project management
Overseeing organized work
Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, and overseeing work to achieve specific goals within constraints of time, budget, and resources.
A project manager coordinates people and tasks, tracks progress, and adjusts when things go wrong.
The field has spawned methodologies like Agile and Waterfall, certifications, and software tools: She's taking a course in project management.
In corporate settings, the term sometimes serves as bureaucratic cover for what used to be called "getting things done."
Detailed plan forward
- strategyPlanned approach to goals
- blueprintDetailed technical drawing
- schedulingAssigning times to events
- timelineOrdered display of events
milestones · objectives · goals · scope · feasibility · budgeting · resources · allocation
Joint effort toward shared aim
- communicationExchanging ideas or information
- coordinationOrganized cooperative movement
- meetingsOrganized group assemblies
- feedbackReturned response data
brainstorming · consensus · stand-ups · retrospectives · cross-functional · stakeholders · transparency · virtual teams
Putting plans into effect
- workflowSequential task progression
- tasksUnits of work
- processesSeries of actions
- operationsPlanned systematic activities
resource allocation · action items · sprints · iterations · phases · rollout · deployment · coordination
Movement toward improvement
- statusOne's relative position
- monitoringOngoing observation of something
- reportingConveying documented information
- dashboardVehicle control panel
Gantt chart · KPIs · metrics · benchmarks · variance · scope creep · milestones · deadlines
Transferring responsibility downward
- decision-makingProcess of choosing actions
- accountabilityObligation for one's actions
- responsibilityState of being answerable
- authorityPower to enforce obedience
governance · sponsorship · steering committee · negotiation · conflict resolution · empowerment · mentorship
Results produced by something
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- outcomesFinal results achieved
- resultsWhat follows from effort
- productsItems made for sale
documentation · reports · specifications · handover · completion · quality · sign-off · prototypes
Reduction of severity
- contingencyUncertain possible event
- assessmentFormal evaluation of worth
- analysisMethodical study of parts
- probabilityQuantified chance of occurrence
impact · identification · register · avoidance · transfer · reduction · tolerance · appetite
roadmap
Detailed plan forward
- strategyPlanned approach to goals
- blueprintDetailed technical drawing
- schedulingAssigning times to events
timeline · milestones · objectives · goals · scope · feasibility · budgeting · resources · allocation · forecasting
teamwork
Joint effort toward shared aim
- communicationExchanging ideas or information
- coordinationOrganized cooperative movement
- meetingsOrganized group assemblies
feedback · brainstorming · consensus · stand-ups · retrospectives · cross-functional · stakeholders · transparency · virtual teams
implementation
Putting plans into effect
operations · resource allocation · action items · sprints · iterations · phases · rollout · deployment · coordination · efficiency
progress
Movement toward improvement
- statusOne's relative position
- monitoringOngoing observation of something
- reportingConveying documented information
dashboard · Gantt chart · KPIs · metrics · benchmarks · variance · scope creep · milestones · deadlines · updates
delegation
Transferring responsibility downward
- decision-makingProcess of choosing actions
- accountabilityObligation for one's actions
- responsibilityState of being answerable
authority · governance · sponsorship · steering committee · negotiation · conflict resolution · empowerment · mentorship
outputs
Results produced by something
products · documentation · reports · specifications · handover · completion · quality · sign-off · prototypes · releases
mitigation
Reduction of severity
- contingencyUncertain possible event
- assessmentFormal evaluation of worth
- analysisMethodical study of parts
probability · impact · identification · register · avoidance · transfer · reduction · tolerance · appetite · uncertainty
- business booksbusiness ethics, business models, business plans, corporate strategy, corporate culture
- engineering servicescivil engineering, structural engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, environmental engineering
- workplacehours, cubicle, desk job, holiday party, desk
- managementmanagers, executives, boss, supervisors, directors
- online servicesweb services, cloud services, SaaS, web hosting, e-commerce
- productivityproductivity, checking off, prioritization, finishing, output
project managementchaos
Complete disorder and confusion
disorganization · winging it · flying by the seat of your pants · firefighting · pandemonium
project managementbusiness as usual
Continuation of normal routine
day-to-day operations · keeping the lights on · maintenance mode