What does that mean? Terms from the world of project management.

There are some special terms that we use in project management. Some are already known, others are heard for the first time. Therefore, they should be briefly explained here.

Work package

A work package virtually is the basic module within a project and describes a compact setting of a task or schedule activities. By fractionizing work steps into manageable sections - the work packages - the work can be planned and controlled more effectively which generates efficient project controlling. Content, time effort, responsibilities und result of a work package have to be defined conclusively and clearly with regards to content. The detailedness of work packages depends on extent and complexity of the overall project. The project management documents the work packages in a project structure plan. The work package is processed by a team member or a project team group.

In our MOBA project management we usually plan the work packages only as detailed as necessary. The individual details of a work package are the responsibility of each individual team member. Software developers also use their own tools for the planning of software Tasks.

Milestone

DIN 69900-1 69901 DES DEUTSCHEN INSTITUTS FÜR NORMUNG E.V.: “Event of special importance".

The PMBOK ® Guide 2004 adds "usually completion of a major deliverable, i.e. the completion of an important project result“.

Milestones are part of every project management and can be defined in every small or great project. They are crucial and essential steps of high importance on the way to a clearly defined target. Milestones can be of content nature (subgoals) as well as of deadline nature (Schedule Milestones), with a duration of zero. Because milestones divide the whole process into small and manageable steps and stopovers, it is possible to pause during a special project and check the state of affairs, if a preset time frame can be met or how to reach the next Milestone.

The milestones in a typical MOBA project correspond to our MOBA processes also. For example, the Kick-off meeting or the release to serial production.

Gantt diagram

Gantt diagrams serve to visualize the time process and coherence of a project‘s work packages. A bar indicates the time frame the work package has to be processed in. Arrows pointing to the work package’s forerunner and follower indicate the dependency in content and therefore the time restrictions.

Example of a GANTT diagram from a MOBA project. You see milestones, work packages and their progress and links.

Generic resource

“Generic resources“ are resource profiles, orientated on the competences and abilities needed to process a work package, for example (C++ programmers, circuit board designers etc.). Often in an early phase of the project, they are used as placeholders (variables) for actual resource names. In a later phase, these requirement profiles are adjusted to the actually existing and available resources by allocating real persons to the placeholders. To be able to do so, each staff member’s competences have to be known.

This is the first part with terms from the world of project management. We will continue it soon.