PassPM - Glossary of PM Terms

S-Curve: A display of cumulative costs, labor hours or other quantities plotted against time.
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Schedule: A Schedule is the timetable for a project. It shows how project tasks and milestones are planned out over a period of time.
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Schedule Compression: See Duration Compression.
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Schedule Control: Controlling schedule changes.
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Schedule Dates: The start and finish dates calculated by the resource scheduling program, having regard to resource constraints as well as project logic.
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Schedule Development: Developing a project schedule based on activity sequences, activity durations and resource requirements.
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Schedule Performance Index (SPI): Ratio of work accomplished versus work planned, for a specified time period. The SPI is an efficiency rating for work accomplishment,comparing work accomplished to what should have been accomplished.
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Schedule Variance: The difference between the budgeted cost of work performed and the budgeted cost of work scheduled at any point in time (BCWP-BCWS).
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Scheduled Finish: The date calculated by the resource scheduling program as the earliest date on which an activity can finish, having regard to resource constraints as well as project logic.
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Scheduled Start: The date calculated by the resource scheduling program as the earliest date on which an activity can start, having regard to resource constraints as well as project logic.
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Scheduling: Scheduling is the process of determining when project activities will take place depending on defined durations and precedent activities. Schedule constraints specify when an activity should start or end based on duration, predecessors, external predecessor relationships, resource availability, or target dates.
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Scope: The scope is the sum of work content of a project.
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Scope Baseline: See Baseline.
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Scope Change: Any change in a project scope that requires a change in the project’s cost or schedule.
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Scope Change Control: Controlling changes to the scope.
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Scope Definition: Breaking down a deliverable in to smaller manageable parts to ensure better control.
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Scope of Work: A chronological description of the work to be accomplished or resources to be supplied.
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Scope Verification: Ensuring all identified project deliverables have been completed satisfactorily.
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Security Plan: A plan to abide by security measures related to the project.
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Semi-Time-Scaled Logic Drawing: A drawing in which the positioning of the activities is modified somewhat by some date. Unlike true time-scaled drawings in which all horizontal positions correspond to a point in time, semi-time scaled logic drawings simply group activities whose dates fall within a specific time period.
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Senior Technical: A member of the project board who represents the interests of the development and operational organizations.
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Senior User: A member of the project board who represent the interests of user and others affected by the project.
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Sequence: Sequence is the order in which activities will occur with respect to one another. This establishes the priority and dependencies between activities. Successor and predecessor relationships are developed in a network format. This allows those involved in the project to visualize the work flow.
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SF Link: See Start .
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Should-Cost Estimates: An estimate of the cost of a product or service used to provide an assessment of the reasonableness of a prospective contractor’s proposed cost.
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Skill Groups: Some computer packages allow the definition of resources by their skills. The scheduling algorithm then chooses the most appropriate resource for an activity based on its availability and skill.
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Skills: A feature of hierarchical resources that allows you to assign an attribute to a resource, and to define the resource requirement for an activity in terms of that attribute.
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Slippage: Slippage is the amount of slack or float time used up by the current activity due to a delayed start. If an activity without float is delayed, the entire project will slip.
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Smoothing: This refers to a resource-scheduling option that modifies the way time-limited scheduling (and resource-limited with thresholds) works. The objective of time-limited scheduling is to minimize the maximum extent that each resource availability needs to be exceeded, and the standard algorithm gives itself the maximum flexibility to achieve this by making use of any excess already incurred. The smoothing option modifies this so that it will not use the excess for a particular activity unless necessary in order to schedule that activity within its total float.
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Soft Project: A project that is intended to bring about change and doe not have a physical end product.
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Soft Skills: Soft skills include team building, conflict management and negotiation.
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Solicitation: The process of obtaining quotes, bids or proposals.
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Solicitation Planning: Identifying targets for quotes, bids or proposals.
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Source Selection: Choosing from potential contractors.
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Span Activity: See Hammocks.
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Spending Plan: The total budgeted funds, based on the same subcategories as the cost plan, for a given task area over a given fiscal year.
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Spending Plan Adjustments Form: A form used to change and authorize a spending plan adjustment during a fiscal year. The form explains why the spending plan and the cost plan do not match.
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Splitting: In resource scheduling, it is possible to specify that an activity may be split if this results in an earlier scheduled finish date. This means that the specified duration may be divided into two or more pieces, while retaining the specified profile for resource requirements relative to this split duration.
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SS Link: See Start .
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Stage: A subsection of a project that has its own organizational structure, life span and manager.
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Stage Assessment: See End Stage Assessment .
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Stage File: A file with the detailed management plans and reports for the stage.
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Stage Manager: The person responsible for the management and successful completion of the stage.
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Stage Resource Plan: A plan with all of the details of the required resources for a stage.
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Stage Teams: A team built to complete a stage.
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Stage Technical Plan: A plan that states all of the technical products, activities and quality controls of a stage.
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Stakeholders: Stakeholders are the people who have a vested interest in the outcome of the project.
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Start Float: Start float is the amount of excess time an activity has between its Early Start and Late Start dates.
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Start-to-Finish: See Logical Relationship.
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Start-To-Start Lag: Start-to-start lag is the minimum amount of time that must pass between the start of one activity and the start of its successor(s). This may be expressed in terms of duration or percentage.
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Starting Activity: A starting activity has no predecessors. It does not have to wait for any other activity to start. Many PM software packages permit multiple start activities if needed.
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Statement of Work (SOW): A description of product and service to be procured under contract; a statement of requirements.
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Status Date: See Time Now.
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Status Reports: Written reports given to both the project team and to a responsible person on a regular basis stating the status of an activity, work package, or whole project. Status Reports should be used to control the project and to keep management informed of project status.
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Stretching: In resource scheduling it is possible to specify that an activity may be stretched if this results in an earlier scheduled finish date. This means that the specified duration may be increased, while the specified profile is reduced proportionally.
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Subcontract: A contractual document which legally defines the effort of providing services, data, or other hardware, from one firm to another.
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Subnet: A division of a project network diagram representing a subproject.
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Subnetwork: See Subnet.
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Subproject: A group activities represented as a single activity in a higher level of the same.
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Subsequent Application Review (SAR): A review by customer personnel to determine whether the contractor has properly applied the C/SCSC to a new contract.
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Successor: A successor is an activity whose start or finish depends on the start or finish of a predecessor activity. Refer to PREDECESSOR for related information.
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Sunk Costs: Unavoidable costs.
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Super-Critical Activity: An activity that is behind schedule is considered to be super-critical. It has been delayed to a point where its float is calculated to be a negative value. The negative float is representative of the number of units an activity is behind schedule.
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System: The complete technical output of the project including technical products.
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System Acceptance Letter: A letter signed by the senior technical member of the project board after ensuring the project has completed system test requirements and is ready for user acceptance.
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Systems and Procedures: Systems and procedure detail the standard methods, practices and procedures of handling frequently occurring events within the project.
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Systems Management: Management that includes the prime activities of systems analysis, systems design and engineering and systems development.
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