Glossary of PM Terms
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- Re-Profiling
- In resource scheduling it is possible to indicate that the specified resource requirement profile may be modified to fit the availability, without changing the total amount required.
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- Readiness Assessment
- A meeting or series of meetings by selected members of the customer C/SCSC review team at a contractor’s plant, to review contractor plans and progress in implementing C/SCSC in preparation for a full demonstration review.
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- Recurring Costs
- Expenditures against specific tasks that would occur on a repetitive basis. Examples are sustaining engineering, production of operational equipment, tool maintenance, etc.
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- Relationship
- A logical connection between two activities.
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- Relationship Float
- Relationship free float is the amount by which the lag on that relationship would have to be increased in order to delay the successor activity. Relationship total float is the amount by which it would have to be increased in order to cause a delay in the completion of the project as a whole (or the violation of a late target).
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- Remaining Duration
- Time needed to complete the remainder of an activity or project.
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- Replanning
- Actions performed for any remaining effort within project scope. Often the cost and/or schedule variances are zeroed out at this time for history items.
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- Report Specification File
- A set of codified instructions, which defines the layout of a report.
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- Request for Change
- A proposal by the project manager for a change to the project as a result of a project issue report.
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- Request for Proposal (RFP)
- A bid document used to solicit proposals from prospective sellers of products or services.
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- Request for Quotation
- Equivalent to a Request for Proposal but with more specific application areas.
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- Requirements
- A negotiated set of measurable customer wants and needs.
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- Residue File
- A file in the same format as the resource availability file containing a specification of the resources remaining after a project is scheduled.
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- Resource
- An item required to accomplish an activity. Resources can be people, equipment, facilities, funding or anything else needed to perform the work of a project.
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- Resource Analysis
- A term for resource leveling and resource smoothing.
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- Resource Assignment
- The work on an activity related to a specific resource.
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- Resource Availability
- The level of availability of a resource, which may vary over time.
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- Resource Breakdown Structure
- A feature of hierarchical resources that facilitates both roll-up reporting and summary resource scheduling by enabling you to schedule at the detailed requirements level, and roll up both requirements and availabilities to a higher level.
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- Resource Calendar
- A calendar that defines the working and non-working patterns for specific resources.
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- Resource Driven Task Durations
- Task durations that are driven by the need for scarce resources.
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- Resource Histogram
- A view of project data in which resource requirements, usage, and availabilities are shown against a time scale.
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- Resource Level
- A specified level of resource units required by an activity per time unit.
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- Resource Leveling
- The resource scheduling process of determining scheduled dates such that neither the project completion date nor any target finishes are jeopardized while minimizing the maximum extent to which any resource availability is exceeded.
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- Resource Offset
- In the definition of resource requirements, the number of work periods between the start of the activity and when the resource is first required.
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- Resource Optimization
- A term for resource leveling and resource smoothing.
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- Resource Period
- In the definition of a resource requirement, the number of work periods for which a resource is required.
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- Resource Planning
- Evaluating what resources are needed to complete a project and determining the quantity needed.
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- Resource Pool
- A higher level resource in a resource breakdown structure.
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- Resource Profile
- The multiple specification of a single resource requirement or availability to indicate a variation over a period of time.
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- Resource Requirement
- The requirement for a particular resource by a particular activity.
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- Resource Scheduling
- The process of calculating a set of scheduled dates that takes into account the resource requirements of each activity and the availability of these resources.
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- Resource Scheduling
- The process of determining dates on which activities should be performed in order to smooth the demand for resources, or to avoid exceeding stated constraints on these restraints. (See also, Resource Leveling, Time-Limited Resource Scheduling and Resource-Limited Resource Scheduling.)
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- Resource Smoothing
- The process of rescheduling activities such that the requirement for resources on the project do not exceed resource limits. In smoothing, as opposed to resource leveling, the project completion date may not be delayed. Activities may only be delayed within their float.
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- Resource Thresholds
- In resource-limited scheduling it is possible to specify that a particular resource may be exceeded, if necessary, by an amount not to exceed the specified threshold for that resource.
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- Resource Total
- A specified total of resource units required by an activity over a period of time.
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- Resource-Limited Resource Scheduling
- The production of scheduled dates in which the resource constraints are considered as absolute and project completion is delayed as necessary to avoid exceeding resource requirements.
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- Resourcing Plan
- Part of the definition statement stating how the program will be resource loaded and what supporting services, infrastructure and third party services are required.
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- Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)
- The RAM correlates the work required by a Contract Work Breakdown Structure (CWBS) element to the functional organization responsible for accomplishing the assigned tasks. The responsibility assignment matrix is created by intersecting the CWBS with the program Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS). This intersection identifies the cost account.
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- Responsibility Chart
- See Responsibility Assignment Matrix.
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- Responsibility Matrix
- See Responsibility Assignment Matrix.
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- Responsible Organization
- A defined unit within the contractor’s organization structure which is assigned responsibility for accomplishing specific tasks, or cost accounts.
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- Retainage
- A part of payment withheld until the project is completed in order to ensure satisfactory performance completion of contract terms.
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- Reviewers
- Those responsible for ensuring a product is completed and fault free at a quality review.
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- Risk
- The probability of an undesirable outcome.
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- Risk Analysis
- A technique designed to quantify the impact of uncertainty. Usually, but not necessarily, associated with the Monte Carlo Simulation technique.
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- Risk Analysis Histogram
- A view in which the results of risk analysis are displayed as vertical bars, S-curves, or tables against a date scale.
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- Risk Avoidance
- Planning activities to avoid risks that have been identified.
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- Risk Event
- A discrete occurrence that effects a project.
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- Risk Identification
- Determining which risk events will effect the project.
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- Risk Management
- The art and science of identifying and assessing the risk factors during a project and responding to them in the best interests of the project objectives.
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- Risk Management Plan
- Part of the program definition statement that contains a record of all the risks in the business environment, and to the program itself.
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- Risk Matrix
- A matrix with risks located in rows, and with impact and likelihood in columns.
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- Risk Prioritizing
- Ordering of risks according first to their risk value, and then by which risks need to be considered for risk reduction, risk avoidance, and risk transfer.
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- Risk Quantification
- Evaluating the probability of risk event effect and occurrence.
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- Risk Ranking
- Allocating a classification to the impact and likelihood of a risk.
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- Risk Reduction
- Action taken to reduce the likelihood and impact of a risk.
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- Risk Register
- A file that holds all information on identifying and managing a risk.
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- Risk Response Control
- Responding to changes in risk during a project.
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- Risk Response Development
- Developing a plan of action to enhance opportunities and decrease threats.
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- Risk Transfer
- A contractual arrangement between two parties for delivery and acceptance of a product where the liability for the costs of a risk is be transferred from one party to the other.
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- Risk Value
- The number obtained when numeric impact and likelihood values are multiplied.
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- Risks
- Risks are events that if they occur can jeopardize the successful completion of the project. Risks should be identified and assessed for probability of occurrence and impact on the project.
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- Rubber Baselining
- An attempt by a contractor to take far-term budget and move it into the current period, in an attempt to disguise cost problems. Approach will be to move budget, but without a corresponding value of work, to mask cost difficulties. It is an indicator of a likely cost overrun condition.
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