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Project Management Terms

Business Case

Change Request- Requests to expand or reduce the project scope, modify policies, processes, plans, or procedures, modify costs or budgets, or revise schedules. Requests for a change can be direct or indirect, externally or internally initiated, and legally or contractually mandated or optional. Only formally documented requested changes are processed and only approved change requests are implemented.

Communication Plan- This document describes
1. The communication needs and expectations for the project
2. How and in what format information will be communicated
3. When and where each communication will be made
4. Who is responsible for providing each type of communication.

A communication management plan can be formal or informal, highly detailed for broadly framed, based on the requirements of the project stakeholders . The communication management plan is contained in, or is a subsidiary plan of, the project management plan.

Close Out Report

Closing Processes- formal acceptance of the product, service, or result and bring the product

Executing Processes- integrate people and other resources to carry out the project management plan for the project or project phase to an orderly end.

Initiating Processes - Define and authorize the project or a project phase


Monitoring and Controlling Processes- regularly measure and monitor progress to identify variances from the project management plan so that corrective action can be taken, when necessary, to meet project objectives.

Planning Processes- Defines and refine objects, and plan the course of action required to obtain the objectives and scope that the project was undertaken to address.

Project - A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.

Project Charter- The project charter is the document that announces the initiation of a project and the resources who will be working on the project. The Project Charter is sent to all relevant stakeholders asking for their cooperation in the project

Project Definition Document

Project Management -  The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements.  it is accomplished through the application and integration of the project management processes of initiation, planning, executing, monitoring, controlling and closing.

Resources- Skilled human resources: specific disciplines either individually or in crews or teams, equipment, services, supplies, commodities, materiel, budgets, or funds.

Risk Management Plan- The document describing how project risk management will be structure and performed on the project. It is contained in or is a subsidiary plan of the project management plan. The risk management plan can be informal and broadly framed, or formal and highly detailed, based on the needs of the project. Information in the risk management plan varies by application area and project size. The risk management plan is different from the risk register than contains the list of project risks, the results of risk analysis, and the risk responses.

Stakeholders-Person or organization that is actively involved in the project, or whose interests may be positively or negatively affected by execution or completion of the project. A stakeholder may also exert influence over the project and its deliverables.

Work Breakdown Structure- A deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables. It organizes and defines the total scope of the project. Each descending level represents in increasingly detailed definition of the project work. The WBS is decomposed into work packages. The deliverable orientation of the hierarchy includes both internal and external deliverables.

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