Activity - For the purposes of the
TenStep Project Management Process, an
activity is the smallest unit of work identified on the project workplan.
(In other methodologies, an activity may be broken down even further into
tasks.)
Assumption - There may be external
circumstances or events that must occur for the project to be successful. If
you believe such an event is likely to happen, then it would be an
assumption (contrast with the definition of a risk). If an event is within
the control of the project team, such as having testing complete by a
certain date, it is not an assumption. It is part of the approach. If an
event has a 100% chance of occurring, it not an assumption, since there is
not 'likelihood' or risk involved. It is just a fact. Examples of
assumptions might be that 'budgets and resources will be available when
needed ...' or 'the new software release will be available for use by the
time the Construct Phase begins'. This is a simple definition for an
assumption. For a more precise definition and further information see
7.1.3 Manage Risks / Assumptions.
Client - The person or group that is the direct
beneficiary of a project or service. They are the people for whom the
project is being undertaken (indirect beneficiaries are probably
stakeholders). If the persons or group are internal within your company, the
TenStep process refers to them as "clients". If they are external, the
TenStep process refers to them as "customers".
Constraints – Constraints are limitations that
are outside the control of the project team and need to be managed around.
They are not necessarily problems and they are not necessarily even risks.
However, the project manager should be aware of constraints because they
refer to limitations that the project must execute within. Date constraints,
for instance, imply that certain events (perhaps the end of the project)
must occur by certain dates. Resources are almost always a constraint since
they are not available in an unlimited supply. For instance, once your
project budget is set, it becomes a constraint that the project must live
within.
Critical Path – This is the sequence of
activities that must be completed on schedule for the entire project to be
completed on schedule. It is the longest duration path through the workplan.
If an activity on the critical path is delayed by one day, the entire
project will be delayed by one day (unless another activity on the critical
path can be accelerated by one day).
Critical Success Factor - A critical success
factor is any event that must occur for the project to meet its goals and
objectives.
Customer - The person or group that is the
direct beneficiary of a project or service. The people for whom the project
is being undertaken (indirect beneficiaries are probably stakeholders). If
the persons or group are internal within your company, the TenStep process
refers to them as "clients". If they are external, the TenStep process
refers to them as "customers".
Deliverable - A deliverable is any tangible
outcome that is produced by the project. These can be documents, plans,
computer systems, buildings, aircraft, etc. Internal deliverables are
produced as a consequence of executing the project, and are usually only
needed by the project team. External deliverables are those that are created
for clients and stakeholders.
Functional Manager - The functional manager is
the person that you report to within your functional organization.
Typically, he or she is the person that does your performance review. The
project manager may also be a functional manager, but he or she does not
have to be. If your project manager is different from your functional
manager, your organization is probably utilizing matrix management.
Gantt chart - A gantt chart is a bar chart that
depicts activities as blocks over time. The beginning and end of the block
correspond to the beginning and end-date of the activity.
Issue - An issue is a major problem that will
impede the progress of the project and cannot be resolved by the project
manager and project team without outside help
Lifecycle - This term refers to the process
used to build and support the deliverables produced by the project. (Since a
project has a start date and end-date, the long-term support of a solution
is usually performed after the project is completed.) For software
development, the entire lifecycle might consist of planning, analysis,
design, construct/test, implementation and support.
Milestone - A milestone is a scheduling event
that signifies the completion of a major deliverable or a set of related
deliverables. A milestone, by definition, has duration of zero and no
effort. There is no work associated with a milestone. It is a flag in the
workplan to signify that some other work has completed. Usually a milestone
is used as a project checkpoint to validate how the project is progressing
and revalidate the remaining work. They are also used as high-level
snapshots for management to validate the progress of the project. In many
cases there is a decision that needs to be made at a milestone. Milestones
are not usually based on the calendar. They are usually based on the
completion of one or more deliverables.
Objective - A concrete statement describing what
the project is trying to achieve. The objective should be written at a low
level, so that it can be evaluated at the conclusion of a project to see
whether it was achieved or not. A well-worded objective will be Specific,
Measurable, Attainable/Achievable, Realistic and Timebound
(SMART). See 1.3.1 Define the Work / Goals and Objectives for more
information.
Program - A program is the umbrella structure
established to manage a series of related projects. The program does not
produce any project deliverables. The project teams produce them all. The
purpose of the program is to provide overall direction and guidance, make
sure the related projects are communicating effectively, provide a central
point of contact and focus for the client and the project teams and
determine how individual projects should be defined to ensure all the work
gets completed successfully.
Program Manager - The person with authority to
manage a program. (Note that this is a role. The program manager may also be
responsible for one or more of the projects within the program. They would
be project manager on those projects as well as overall program manager.)
The program manager leads the overall planning and management of the
program. All project managers within the program report to the program
manager.
Project - A structure to complete a specific
defined deliverable or set of deliverables. A project has a specific begin
date and end-date, specific objectives and specific resources assigned to
perform the work. A project manager has overall responsibility and authority
over a project. When the objectives are met, the project is considered
complete. See 1.0.1 What is a Project? for more information.
Project Manager - The person with authority to
manage a project. This includes leading the planning and the development of
all project deliverables. The project manager is responsible for managing
the budget and workplan and all Project Management Procedures (scope
management, issues management, risk management, etc.). See 1.0.2 Role of a
Project Manager.
Project Phase - A phase is
major logical grouping of work on a project. A phase also represents the
completion of a major deliverable or set of related deliverables. On an IS
development project logical phases might be planning, analysis, design,
construct (including testing) and implementation
Project Team - The project team consists of the
full-time and part-time resources assigned to work on the deliverables of
the project. They are responsible for
-
Understanding the work to be completed
-
Planning
out the assigned activities in more detail if needed.
-
Completing assigned work within the budget, timeline and quality
expectations
-
Informing
the project manager of issues, scope changes, risk and quality concerns
-
Proactively communicating status and managing expectations
The project team can consist of human resources within
one functional organization or it can consist of members from many different
functional organizations. A cross-functional team has members from multiple
organizations. Having a cross-functional team is usually a sign of your
organization utilizing matrix management.
Risk - There may be external circumstances or
events that must not occur for the project to be successful. If you
believe such an event is likely to happen, then it would be a risk.
(Contrast with the definition of an assumption.) Identifying something as a
risk increases its visibility, and allows a proactive Risk Management Plan
to be put into place. This is a simple definition of a project risk. A more
precise definition is available in step 7.0 Manage Risks.
Scope - Scope is the way that you describe the
boundaries of the project. It defines what the project will deliver and what
it will not deliver. For larger projects, it can include the organizations
affected, the transactions affected, the data types included, etc. See 5.1.1
Defining Scope for more information.
Service Level Agreement (SLA) - An SLA is an agreement
concerning a measurable level of service between the service provider and
the service receiver.
Sponsor (Executive Sponsor and Project Sponsor)
- The person who has ultimate authority over the project. The Executive
Sponsor provides project funding, resolves issues and scope changes,
approves major deliverables and provides high-level direction. He or she
also champions the project within their organization. Depending on the
project, and the organizational level of the Executive Sponsor, he or she
may delegate day-to-day tactical management to a project sponsor. If
assigned, the project sponsor represents the Executive Sponsor on a
day-to-day basis, and makes most of the decisions requiring sponsor
approval. If the decision is large enough, the project sponsor will take it
to the Executive Sponsor.
Stakeholder - Specific people or groups who have
a stake in the outcome of the project. Normally stakeholders are from within
the company and could include internal clients, management, employees,
administrators, etc. A project may also have external stakeholders,
including suppliers, investors, community groups and government
organization.
Standard -
A standard is a required approach for
conducting an activity or task, utilizing a product, etc. Many times a
standard is a best practice that must be followed to have a better chance of
overall success.
Steering Committee - A Steering Committee is
usually a group of high-level stakeholders that are responsible for
providing guidance on overall strategic direction. They do not take the
place of a Sponsor, but help to spread the strategic input and buy-in to a
larger portion of the organization. The Steering Committee is usually made
up of organizational peers, and is a combination of direct clients and
indirect stakeholders.
Template - Templates are pre-existing forms that
include standard text and spaces to fill-in-the-blanks with standard
information. Templates saves time since each person does not have to create
the document format on their own. Templates also allow information to be
presented in standardized and recognizable formats for the reader.
