📚 Key vocabulary stakeholder — any individual, group, or organization that has an interest in or is affected by a project's outcome deliverable — a tangible or intangible output produced as part of a project that can be measured and verified scope creep — the uncontrolled expansion of a project's requirements beyond what was originally agreed upon critical path — the longest sequence of dependent tasks in a project that determines the minimum completion time milestone — a significant event or achievement in a project timeline that marks progress toward completion risk register — a document used to identify, assess, and monitor potential risks throughout a project Gantt chart — a bar chart showing a project schedule with tasks, durations, and dependencies plotted over time sprint — a short, time-boxed period in Agile projects during which a specific set of tasks is completed baseline — the approved version of a project plan used as a reference point to measure actual performance resource allocation — the process of identifying and assigning available resources to project tasks efficiently
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An exercise to help you learn and practice the most common vocabulary and terminology used by project managers. Choose the closest synonym for each word (or words).
1. We still have to _______________ the details of the project. (meaning: to make a final decision about the details)
Correct answer: nail down.
2. Are you _______________ about your task? = Do you understand what you have to do?
Correct answer: clear.
3. Success criteria must be measurable and ____________________ (meaning: traceable) to be effective.
Correct answer: trackable.
4. An important element of any project's success is good team _______________. (meaning: how well the team works together)
Correct answer: dynamics.
5. Can I get your _______________ on this? = Can you tell me what you think about this?
Correct answer: input.
6. _______________ skills are something that every successful project manager possesses.
Correct answer: Leadership.
7. If you don't determine the scope of your project ahead of time, you might have a problem with _______________ resources later on. (meaning: you might not have all the resources that are necessary to complete the project)
Correct answer: inadequate.
8. Ensure that all documentation is ____________________ with the applicable requirements.
Correct answer: in line.
9. It looks as though this project will not be completed within ____________________ after all.
Correct answer: budget.
10. ____________________ action must be taken. = We must take steps to fix this problem.