Project Management Institute glossary

Key Project Management Institute certification terms and acronyms.

Definitions are AI-assisted and reviewed for general accuracy — verify critical details against Project Management Institute's official documentation.

ACActual Cost
The realized cost incurred for work performed on an activity during a specific time period.
ACActual Cost
The realized cost incurred for work performed on a project activity during a specific time period.
Agile
An iterative, incremental project delivery approach that emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and customer feedback over rigid planning.
Agile
An iterative and incremental project management approach that emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and delivering value in short cycles.
Agile
An iterative approach to project delivery that emphasizes collaboration, customer feedback, and small, rapid releases over rigid upfront planning.
Agile Manifesto
A 2001 document signed by 17 practitioners that defines four values and twelve principles underpinning Agile software development.
BACBudget at Completion
The total authorized budget for the project or work component, representing the total planned value.
Baseline
The approved version of a scope, schedule, or cost plan that can be changed only through formal change control procedures.
Baseline
The approved version of a project plan component (scope, schedule, or cost) used as a reference for measuring performance.
Burndown Chart
A graphical representation showing remaining work versus time within an iteration or release, used to track progress toward completion.
CCBChange Control Board
A formally chartered group responsible for reviewing and approving or rejecting change requests to project baselines.
Change Control
A formal process for reviewing, approving, and managing changes to project documents, deliverables, or baselines.
Change Control
A formal process for reviewing, approving, or rejecting proposed modifications to project scope, schedule, cost, or other baselines.
CIContinuous Integration
A practice where team members frequently merge code changes into a shared repository, triggering automated builds and tests to detect integration errors quickly.
CPICost Performance Index
A measure of cost efficiency calculated as Earned Value divided by Actual Cost; values below 1.0 indicate a cost overrun.
CPICost Performance Index
An EVM metric calculated as EV divided by AC; a value below 1.0 indicates the project is over budget.
CPMCritical Path Method
A schedule network analysis technique that identifies the longest path of dependent activities, determining the minimum project duration.
CPMCritical Path Method
A schedule network analysis technique that identifies the longest path of dependent activities, determining the shortest possible project duration.
DoDDefinition of Done
A shared agreement among the team that specifies the criteria a work item must meet before it is considered complete and releasable.
EACEstimate at Completion
A forecast of the expected total cost of completing all project work, calculated using various EVM formulas.
EEFEnterprise Environmental Factors
Internal and external conditions not under the project team's control that can influence, constrain, or direct the project outcome.
EEFEnterprise Environmental Factors
Conditions not under the project team's control that influence, constrain, or direct the project, such as culture or regulations.
EVEarned Value
The measure of work performed expressed in terms of the budget authorized for that work at a given point in time.
EVEarned Value
The measure of work performed expressed in terms of the authorized budget assigned to that completed work.
EVMEarned Value Management
An integrated methodology for measuring project performance and progress by combining scope, schedule, and cost data.
EVMEarned Value Management
A project performance measurement technique that integrates scope, schedule, and cost to provide objective measures of progress and forecast outcomes.
EVMEarned Value Management
An integrated methodology for measuring project performance by comparing planned value, earned value, and actual cost.
Float
The amount of time a schedule activity can be delayed or extended without delaying the project finish date or violating a schedule constraint.
Float
The amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project finish date (total float) or a successor activity (free float).
Kanban
A visual workflow management method that limits work-in-progress to improve flow and expose bottlenecks in a process.
Kanban
A visual workflow management method that limits work in progress and improves flow by displaying tasks on a board with columns representing stages.
Lean
A philosophy focused on maximizing customer value while minimizing waste by continuously improving processes and eliminating non-value-adding activities.
Lessons Learned
Knowledge gained during a project that documents what worked, what did not, and recommendations for improving future projects.
Monte Carlo
A quantitative risk analysis simulation technique that models thousands of scenarios to produce probability distributions for cost and schedule outcomes.
MoSCoWMust Have, Should Have, Could Have, Won't Have
A prioritization technique that categorizes requirements into four groups to help teams agree on what to deliver within a given timeframe.
MVPMinimum Viable Product
The smallest version of a product that delivers sufficient value to early users and enables the team to collect validated learning for further development.
OPAOrganizational Process Assets
Plans, processes, policies, procedures, and knowledge bases specific to and used by the performing organization.
OPAOrganizational Process Assets
Plans, processes, policies, procedures, and knowledge bases specific to and used by an organization to influence project execution.
Osmotic Communication
The passive absorption of project information by team members through proximity, such as overhearing conversations in a co-located workspace.
PDMPrecedence Diagramming Method
A schedule network diagramming technique that uses nodes to represent activities and arrows to show logical dependencies between them.
PERTProgram Evaluation and Review Technique
A three-point estimating technique using optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic estimates to calculate a weighted average activity duration.
Planning Poker
A consensus-based estimation technique where team members simultaneously reveal individual estimates using cards, then discuss differences to reach agreement.
PMBOKProject Management Body of Knowledge
PMI's foundational guide documenting standard terminology, processes, and best practices for project management.
PMBOKProject Management Body of Knowledge
PMI's foundational guide documenting standard terminology, processes, and best practices for project management.
Product Backlog
An ordered list of all work items, features, and requirements for a product, maintained and prioritized by the Product Owner.
Project Charter
A document issued by the project sponsor that formally authorizes the project and grants the project manager authority to apply resources.
PVPlanned Value
The authorized budget assigned to scheduled work; the budgeted amount for work planned to be accomplished by a specific date.
PVPlanned Value
The authorized budget assigned to scheduled work; represents what should have been accomplished by a specific point in time.
RACIResponsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed
A responsibility assignment matrix that maps project roles to tasks, clarifying who does, owns, advises, or receives updates on work.
RACIResponsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed
A type of RAM that assigns one of four participation roles to each stakeholder for every project activity or deliverable.
RAMResponsibility Assignment Matrix
A grid that maps project roles to WBS work packages, clarifying who is responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed.
Retrospective
A regularly scheduled meeting held at the end of an iteration where the team inspects its process and identifies improvements for the next iteration.
Risk Register
A document that records identified risks, their probability, impact, priority, owners, and planned responses throughout the project.
Risk Register
A project document used to record identified risks, their analysis results, and planned risk responses.
SAFeScaled Agile Framework
A configurable framework for scaling Agile practices across large enterprises, organizing teams into Agile Release Trains aligned to a Program Increment.
Scope Creep
The uncontrolled expansion of project scope without corresponding adjustments to time, cost, or resources.
Scope Creep
The uncontrolled expansion of project scope without corresponding adjustments to time, cost, or resources.
Scrum
An Agile framework that organizes work into fixed-length iterations called Sprints, with defined roles including Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Development Team.
Scrum
An Agile framework that organizes work into fixed-length iterations called Sprints, with defined roles including Scrum Master and Product Owner.
SOWStatement of Work
A narrative description of products, services, or results to be delivered by the project, used in procurement.
SPISchedule Performance Index
An EVM metric calculated as EV divided by PV; a value below 1.0 indicates the project is behind schedule.
SPISchedule Performance Index
A measure of schedule efficiency calculated as Earned Value divided by Planned Value; values below 1.0 indicate a schedule delay.
Spike
A time-boxed research or investigation task used to gain knowledge needed to reduce uncertainty before estimating or implementing a user story.
Sprint
A fixed-length iteration in Scrum, typically one to four weeks, during which the team completes a potentially shippable product increment.
Stakeholder
Any individual, group, or organization that may affect, be affected by, or perceive themselves to be affected by a project.
Stakeholder
An individual, group, or organization that may affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a project decision or outcome.
Story Points
A relative unit of measure used in Agile estimation to express the size, complexity, and effort of a user story compared to others.
TDDTest-Driven Development
An XP practice in which developers write automated tests before writing the production code that makes those tests pass.
User Story
A short, informal description of a feature written from the end-user perspective, typically following the format: As a [user], I want [goal], so that [benefit].
Value Stream
The sequence of activities required to deliver a product or service to a customer, including both value-adding and non-value-adding steps.
Velocity
A measure of the amount of work a team completes in a single iteration, commonly expressed in story points, used for forecasting future delivery.
WBSWork Breakdown Structure
A hierarchical decomposition of the total project scope into manageable components called work packages.
WBSWork Breakdown Structure
A hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish project objectives.
WIPWork In Progress
The number of work items currently being actively worked on; Kanban systems set WIP limits to prevent overloading the team.
XPExtreme Programming
An Agile software development methodology emphasizing technical practices such as test-driven development, pair programming, and continuous integration.