Project Management Terms: A (Accept—Avoid)


Project Management Explained is your trusted source to exploring project management concepts and definitions. Here project management terms from ACCEPT to AVOID.

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# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

  • Accept. A risk response strategy for either positive or negative risks that does nothing and accepts the consequences of a risk occurring.
  • Accepted Deliverables. A project deliverable formally accepted by the stakeholders, who – after validation and quality control – have acknowledged that the deliverable meets its requirements and specifications.
  • Accuracy Levels. The rounding used when deriving activity duration estimates for different life cycle phases.
  • Achievement Theory. One of the five most popular theories of motivation and organization, developed by David McClelland. People need to be motivated by achievement, power, and sense of affiliation.
  • Acquisition. The external procurement of human resources that occurs when people cannot be ensured internally. It is often left to professionals with experience in advertising and recruitment.
  • Activity. A unique, scheduled task that must be executed to complete work on the project.
  • Activity Attributes. A complete description of the activity, such as activity codes, predecessor activities, and successor activities.
  • Activity Cost Estimates. The cost estimates for all activities in the activity list of the project.
  • Activity Duration Estimate. A quantifiable estimate expressed as the number of work periods needed to complete a schedule activity.
  • Activity List. A list of all the activities that must be accomplished to deliver the work packages.
  • Activity Resource Requirements. The resources required to complete the activities in the activity list.
  • Actual Cost (AC). The actual direct and indirect costs incurred in completing project work during a given period.
  • Agreements. Any and all formal contracts defining intentions around the project or some component of the project.
  • Alternative Analysis. Figuring out all of the possible different ways a potential outcome may be achieved and then making a decision about which method is best.
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). A technique for reaching a fair settlement – mediation, arbitration, or litigation – in the event of a disagreement that the contracted parties cannot resolve via direct negotiation.
  • Analogous Estimating. An estimating process that bases estimates upon similar activities with similar resource category and types from a similar type of projects executed earlier. Also called top-down  estimating.
  • Assumption. A factor that is considered to be true, real or certain without proof or demonstration.
  • Assumptions Analysis. An analysis of the assumptions made when calculating estimates.
  • Assumptions Log. A document where project manager and project team capture, document, and track assumptions throughout the project’s lifecycle.
  • Attribute Sampling. Pass-fail testing; notably, a result meets the requirement or does not.
  • Avoid. A risk response strategy that eradicates a particular negative risk by eliminating its cause.