measurable result from an outcome that is perceived as negative by one or more stakeholders

Disciplined Agile (DA)

A process decision framework that enables simplified process decisions around incremental and iterative solution delivery

Earned Value Analysis (EVA)

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

Earned Value (EV)

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

Elicitation

The activity of drawing out information from stakeholders and other sources

Emotional Intelligence

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

Empathy Map

A visualization tool that captures information about a particular type of user; aspects of the user typically captured include what they say, think, do, and feel

Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEF)

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

Epic

A large user story that is too big to construct in an iteration

Estimate at Completion (EAC)

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

Estimate

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

Estimate to Complete (ETC)

The expected cost to finish all the remaining project work

Executing Focus Area

Consists of those processes performed to complete the work in a manner consistent with the integrated baseline, which can and should be changed whenever such a change would enhance the value proposition of the project

Expected Monetary Value (EMV)

The estimated value of an outcome expressed in monetary terms

Expert Judgment

Judgment based upon expertise in a given application area, knowledge area, discipline, or industry

Extreme Programming (XP)

An agile software development method that leads to higher quality software, a greater responsiveness to changing customer requirements, and more frequent releases in shorter cycles

Fast Tracking

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

Feasibility Analysis

A study that produces a potential recommendation to address business needs

Feature-Driven Development (FDD)

A lightweight agile software development method driven from the perspective of features valued by clients

Feature

A set of related requirements typically described by a short phrase

Fixed-Price Contract

An agreement that sets the fee that will be paid for a defined scope of work regardless of the cost or effort to deliver it

Focus Group

An elicitation technique that brings together prequalified stakeholders and subject matter experts to learn about their expectations and attitudes about a proposed product, service, or result

Functionality

In an agile context, an action that the system performs that adds value to the customer/user

Functional Organization

A structure characterized by a clear hierarchy and a division of labor, where each department focuses on a specific area of expertise

Gantt Chart

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

Gap Analysis

A technique for understanding the gap between current capabilities and needed capabilities

Go/No-Go Decision

The process of determining if an initiative should continue or be stopped

Governance

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

Hierarchy Chart

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

Historical Information

Archived information from previous projects that can be used for various reasons, including estimating cost, schedule, resources, and lessons learned