EVM Glossary, M-Q

Refer to this list for definitions of essential earned value management terms submitted by project managers from around the world.

Index: A-E | F-L | M-Q | R-Z

- M -

Management by Project
A term that is gaining popularity, used to describe normal management processes that are being project managed.

Management Development
All aspects of staff planning, recruitment, development, training and assessment.

Management Reserve (MR)
A portion of the Contract Budget Base that is held for management control purposes by the contractor to cover the expense of unanticipated program requirements. It is not a part of the Performance Measurement Baseline. Another term for Management Reserve is Contingency.

Master Schedule
A summary schedule that identifies major activities and milestones.

Material
Property which may be incorporated into or attached to an end item to be delivered under a contract or which may be consumed or expended in the performance of a contract. It includes, but is not limited to raw and processed material, parts, components, assemblies, fuels and lubricants, and small tools and supplies which may be consumed in normal use in the performance of a contract.

Mathematical Analysis
See Network Analysis.

Matrix Organization
An organizational structure where the Project Manager and the Functional Managers share the responsibility of assigning priorities and for directing the work.

Methodology
A documented process for management of projects that contains procedures, definitions and roles and responsibilities.

Mid-Stage Assessment
An assessment in the middle of a project that can be held for several reasons: 1) at the request of the project board; 2) to authorize work on the next stage before current one is completed; 3) to allow for a formal review in the middle of a long project; or 4) to review exception plans.

Milestone Plan
A plan containing only milestones which highlight key points of the project.

Milestone Schedule
A schedule that identifies the major milestones. See also Master Schedule.

Milestones
A milestone is an activity with zero duration (usually marking the end of a period).

Military Time
A means of representing time by use of a twenty-four-hour clock.

Mission Statement
Brief summary, approximately one or two sentences, that sums up the background, purposes and benefits of the project.

Mitigation
Working to lesson risk by lowering its chances of occurring or by reducing its effect if it occurs.

Modern Project Management (MPM)
A term used to distinguish the difference between current broad range project management, which encompasses scope, cost time, quality and risk, from more traditional project management.

Monitoring
Monitoring is the analyzing and reporting of project performance as compared to the plan.

Monte Carlo Simulation
The technique used by project management applications to estimate the likely range of outcomes from a complex random process by simulating the process a large number of times.

MSA
See Mid-Stage Assessment.

Multi-Project
A project consisting of multiple subprojects.

Multi-Project Analysis
Multi-project analysis is used to analyze the impact and interaction of activities and resources whose progress affects the progress of a group of projects or for projects with shared resources or both. Multi-project analysis can also be used for composite reporting on projects having no dependencies or resources in common.

Multi-Project Management
Managing multiple projects that are interconnected either logically or by shared resources.

Multi-User
Application allowing multiple users simultaneous access to a project and its data.

Must Finish
See Imposed Finished.

Must Start
See Imposed Start.

- N -

Near-Critical Activity
A low total float activity.

Negative Float
The amount of time by which the early date of an activity exceeds its late date.

Negotiated Contract Cost
The estimated cost negotiated in a Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee Contract or the negotiated contract target cost in either a Fixed Price-Incentive Contract or a Cost-Plus-Incentive-Fee Contract. See also Contract Target Cost.

Negotiation
The art of achieving what you want from a transaction, leaving all other parties involved content that the relationship has gone well.

Network
A view of project data in which the project logic is the sole determinant of the placements of the activities in the drawing. Frequently called a flowchart, PERT chart, logic drawing, or logic diagram.

Network Analysis
Network analysis is the process of identifying early and late start and finish dates for project activities. This is done with a forward and backward pass through the project. Many PM software tools will check for loops in the network and issue an error message if one is found. The error message will identify the loop and all activities within it.

Network Diagram
A view of project data in which the project logic is the sole determinant of the placements of the activities in the drawing. Frequently called a flowchart, PERT chart, logic drawing or logic diagram.

Network Logic
The collection of activity dependencies that make up a project network.

Network Path
A series of connected activities in a project network.

Nonrecurring Costs
Expenditures against specific tasks that are expected to occur only once on a given program. Examples are such items as preliminary design effort, qualifications testing, initial tooling, and planning.

Not Earlier Than
A restriction on an activity that indicates that it may not start or end earlier than a specified date.

Not Later than
A restriction on an activity that indicates that it may not start or end later than a specified date.

- O -

Objectives
Predetermined results toward which effort is directed.

Offset
See Resource offset.

Order of Magnitude Estimate
See Estimate.

Organization Design
The design of the most appropriate organizational design for a project. There are five basic kinds of organizational design: functional, coordination, balanced, second, and project.

Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS)
A hierarchical structure designed to pinpoint the area of an organization responsible for each part of a project.

Organizational Planning
The process of identifying, assigning and documenting project responsibilities and relationships.

Original Budget
The initial budget established at or near the time a contract was signed or a project authorized, based on the negotiated contract cost or management’s authorization.

Original Duration
See Baseline Duration.

Other Direct Costs (ODC)
A group of accounting elements which can be isolated to specific tasks, other than labor and material. Included in ODC are such items as travel, computer time, and services.

Out-of-Sequence Progress
Progress that has been reported even though activities that have been deemed predecessors in project logic have not been completed.

Output Format
In Open Plan, device-specific information that governs the final appearance of a report or drawing.

Overall Change Control
Coordinating changes across the entire network.

Overhead
Costs incurred in the operation of a business which cannot be directly related to the individual products or services being produced. See also "Indirect Cost."

Overload
The amount of required resources which exceeds the resource limit.

Overrun
Costs incurred in excess of the contract target costs on an incentive type contract or the estimated costs on a fixed fee contract. An overrun is that value of costs which are needed to complete a project, over that value originally authorized by management.

Over Target Baseline (OTB)
A baseline which results from formal reprogramming of an overrun, used only with the approval of the customer.

- P -

Parallel Activities
Parallel activities are two or more activities than can be done at the same time. This allows a project to be completed faster than if the activities were arranged serially in a straight line.

Path
A path is a series of connected activities. Refer to CRITICAL PATH METHOD for information on critical and non-critical paths.

Path Convergence
Path Convergence is the tendency of parallel paths of approximately equal duration to delay the completion of the milestone where they meet.

PDM
See Precedence Diagram

Percent Complete
One measure of completion used to determine the remaining duration of a partially completed activity.

Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB)
The time-phased budget plan against which project performance is measured. It is formed by the budgets assigned to scheduled cost accounts and the applicable indirect budgets. For future effort, not planned to the cost account level, the Performance Measurement Baseline also includes budgets assigned to higher-level CWBS elements. The PMB does not include any management or contingency reserves, which are isolated above the PMB.

Performance Measurement Techniques (PMT)
Performance measurement techniques (PMTs) are the methods used to estimate earned value. Different methods are appropriate to different work packages, either due to the nature of the work or to the planned duration of the work package. Another term for Performance Measurement Techniques is Earned Value Methods.

Performance Reporting
Collecting project performance information and distributing it to ensure project performance.

Performing
A team building stage where the emphasis is on the work currently being performed.

Performing Organization
The organizational unit responsible for the performance and management of resources to accomplish a task.

Period of Performance
The time interval of contract performance that includes the effort required to achieve all significant contractual schedule milestones.

Pessimistic Duration
The longest duration in the three duration technique.

Phase
See Project Phase.

Physical Percent Complete
The percentage of the work content of an activity that has been achieved.

Placements
The ability to direct aspects of a network view.

Plan
A plan is an intended future course of action. It is the basis of the project controls.

Planned Activity
An activity not yet started.

Planned Cost
Costs set when the schedule becomes the plan or baseline plan.

Planning
The process of identifying the means, resources and actions necessary to accomplish an objective.

Planning Package
A logical aggregation of far-term work within a cost account that can be identified and budgeted but not yet defined into work packages. Planning packages are identified during the initial baseline planning to establish the time phasing of the major activities within a cost account and the quantity of the resources required for their performance. Planning packages are placed into work packages consistent with the rolling wave concept prior to the performance of the work.

Planning Stage
The stage prior to the implementation stage when product activity, resource and quality plans are produced.

PMI
See Project Management Institute.

PMP
See Project Management Professional.

Pool Resource
A group of resources related by skill, department or function.

Positive Float
Positive float is defined as the amount of time that an activity's start can be delayed without affecting the project completion date. An activity with positive float is not on the critical path and is called a non-critical activity. Most software packages calculate float time during schedule analysis. The difference between early and late dates (start or finish) determines the amount of float.

Post Implementation Review
A review between 6-12 months after a system in a project has met its objectives and the system continues to meet user requirements.

Post Project Appraisal
An evaluation that provides feedback for future use and education.

Precedence Diagram Method (PDM)
One of the two methods of representing project as networks, in which the activities are represented by nodes and the relationships between them by arcs. (The other method, Arrow Diagram Method, is rarely used.)

Precedence Notation
Precedence notation is a means of describing project work flow. It is sometimes called activity-on-node notation. Graphically, precedence networks are represented by using descriptive boxes and connecting arrows to denote the flow of work.

Predecessor
An activity that must be completed (or be partially completed) before a specified activity can begin is called a predecessor. The combination of all predecessors and successors (see SUCCESSOR) relationships among the project activities forms a network. This network can be analyzed to determine the critical path and other project scheduling implications.

Predecessor Activity
In the precedence diagramming method it is the "from activity," or the activity which logically precedes the current activity.

Presenter
Person with the responsibility of making sure that those at a quality review have information needed to carry out the review.

Priority Rule
A rule used to determine the order of processing in resource scheduling algorithms.

Probability
Likelihood of a risk occurring.

Process
A set of interrelated work activities in which value is added to the inputs to provide specific outputs.

Procurement Planning
Determining what to procure and when.

Product Breakdown Structure
This identifies the products which are required and which must be produced. It describes the systems in a hierarchical way.

Product Description
The description of the purpose form and components of a product. It should always be used as a basis for acceptance of the product by the customer.

Product Flow Diagram
Represents how the products are produced by identifying their derivation and the dependencies between them.

Product Realization Team (PRT)
A mutli-disciplinary team that is responsible for the definition, development, delivery and support of a product through concurrent engineering methods.

Program
A broad effort encompassing a number of projects.

Program Benefits Review
A review to assess if targets have been reached and to measure the performance levels in the resulting business operations.

Program Benefits Review Report
A report produced at the end of a program that describes the findings, conclusions and recommendations in the program benefit review.

Program Brief
Produced in the program identification phase, the program brief sums up the program and gives the terms of reference for the work to be carried out and the program director’s terms of reference.

Program Definition Phase
Program management’s second phase including a feasibility study, full definition and funding approval.

Program Director
The senior manager with the responsibility for the overall success of the program. The program director is drawn from the management of the target business area.

Program Directorate
A committee that directs the program when circumstances arise where there is no individual to direct the program.

Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
PERT is a project management technique for determining how much time a project needs before it is completed. Each activity is assigned a best, worst, and most probable completion time estimate. These estimates are used to determine the average completion time. The average times are used to figure the critical path and the standard deviation of completion times for the entire project.

Program Execution Phase
The phase in program management where project portfolio management and transition activities are undertaken.

Program Executive
A group of individuals that supports the program director.

Program Identification Phase
Program management’s first phase. Here, all high-level change proposals from available strategies and initiatives are considered and their objectives and directions translated into achievable programs of work.

Program Management
The effective management of several individual but related projects in order to produce an overall system that works effectively.

Program Management Office
The office responsible for the business and technical management of a specific contract or program.

Program Plan
A term that refers to all of the following: benefits management plans, risk management plan, transition plan, project portfolio plan and design management plan.

Program Status Date
The date up to which all program information is complete.

Program Support Office
A group that gives administrative support to the program manager and the program executive.

Progress
The partial completion of a project, or a measure of same. Also, the act of entering progress information for a project.

Progress Payments
Payments made to a contractor during the life of a fixed-price type contract, on the basis of some agreed-to formula, for example, BCWP or simply costs incurred on most government type contracting.

Progress Reporting
The act of collecting information on work done and revised estimates, updating the plan and reporting the new revised plan.

Project
A set of activities directed to an overall goal. Also, the collection of data relating to the achievement of that goal. More specifically, a network of activities, or file(s) containing such a network.

Project Appraisal
The discipline of calculating the viability of a project.

Project Assurance Team
A three-member team comprised of the business assurance coordinator, the technical assurance coordinator and the user assurance coordinator whose roles cross stage boundaries and through whom continuity of project development and technical product integrity is maintained.

Project Board
A project board is the body to which the Project Manager is accountable for achieving the project objectives. The project Board should be viewed to represent the stakeholders. For example, on a small project the sponsor may represent the interests of the ‘executive’, the ‘senior user’, and the ‘technical authority’, where in a large project, the Project Board may be larger than the three or four usual members.

Project Boundary
The boundary of a project which is defined to indicate how the project interacts both with other projects and non-project activity both in and outside of the organization.

Project Brief
A statement of reference terms for a project.

Project Calendar
A calendar that defines global project working and non-working periods.

Project Champion
A senior manager who is above the project manager who gains support and resources for the project.

Project Charter
A project charter clearly defines a project definition in order to bring a project team into necessary agreement. A project charter consists of a mission statement, including background, purpose, and benefits, a goal, objectives, scope and assumptions and constraints.

Project Closure
The formal end of a project. It requires the project board’s approval.

Project Communications Management
A subset of project management that includes communications planning, information planning, information distribution, performance reporting and administrative closure in an effort to correctly disseminate project information.

Project Cost Management
A subset of project management that includes resource planning, cost estimating, cost control and cost budgeting in an effort to complete the budget with in its approved proposal.

Project Culture
The general attitude toward projects within the business.

Project Data Document (PDD)
A summary of the project plan for the business office.

Project Director
The manager of a very large project that demands senior level responsibility or the person at the board level in an organization who has the overall responsibility for projects management.

Project Directory
A file containing a record for each project maintained by the system.

Project Environment
The project environment is the context within which the project is formulated, assessed and realized. This includes all external factors that have an impact on the project.

Project Evaluation
A documented review of the project’s performance, produced at project closure. It ensures that the experience of the project is recorded for the benefit of others.

Project File
A file containing the overall plans of a project and any other important documents.

Project Initiation
The beginning of a project at which point certain management activities are required to ensure that the project is established with clear reference terms and substantial management structure.

Project Initiation Document
A document approved by the project board at project initiation that defines the terms of reference for the project.

Project Issue Report
A report that raises either technical or managerial issues in a project.

Project Lifecycle
The events, from beginning to end, necessary to complete a project.

Project Logic
The relationships between the various activities in a project.

Project Logic Drawing
A representation of the logical relationships of a project.

Project Management
Approach used to manage work with the constraints of time, cost and performance targets.

Project Management Body of Knowledge
This is an inclusive term that describes the sum of knowledge within the profession of project management. As with other professions such as law and medicine, the body of knowledge rests with the practitioners and academics that apply and advance it.

Project Management Institute
The American professional body for project managers.

Project Management Professional (PMP)
An individual certified by the Project Management Institute.

Project Management Software
A computer application designed to help with planning and controlling resources, costs and schedules of a project.

Project Management Team
Members of the project team who are directly involved in its management.

Project Manager
The Project Manager is the individual responsible for the day-to-day management of the project.

Project Matrix
An organization matrix that is project based in which the functional structures are duplicated in each project.

Project Organization
A term which refers to the structure, roles and responsibilities of the project team and its interfaces to the outside world.

Project Network Diagram
Drawn from left to right to shown project chronology, a Project Network Diagram displays the logical relationships between project activities.

Project Phase
A group of related project activities that come together with the completion of a deliverable.

Project Plan
A document for management purposes that gives the basics of a project in terms of its objectives, justification, and how the objectives are to be achieved. This document is used as a record of decisions and a means of communication among stakeholders.

Project Plan Development
Project Plan Development is the process of putting the results of other planning processes into a consistent document.

Project Plan Execution
The act of carrying out activities as stated in the project plan.

Project Planning
Developing and maintaining a project plan.

Project Portfolio
The constituent projects within a program.

Project Portfolio Plan
A plan within the program definition statement that defines a schedule of work that includes the timing, resourcing and control for the programs projects.

Project Procurement Management
A subset of project management that includes procurement planning, solicitation and solicitation planning, source selection, contract administration and contract close-out in an effort to obtain goods and services from outside organizations.

Project Quality Management
A subset of project management that includes quality planning, quality assurance and quality control in an effort to satisfy the needs and purpose of the project.

Project Risk Management
A subset of project management that includes risk identification, risk quantification, risk response development and risk response control in an effort to identify, analyze and respond to project risks.

Project Schedule
Planned dates for starting and completing activities and milestones.

Project Scope Management
A subset of project management that includes initiation, scope planning, scope definition, scope verification and scope change control in an effort to ensure that the project has all of the necessary work required to complete it.

Project Sponsor
A sponsor is a person or group concerned with the definition of project objectives in the context of the sponsoring organization.

Project Status Report
A report on the status of accomplishments and any variances to spending and schedule plans.

Project Strategy
A comprehensive definition of how a project will be managed.

Project Success/Failure Criteria
The criteria by which the success or failure of a project may be based.

Project Support Office
The central location of planning and project support functions that has the responsibility of managing resources across projects and maintaining planning standards.

Project Team
Those who report to the project manager.

Project Technical Plan
A plan produced at the beginning of a project that addresses strategic issues related to quality control and configuration management.

Project Time Management
A subset of project management that includes activity definition, activity sequencing, activity duration estimating, schedule development and schedule control in order to complete the project on time.

PROMS-G
The project management special interest group of the British Computer Society.

Public
Individuals who have an interest in the project outcome, but are not directly involved in it.

Public Relations
An activity meant to improve the project organization’s environment in order to improve project performance and reception.

- Q -

QA
See Quality Assurance.

Qualitative Risk Analysis
A generic term for subjective methods of assessing risks.

Quality
A trait or characteristic used to measure the degree of excellence of a product or service.

Quality Assurance (QA)
The process of evaluating overall project performance on a regular basis to provide confidence that the project will satisfy the relevant quality standards.

Quality Assurance Plan
A plan that guarantees a quality approach and conformance to all customer requirements for all activities in a project.

Quality Control (QC)
The process of monitoring specific project results to determine if they comply with relevant standards and identifying ways to eliminate causes of unsatisfactory performance.

Quality Criteria
The characteristics of a product that determines whether it meets certain requirements.

Quality File
Contains records of quality reviews and technical exceptions procedures of a project.

Quality Guide
The quality guide describes quality and configuration management procedures and is aimed at people directly involved with quality reviews, configuration management and technical exceptions.

Quality Planning
Determining which quality standards are necessary and how to apply them.

Quality Review
A review of a product against an established set of quality criteria.