Advice for the Project Management Professional (PMP)

Licensed to:
earned value management (EVM) — A project
performance measurement technique that integrates
scope, time, and cost data.
effort — The number of workdays or work
hours required to complete a task.
empathic listening — The process of listening
with the intent to understand by putting yourself
in the shoes of the other person.
estimate at completion (EAC) — A forecast of
how much the project will cost upon completion.
ethics — A set of principles that guide our
decision making based on personal values of
what is “right” and “wrong.”
executing processes — The actions that
involve coordinating people and other
resources to carry out the project plans and
produce the deliverables of the project.
external dependencies — The dependencies
that involve relationships between project and
nonproject activities.
extrinsic motivation — A motivation that
causes people to do something for a reward or
to avoid a penalty.
fallback plans — The plans that are developed
for risks that have a high impact on meeting
project objectives, and are put into effect if
attempts to reduce the risk are not effective.
fast tracking — A schedule compression technique
where you do activities in parallel that
you would normally do in sequence.
feeding buffers — Additional time added
before tasks on the critical path that are preceded
by non-critical-path tasks.
fitness for use — The ability of a product to be
used as it was intended.
fixed-price or lump-sum contract — A type of
contract that involves a fixed price for a welldefined
product or service.
flowcharts — The graphic displays of the logic
and flow of processes that help you analyze
how problems occur and how processes can be
improved.
forcing mode — The conflict-handling mode
that involves exerting one’s viewpoint at the
potential expense of another viewpoint.
forecasts — The reports that predict future
project status and progress based on past information
and trends.
Gantt charts — A standard format for displaying
project schedule information by listing
project activities and their corresponding start
and finish dates in a calendar format.
groupthink — The conformance to the values
or ethical standards of a group.
histogram — A bar graph of a distribution of
variables.
initiating processes — The actions to begin or
end projects and project phases.
integrated change control — The process of
identifying, evaluating, and managing changes
throughout the project’s life cycle.
internal rate of return (IRR) — The discount
rate that results in an NPV of zero for a
project.
intrinsic motivation — A motivation that
causes people to participate in an activity for
their own enjoyment.
issue — A matter under question or dispute
that could impede project success.
issue log — A tool used to document and
monitor the resolution of project issues.
key performance indicator (KPI) — A criterion
used to determine whether the outcome
associated with a capability exists, or the
degree to which it exists.
kick-off meeting — A meeting held at the
beginning of a project so that stakeholders can
meet each other, review the goals of the
project, and discuss future plans.
leader — A person who focuses on long-term
goals and big-picture objectives, while inspiring
people to reach those goals.
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Glossary