Acronyms and Abbreviations

The following list includes all common acronyms and abbreviations that are used in the world of project management. Terms are linked to definitions where available. Please let me know if you miss an abbreviation or an acronym! I will also extend this list from time to time. However, this list is supposed to include only “pure” project management terms and not industry-specific ones (although I might include some of the software world).

Please note that some of the acronyms might have a different meaning in other contexts so you should take them with a grain of salt if you are not sure about the context. You may want to consult Wikipedia for other meanings.

ACActual Cost
ACWPActual Cost of Work Performed
ADActivity Description
ADMArrow Diagramming Method
AEApportioned Effort
AFActual Finish date
AOAActivity – On – Arrow
AONActivity – On – Node
ASActual Start date
BACBudget At Completion
BCWPBudgeted Cost of Work Performed
BCWSBudgeted Cost of Work Scheduled
BOMBill Of Materials
CAControl Account
CAPControl Account Plan
CCBChange Control Board
COQCost Of Quality
CPAFCost plus award fee
CPFCost-Plus-Fee
CPFFCost-Plus-Fixed-Fee
CPICost Performance Index
CPIFCost-Plus-Incentive-Fee
CPMCritical Path Method
CPPCCost-Plus-Percentage of Cost
CVCost Variance
CWBSContract Work Breakdown Structure
DDData Date
DUDuration
DURDuration
EACEstimate at Completion
EFEarly Finish Date
EMVExpected Monetary Value
ESEarly Start Date
ETCEstimate to Complete
EVEarned Value
EVMEarned Valued Management
EVTEarned Valued Technique
FFFinish-to-Finish
FFFree Float
FFPFirm-Fixed-Price
FMEAFailure Mode and Effect Analysis
FPIFFixed-Price-Incentive-Fee
FSFinish-to-Start
IFBInvitation for Bid
LFLate Finish date
LOELevel of Effort
LSLate Start date
OBSOrganizational Breakdown Structure
ODOriginal Duration
PCPercent Complete
PCTPercent Complete
PDMPrecedence Diagramming Method
PFPlanned Finish date
PMProject Management
PMProject Manager
PMBOKProject Management Body Of Knowledge
PMISProject Management Information System
PMOProgram Management Office
PMOProject Management Office
PMPProject Management Professional
PSPlanned Start Date
PSWBSProject Summary Work Breakdown Structure
PVPlanned Value
QAQuality Assurance
QCQuality Control
QFD Quality Function Deployment
RAMResponsibility Assignment Matrix
RBSResource Breakdown Structure
RBSRisk Breakdown Structure
RDRemaining Duration
RFPRequest for Proposal
RFQRequest for Quotation
SFScheduled Finish date
SFStart-to-Finish
SOWStatement of Work
SPIScheduled Performance Index
SSScheduled Start date
SSStart-to-Start
SVSchedule Variance
SWAGSophisticated Wild Ass Guess
SWOTStrenths, Weaknees, Oppurtunities, and Threads
TCTarget Completion date
TFTarget Finish date
TFTotal Float
T&MTime and Material
TQMTotal Quality Management
TSTarget Start date
VEValue Engineering
WBSWork Breakdown Structure

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  • Start Date  A start date of a project is sometimes determined by the expected completion date. If a project is to be...
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  • Estimate at Completion  The phrase estimate at completion, which can also be referred to by the three letter anagram EAC, is an input...
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  • Actual Duration  The term actual duration can refer to a couple of different things depending on usage and context. In one usage,...
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  • Actual Start Date (AS)  Effective Project Management depends largely on keeping track of Actual Start Dates to determine productivity. The Actual Start Date marks...

    • The homepage of project-management-knowledge continues to reload every 1 second making the home page unreadable

      You do great work here
      Can you look into this

      Thanks

    • Thanks for the info, Mark. Unfortunately, I cannot reproduce this 🙁 Do you experience this also today?

    • I understand the purpose of NEC 3 contract relating to project management, engineering &construction but what does the Abreviation NEC mean

    • There’s a typo for SWOT: Strenths, Weaknees, Oppurtunities, and Threads — the last one should be Threats
      I surprised SMART is not there: Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic, Timed — goal setting
      I surprised SOSTAC is not there: situation, objectives, strategy, tactics, action and control — it’s common in marketing projects

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