Project Management Definitions

Flashcards of key project management terms and definitions.

Change Control System

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

Change Log

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

Change Management

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

Change Request

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

Check Sheet

A tally sheet that can be used as a checklist when gathering data.

Closing Process Group

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

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.

Complexity

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

Confirmation Bias

A type of cognitive bias that confirms preexisting beliefs or hypotheses.

Conformance

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

Constraint

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

Contingency

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

Contingency Reserve

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

Continuous Delivery

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

Contract

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

Control

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.

Control Chart

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.

Cost Baseline

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.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

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