Project Management Vocabulary

xblues

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Working in the field of project management requires a number of distinct skills. A project manager needs to be able to define the scope of a project clearly, estimate the cost and time required to complete it, set deliverables and specifications for every stage from start to finish, and allocate the needed resources as efficiently as possible.


The ability to manage people is also a critical skill. A good project manager can deal productively with a broad range of stakeholders, including employees, clients, subcontractors and others affected by the project. He or she will need to sign off on major decisions, such as change orders, while choosing the best possible team to make day-to-day decisions.


Project Manager (PM): The person with overall responsibility for planning and managing a project. A project manager needs to begin by setting clear objectives.


Sponsor: The person who has authority over a project, provides funding, approves scope changes and champions the project within an organization. The project sponsor is usually a representative of the client, since the client has commissioned and funded the project. The sponsor should provide high-level guidance while letting the project manager handle day-to-day issues.


Stackeholder: Anyone who has an interest in a project or will be affected by it. Stakeholders can be people inside or outside the organization carrying out the project.


Subcontractor: A business or person who is paid to do part of the work assigned to another person or company.


Scope: The overall definition of what the project is supposed to accomplish. Including the project's goal, the resources to be used to carry it out, and a specific description of the expected end result. eg, The scope of this project is a complete redesign of our customer database.


Deliverables: A deliverable may be either a physical object, such a newly designed product, or an outcome, such as the completion of a business plan. eg, For a project to succeed, its deliverables need to be both achievable and clearly defined.


Specifications (specs): Specifications are detailed descriptions of the deliverables for a project and include all the technical, time and cost requirements of a project.


Baseline: A set of standards for a project, usually based on previous experience, that can be used to evaluate its progress. The baseline will include the project's expected costs, schedule and any technical requirements. eg, Out baseline expectation is to complete the project by December at a cost of no more than $4 million.


Resources: All items needed to complete a project, such as a tool, supply item, facility or person.


To estimate( an estimate, an estimation): To calculate or guess the value, size or amount of something. eg, The value of the deal is estimated at $12 million.


Top-down estimate: An estimate for the cost, time, and risks of a project made by looking at the entire project from the top down, or in great detail, and comparing it to similar projects in the past. eg. Richard has worked on several similar projects before, so he can give us a top-down estimate of how much this one should cost.


To allocate: To decide that an amount of money, time or other resources should be used for a certain purpose. to allocate funds, to allocate resources. eg. Du Pont has allocated funds to build two new factories in Asia.


Contingency: A planned allocation of resources that are to be used in the event that something unforeseen, such as a bad weather, affects the completion of a project according to the schedule.


Change Order: A request for a change in a project's scope, deliverables or cost. Most large projects will require change orders, either because the project manager sees the need for changes or because the client's needs have changed. eg. It's important to get the client to approve any change orders before allocating more resources.


To sign off: To give approval for someone else's decision.

[ 本帖最后由 xblues 于 4-4-2010 11:02 编辑 ]