Project Engineering — Glossary & Flashcards
Project Engineering — Glossary &
Flashcards
36 core concepts for planning and controlling engineering projects
Original independent resource. All project scenarios, templates, prompts, and explanations are
newly written for general study. This is not official course material and contains no instructor-
provided assignments, assessments, slides, or proprietary examples.
Study approach
Recall the definition first, then create a short example from a fictional project. Use the companion
CSV for import into a flashcard application.
Term Definition / recall cue
Document authorizing a project and defining its
Project charter purpose, objectives, boundaries, authority, and high-
level constraints.
Work and deliverables included in a project, plus the
Scope
stated boundaries and exclusions.
Verifiable output produced to meet a project
Deliverable
requirement.
Measurable conditions a deliverable must satisfy to
Acceptance criteria
be formally accepted.
Deliverable-oriented decomposition of the total
WBS
project work into manageable components.
Lowest practical WBS component that can be
Work package
estimated, assigned, monitored, and controlled.
Significant zero-duration event or decision point in a
Milestone
schedule.
Logical relationship that determines sequencing
Dependency
between activities.
Longest-duration path through a schedule network; it
Critical path
determines planned finish date.
Amount an activity can slip without affecting a
Float
defined schedule milestone.
Approved version of scope, schedule, cost, or
Baseline technical information used for comparison and
control.
Shortening schedule duration through methods such
Schedule compression
as crashing or fast tracking.
Crashing Adding resources/cost to shorten an activity duration.
Overlapping activities that were originally
Fast tracking
sequenced.
Adjusting the schedule to resolve resource over-
Resource leveling
allocation, often affecting finish date.
Forecast of project expenditure based on scope,
Cost estimate
assumptions, rates, and uncertainty.
Budget within the cost baseline for identified
Contingency reserve
uncertainty or known-unknown risks.
Budget held outside the cost baseline for broader
Management reserve
unknown uncertainty under management control.
Effect of uncertainty on objectives; characterized by
Risk
likelihood, impact, and response.
Observable event or threshold indicating that a risk
Risk trigger
may be occurring or needs action.
Current problem requiring resolution; unlike a risk, it
Issue
has already occurred.
Original independent study resource | Not affiliated with or endorsed by any university or instructor
Project Engineering — Glossary &
Flashcards
36 core concepts for planning and controlling engineering projects
Original independent resource. All project scenarios, templates, prompts, and explanations are
newly written for general study. This is not official course material and contains no instructor-
provided assignments, assessments, slides, or proprietary examples.
Study approach
Recall the definition first, then create a short example from a fictional project. Use the companion
CSV for import into a flashcard application.
Term Definition / recall cue
Document authorizing a project and defining its
Project charter purpose, objectives, boundaries, authority, and high-
level constraints.
Work and deliverables included in a project, plus the
Scope
stated boundaries and exclusions.
Verifiable output produced to meet a project
Deliverable
requirement.
Measurable conditions a deliverable must satisfy to
Acceptance criteria
be formally accepted.
Deliverable-oriented decomposition of the total
WBS
project work into manageable components.
Lowest practical WBS component that can be
Work package
estimated, assigned, monitored, and controlled.
Significant zero-duration event or decision point in a
Milestone
schedule.
Logical relationship that determines sequencing
Dependency
between activities.
Longest-duration path through a schedule network; it
Critical path
determines planned finish date.
Amount an activity can slip without affecting a
Float
defined schedule milestone.
Approved version of scope, schedule, cost, or
Baseline technical information used for comparison and
control.
Shortening schedule duration through methods such
Schedule compression
as crashing or fast tracking.
Crashing Adding resources/cost to shorten an activity duration.
Overlapping activities that were originally
Fast tracking
sequenced.
Adjusting the schedule to resolve resource over-
Resource leveling
allocation, often affecting finish date.
Forecast of project expenditure based on scope,
Cost estimate
assumptions, rates, and uncertainty.
Budget within the cost baseline for identified
Contingency reserve
uncertainty or known-unknown risks.
Budget held outside the cost baseline for broader
Management reserve
unknown uncertainty under management control.
Effect of uncertainty on objectives; characterized by
Risk
likelihood, impact, and response.
Observable event or threshold indicating that a risk
Risk trigger
may be occurring or needs action.
Current problem requiring resolution; unlike a risk, it
Issue
has already occurred.
Original independent study resource | Not affiliated with or endorsed by any university or instructor
