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Planning

The second of the five processes of project management. Planning establishes detailed project plans for all objective set in the Initiating process. According to the PMBOK^® Guide , the process consists of devising and maintaining a workable scheme to accomplish the business need that the project was undertaken to address.

Planning checklist

A list used to validate the completeness of the plan.

Planning horizon

Planning out as far as one can see and may be expressed as number of days, a project phase, or the next major milestone.

Post-project review

An audit during which the project team evaluates the project as objectively as possible.

Precedence diagram

A sequential network of boxes (or nodes) used to graphically represent the dependencies between project activities/milestones.

Predecessor

An activity that precedes another activity and is related to it by a dependency link.

Preferential logic

see discretionary dependency

Preferred logic

see discretionary dependency

Pre-project Documentation

This may include feasibility studies, preliminary project plans, or lessons learned from other projects. Old project notebooks may also be a vital source of information for a specific project. Often it is kept in a central information repository and can be used as a reference by team members.

Prioritization Report

Ranks the importance within the company or department to implement this project.

Procurement management

According to the PMBOK^® Guide , project procurement management includes the processes required to acquire the goods and services from outside the performing organization.

Project

A unique venture with a beginning and an end, carried out by people to meet a specific objective within the constraints of time, cost, and scope/quality. According to the PMBOK^® Guide , a project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service.

Project budget

Allocates costs for labor, equipment, supplies, and other relevant expense categories over the duration of the project.

Project charter

The project charter represents all the information discovered during the initiating process and documents the commitment between the project customer and project manager. It provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities.

Project directory

A listing of project participants either as team members, stake holders or subject matter experts. This listing includes details including the telephone number, email address, fax number, title, company, address or other relevant information to speed communication. A template is provided for this information in the project plan template

Project management

The planning, scheduling, and controlling of project activities to meet project objectives. According to the PMBOK^® Guide , project management is the application of knowledge, skill, tools, and techniques to project activities in order to meet or exceed stakeholder needs and expectations from a project.

Project management office (PMO)

A formal organization that supports effective implementation of the strategic initiatives of the sponsoring organization. A PMO may operate on a continuum from providing support functions to project managers in the form of training, software, templates, etc. to being responsible for results of projects. The PMO provides the organizational structure for effective management of the critical functions that are required to successfully achieve corporate.

Project manager

The individual responsible for managing a project.

Project mission

A statement that identifies the purpose of a project. It answers the questions: What will the project accomplish? and for whom will it be accomplished?

Project network diagram

A visual representation of activity dependencies using activity nodes and dependency arrows.

Project objective

A goal of the project. All objectives should be S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely).

Project plan

a formal approved document used to guide both project execution and project control.

Project repository

The central collection of all project information. It could be in either electronic or paper format. Also referred to as a project notebook.

Project sponsor

This role primarily provides the financial resources for the project.

Project success

Having a customer that accepts the solution; effectively transitioning the deliverables to life-cycle maintenance; completing the project within the acceptable threshold levels; having stakeholders eager to start a new project; having team members that want to work together again.

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Quality gate

A review of both key deliverables and project performance to-date to determine if the project should continue and to detect errors.

Quality management

According to the PMBOK^® Guide , project quality management includes the processes required to ensure that the project will satisfy the needs for which it was undertaken.

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