Glossary of PM Terms
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- WBS Dictionary
- A document that describes each element in the WBS including a Statement of Work (SOW), describing the work content of the WBS element, and a Basis of Estimate (BOE), describing how the budget of the element was developed. Additional information about each WBS element might include the responsible organization, contract number, and so on. The WBS Dictionary will often result in the project or contract statement of work (SOW).
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- What-If Analysis
- The process if evaluating alternative strategies.
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- Work
- The total number of hours, people or effort required to complete a task.
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- Work Breakdown Code
- A code that represents the ‘family tree’ of an element in a work breakdown structure.
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- Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
- The WBS is a tool for defining the hierarchical breakdown and work in a project. It is developed by identifying the highest level of work in the project. These major categories are broken down into smaller components. The subdivision continues until the lowest required level of detail is established. These end units of the WBS become the activities in a project. Once implemented, the WBS facilitates summary reporting at a variety of levels.
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- Work Flow
- Work flow is the relationship of the activities in a project from start to finish. Work flow takes into consideration all types of activity relationships.
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- Work Item
- See activity.
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- Work Load
- Work load is the amount of work units assigned to a resource over a period of time.
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- Work Package
- Detailed short-span tasks, or material items, identified by the performing contractor for accomplishing work required to complete a project. A work package represents a further breakdown of the work defined by the cost account. In traditional cost/schedule systems, the criteria for defining work packages is as follows: 1) Each work package is clearly distinguishable from all other work packages in the program. 2) Each work package has a scheduled start and finish date. 3) Each work package has an assigned budget that is time-phased over the duration of the work package. 4) Each work package either has a relatively short duration, or can be divided into a series of milestones whose status can be objectively measured. 5) Each work package has a schedule that is integrated with higher-level schedules.
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- Work Products
- Work Products are the results or deliverables that need to be produced in order to complete the project and deliver the necessary changes. The work products may range from a new building to a completed training course.
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- Work Units
- Work units is the measurement of resources. For example, people as a resource can be measured by the number of hours they work.
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- Workaround
- An unplanned response to a negative event.
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