Chapter 3

Question 1

Assumption

Answer 1

Something that is believed to be true or false but has not yet been proven to be true or false. Assumptions that prove wrong can become risks for the project.

Question 2

Benefits Management Plan

Answer 2

A component of the project management plan that defines how the project will create, maximize, deliver, and sustain the benefits provided by a project or program.

Question 3

Business Case

Answer 3

A document that examines the objectives, cost, benefits, strategic goals, constraints, and assumptions of a project and provides justification for an organization to approve the project.

Question 4

Constraint

Answer 4

A restriction or limitation that affects the project’s ability to meet its objectives and deliver the desired results. Constraints can be internal or external and can impact the project’s scope, schedule, budget, quality, or resources.

Question 5

Cost Baseline

Answer 5

A “time-lapse exposure” of when the project monies are to be spent in relation to cumulative values of the work completed in the project. The cost baseline shows the aggregated costs of all the work packages within the work breakdown structure (WBS).

Question 6

Duration

Answer 6

The amount of time required to complete a project task or activity. It is an estimate of the elapsed time between the start and end of an activity, excluding non-working time such as weekends, holidays, and planned downtime.

Question 7

Epic

Answer 7

In agile, a large body of work that can be broken down into smaller, more manageable tasks, or user stories. Epics are often used to represent a complex feature or functionality that spans multiple teams or sprints.

Question 8

Feasibility Study

Answer 8

An assessment of the practicality of a project or system to uncover the strengths and weaknesses of an existing business or proposed venture objectively and rationally. This is done by analyzing technical, economic, legal, operational and time feasibility factors.

Question 9

Incremental Approach

Answer 9

A software development methodology that breaks down the project into smaller, more manageable increments. Each increment is developed and delivered to the customer as a working product. This allows the customer to get feedback early and often, and to make changes as needed.

Question 10

Issue

Answer 10

An event that has happened, that reoccurs, or that is going to happen that will likely disrupt the project; considered negative; recoverable or can be mitigated in some way.

Question 11

Kaizen

Answer 11

An organizational approach for managing resources. Kaizen posits that small changes in processes are easier to accept and incorporate than large, sweeping changes for the organization or project.

Question 12

Milestone

Answer 12

A significant point or event in the project’s progress that represents an accomplishment in the project. Projects usually create milestones as the result of completing phases within the project.

Question 13

Milestone List

Answer 13

A list that details the schedule milestones and their attributes. It is used for several areas of project planning but also helps determine how quickly the project may be achieving its objectives. The milestone list is in the WBS dictionary.

Question 14

Operations

Answer 14

The processes and activities required to maintain and support the project’s products or services after the project has been completed. Ongoing operations are the means by which the benefits of the project are sustained over time.

Question 15

Portfolio

Answer 15

Projects, programs, subsidiary portfolios, and operations managed as a group to achieve strategic objectives.

Question 16

Product Scope

Answer 16

The characteristics and functions of a product or service. It is a high-level description of what the product will do and how it will work. The product scope is typically defined by the product owner, who is responsible for ensuring that the product meets the needs of the customer.

Question 17

Program

Answer 17

Related projects, subsidiary programs, and program activities that are managed in a coordinated manner to obtain benefits not available from managing them individually.

Question 18

Progressive Elaboration

Answer 18

A process of iteratively defining and planning work to be done on a project. The project manager and the project team start very broadly—typically with a project’s concepts—and then refine the concepts with details, studies, and discussion until a project scope statement is formed.

Question 19

Project

Answer 19

A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. The temporary nature of projects indicates a beginning and an end to the project work or a phase of the project work. Projects can stand alone or be part of a program or portfolio.

Question 20

Project Initiation

Answer 20

The process of defining the purpose, scope, and objectives of a new project and getting it off the ground. It involves defining the problem or opportunity, conducting a feasibility study, identifying stakeholders, defining the project scope, developing a project charter, and obtaining approval to proceed.

Question 21

Project Life Cycle

Answer 21

The series of stages that a project passes through from its initiation to its closure. The project life cycle provides a framework for managing a project, including the definition of the project, the planning and execution of project activities, and the monitoring and control of project performance.

Question 22

RACI Chart

Answer 22

A type of responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) that identifies team members and activities to be completed, and defines whether the team members are responsible, accountable, consulted, or informed. There can be no more than one “A” in each row.

Question 23

Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM)

Answer 23

A table that links the origins of individual product requirements to the expected deliverable that meets those requirements so that the project manager can track requirements throughout the project life cycle. An RTM can trace forward and backward traceability and can be used for scope management.

Question 24

Risk Register

Answer 24

The central repository for all project risk information. It includes the identified risks, the potential responses, the root causes of risks, and any identified categories of risk. It’s updated throughout the project as risk management activities are conducted to reflect the status, progress, and nature of the project risks.

Question 25

Schedule Baseline

Answer 25

An “approved” version of the project schedule that never changes, but new baselines can be set and created. The schedule baseline is the “plan.” A new schedule baseline is created only through the process of an approved change request.

Question 26

Scope Baseline

Answer 26

Includes the project scope statement, the work breakdown structure (WBS), and the WBS dictionary. It defines the scope of the project, the deliverables, and the project objectives. Any changes to the scope must be approved through the project’s change control process.

Question 27

Sprint Planning Meeting

Answer 27

A scrum meeting attended by the product owner, development team, and the scrum master to determine the amount of work that can be accomplished in the sprint based on the prioritized items in the backlog, the duration of the sprint, the complexity of the work, and the size of prioritized requirements. This determination is based on estimates of the items in the product backlog and past sprints. The selected items from the product backlog become the sprint backlog and the goal of the sprint.

Question 28

Sprint Planning Meeting Duration

Answer 28

The sprint planning meeting, at the start of each sprint, should last up to eight hours for a four-week sprint. Shorter sprints will have shorter planning sessions

Question 29

Stakeholder Register

Answer 29

A register of all project stakeholders and information about their interest in the project, the power they have to influence the project, their expectations, and how their expectations will be managed. You can divide the stakeholder register information into four categories: Identification, Assessment, Classification, and Management Strategy.

Question 30

Story Points

Answer 30

In Agile project tracking, story points are used as a relative estimation tool rather than an absolute measurement of time or effort. This allows for greater flexibility and adaptability in the project management process. User story points are assigned to user stories in relation to the size of the user stories. Story points are a subjective measure that considers the complexity, effort, and uncertainty of a task. Story points are a way to estimate the complexity and effort required for individual stories.

Question 31

Triple Constraints of Project Management

Answer 31

See Iron Triangle of Project Management

Question 32

User Story

Answer 32

Used in Scrum, a story of a role utilizing some functionality to get value from the functionality. User stories follow a formula: “As a , I want , so I can realize .” User stories are written from the customer’s perspective and describe a feature of the product you’re creating. User stories are the items kept in the product backlog, are a small chunk of functionality, and generally take up to 40 hours to create. User stories are prioritized by the product owner.

Question 33

Peer Review

Answer 33

A review of a project performed periodically by peers (with similar experience to project personnel), who are independent from the project, to evaluate technical, managerial, cost and scope, and other aspects of the project, as appropriate.

Question 34

Release

Answer 34

A version of the software product that is ready to be deployed to users or customers. A release can contain new features, bug fixes, and improvements that have been developed and tested by the development team.

Question 35

Story Map

Answer 35

A method of arranging user stories to create a more holistic view of how they fit into the overall user experience. It helps teams to understand how users interact with a product or service, from the beginning to the end. Story maps are often used in agile development, but they can be used in any type of project.

Question 36

Story Mapping

Answer 36

A technique used to visually organize and prioritize the user stories or features of a software product. It is a collaborative approach that helps teams to build a shared understanding of the product and its requirements, and to develop a roadmap for the development process.

Question 37

Iron Triangle of Project Management

Answer 37

A theoretical model based on the characteristics of scope, schedule, and cost, which each constitute one side of the triangle. If any side of the Iron Triangle is not in balance with the other sides, the project will suffer. Also known as the Triple Constraints of Project Management, as all projects are constrained by scope, schedule, and cost.

Question 38

Data Model

Answer 38

A visual representation of the data entities, relationships, and attributes that are used to represent a business domain or system. A data model is used to define the structure and format of the data that is stored and processed by an organization or system.

Question 39

Project Charter

Answer 39

The foundational document for the project; provides political and financial support for the project. The project charter is like the birth certificate for a project. You need it to prove the project exists and to provide basic but extremely important information about the project. The information it contains is generally quite high level; it is the first document developed in an iterative process, so it won’t contain enough information to complete a WBS.