Glossary of Terms
PAC Glossary
Acceptance Criteria
Conditions or criteria that must be met for a user story to be considered complete and satisfy stakeholder expectations, typically defined collaboratively by the product owner and team.
Agile Project Management
An iterative approach to project management that emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and incremental delivery of value, commonly used in dynamic or rapidly changing environments.
Baseline
A set of approved project documents or plans that serve as a reference point for measuring and controlling project performance, including the project scope, schedule, and budget.
Business Analyst (BA)
A professional role responsible for bridging the gap between business stakeholders and IT teams, gathering and analyzing requirements, and facilitating the implementation of solutions that meet business needs.
Business Case
A document that justifies the investment in a project by outlining its expected benefits, costs, risks, and alternatives, helping stakeholders make informed decisions about resource allocation.
Business Process Modeling
The graphical representation and analysis of business processes using modeling techniques such as flowcharts, swim lane diagrams, and business process model and notation (BPMN), often facilitated by Business Analysts.
Change Control
The process of identifying, evaluating, and controlling changes to project scope, schedule, and budget to minimize the impact on project objectives.
Change Control Board (CCB)
A formal body responsible for reviewing, prioritizing, and approving or rejecting proposed changes to a project, often composed of key stakeholders, project managers, and Business Analysts.
Change Impact Assessment
The evaluation of the potential effects and implications of proposed changes on project scope, schedule, budget, and resources, typically conducted by Business Analysts to inform decision-making.
Change Log
A document or register those records all requested, approved, and implemented changes to a project, including their status, rationale, and impact, often maintained by Business Analysts or Change Managers.
Change Management
The process of identifying, assessing, and implementing changes to project scope, schedule, or resources while minimizing their impact on project objectives and stakeholders in Waterfall methodologies.
Change Request
A formal proposal to modify a project's scope, schedule, budget, or resources, submitted for evaluation and approval by the project sponsor or change control board.
Change Request Management
The process of submitting, reviewing, approving, and implementing changes to project scope, requirements, or deliverables, often managed by Business Analysts in collaboration with project stakeholders.
Communication Plan
A document that outlines the stakeholders, communication objectives, channels, and frequency of communication for the project, ensuring effective and timely exchange of information.
Critical Path
The sequence of activities that determines the shortest duration in which a project can be completed, identifying tasks that cannot be delayed without delaying the project's overall timeline.
Daily Standup
A short, daily meeting in Agile methodologies where team members discuss progress, plans, and any obstacles they're facing, typically standing to keep the meeting brief.
Dependency
A relationship between project activities or tasks that determines the sequence in which they must be performed or the impact of one activity on another.
Escalation Process
A predefined procedure for escalating issues or decisions to higher levels of authority within the organization when they cannot be resolved at the project level.
Functional Requirements
Detailed specifications that describe the behavior, features, and functionality expected from a system or product, often documented by Business Analysts to guide design and development activities.
Gantt Chart
A visual project management tool used in Waterfall methodologies to illustrate the schedule, dependencies, and progress of project tasks over time, typically displayed as a horizontal bar chart.
Gap Analysis
The process of comparing the current state of a system or process with the desired future state to identify discrepancies or "gaps" that need to be addressed, often conducted by Business Analysts to inform solution design.
Issue Log
A document that records and tracks issues or problems encountered during the project, including their status, priority, and resolution actions.
Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
Quantifiable metrics used to evaluate the success or performance of a project, often aligned with project objectives and strategic goals.
Lean Project Management
A methodology focused on maximizing value and minimizing waste by optimizing processes, resources, and workflows, drawing inspiration from lean manufacturing principles.
Lessons Learned
Insights gained from the project that can be used to improve future project management practices, processes, and outcomes.
Lessons Learned Repository
A centralized database or repository for storing and sharing lessons learned from past projects, facilitating knowledge transfer and continuous improvement across the organization.
Milestone
A significant event or achievement in a project, typically representing the completion of a key deliverable or the attainment of a critical phase.
Non-Functional Requirements
Specifications that describe the quality attributes, constraints, and performance characteristics of a system or product, such as usability, reliability, and scalability, identified and documented by Business Analysts.
Product Backlog
A prioritized list of features, enhancements, and changes requested for a product or project, maintained and managed by the product owner in agile methodologies like Scrum.
Product Owner
A role in Agile methodologies responsible for representing the stakeholders' interests, prioritizing the product backlog, and ensuring the delivery of value in each iteration.
Project Baseline
A set of approved project plans, schedules, and budgets used as a reference point for measuring and controlling project performance in Waterfall methodologies.
Project Charter
A formal document that authorizes the initiation of a project, outlining its objectives, scope, deliverables, milestones, and stakeholders.
Project Closure
The formal process of completing all project activities, obtaining acceptance from stakeholders, and closing out the project, including documentation and lessons learned.
Project Lifecycle
The series of phases that a project goes through from initiation to closure, typically including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and closure.
Project Management Office (PMO)
A centralized department within the university responsible for standardizing project management practices, providing support to project managers, and ensuring alignment of projects with organizational goals.
Project Plan
A comprehensive document that outlines the approach, activities, schedules, resources, and budgets required to complete a project successfully.
Project Portfolio Management (PPM)
The centralized management of multiple projects as a portfolio to ensure alignment with organizational goals, optimize resource allocation, and prioritize investments based on strategic objectives.
Project Sponsor
A senior executive or stakeholder responsible for championing the project, providing resources and support, and ensuring alignment with organizational objectives.
Quality Assurance (QA)
The process of evaluating project processes and deliverables to ensure they meet specified quality standards, often conducted by an independent team or group.
Quality Management
The process of ensuring that project deliverables meet specified quality standards through planning, assurance, and control activities.
Requirements Gathering
The process of gathering, documenting, and clarifying stakeholder needs and expectations for a project, often conducted by Business Analysts through interviews, workshops, and observations.
Resource Allocation
The process of assigning and managing resources, including personnel, equipment, and materials, to project activities to optimize efficiency and effectiveness.
Resource Levelling
The process of smoothing resource demand over time to avoid peaks and valleys in resource utilization, ensuring a more balanced workload and efficient use of resources.
Retrospective
A meeting held at the end of a sprint or project phase in agile methodologies to reflect on what went well, what could be improved, and how to adapt practices for future iterations.
Risk Management Plan
A document that outlines how project risks will be identified, assessed, managed, and monitored throughout the project lifecycle, including risk mitigation strategies and contingency plans.
Risk Register
A document that identifies, assesses, and prioritizes potential risks to the project, along with strategies for mitigating or managing them.
Scope
The sum of all products, services, and results provided by the project, and the work required to produce them.
Scrum
A framework within agile project management that defines roles, events, and artifacts, emphasizing iterative development and regular adaptation to changing requirements.
Scrum Master
A role in Scrum responsible for facilitating the Scrum process, removing impediments, and coaching the team to improve their effectiveness and adherence to Agile principles.
Sprint
A time-boxed iteration in agile project management, usually lasting one to four weeks, during which a set of features or user stories is developed, tested, and delivered.
Sprint Planning
A meeting at the beginning of each sprint in Agile methodologies where the team collaboratively selects and commits to a set of user stories to be completed during the sprint.
Sprint Retrospective
A meeting at the end of each sprint in Agile methodologies where the team reflects on their process, identifies strengths and weaknesses, and agrees on actionable improvements for the next sprint.
Sprint Review
A meeting at the end of each sprint in Agile methodologies where the team demonstrates the completed work to stakeholders, gathers feedback, and discusses potential improvements.
Stakeholder
An individual, group, or organization that is affected by or can affect the outcome of a project.
Stakeholder Analysis
The identification, assessment, and prioritization of individuals or groups affected by or influencing a project, conducted by Business Analysts to understand their needs, expectations, and concerns.
Training Needs Assessment
The process of identifying the knowledge, skills, and competencies required for project stakeholders to effectively adopt and utilize new systems or processes, often facilitated by Business Analysts.
User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
A type of testing in Waterfall methodologies where end-users or stakeholders validate the system's functionality and usability against their business needs and requirements.
User Story
A concise description of a feature or requirement from an end-user's perspective, written in a specific format ("As a [user], I want [feature], so that [benefit]") to guide development in Agile projects.
Velocity
A measure of the amount of work completed by a team in a sprint or iteration, calculated as the sum of story points or effort estimates for completed user stories.
Waterfall Model
A sequential project management approach where the project is divided into distinct phases (e.g., initiation, planning, executing, monitor & controlling, and closing) with little to no overlap between them.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
A hierarchical decomposition of the project scope into smaller, more manageable components, facilitating planning, scheduling, and resource allocation.
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