Wideman Comparative Glossary of Project Management Terms v5.5

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Wideman Comparative Wideman Comparative Glossary of Common Project Management Terms v5.5 is copyright © R. Max Wideman, 2000-2017.

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Last updated 12-22-17

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Master Glossary

Recurring Task - to - Replacement Value

	Term Definition Editor's Choice	Cat	Source
	Recurring Task A task that occurs repeatedly during the course of a project, such as a weekly staff meeting. [D01612]	JN C	MSP98
	Red Team A team conducting a peer or expert review of project documentation to identify short-comings and make recommendations for corrective action or for purposes of making a selection. [D05469]	JN	SU
	Reduced Inspection Inspection under a sampling plan using the same quality level as for normal inspection, but requiring a smaller sample for inspection. [D01613]	JN	MIL-STD 109A QMPP
	Reduction in Force An action to reduce the number of headcount through layoffs, transfers or attrition. [D04211]	JN	CSM
	Redundancy May refer to either: Something serving as a duplicate for preventing failure of an entire system upon failure of a key component. Applied especially where safety is a concern, or Someone no longer needed for a job and hence laid off. [D03226]	JN T	RMW
	Duplication of capability to increase reliability. [D04212]	JN T	CSM
	Reengineering The process of redesigning a product, system or process (e.g. administrative) to be more effective or efficient. [D03227]	JN HMT	RMW
Index of all terms Top of Page	Reference Group A group of people available for advice, and expecting to be kept informed during project planning and implementation. [D01616]	JN	NPMT
	Reference Model A structure which allows the modules and interfaces of a system to be described in a consistent manner. [D05712]	JN	071
	Referent Power The ability (of a project manager) to gain support because project personnel feel personally attracted to the manager or the project. [D02892]	JN	PMDT
	Refinement, Schedule Refinement The rework, redefinition or modification of the logic or data that may have previously been developed in the planning process as required to properly input milestones, restraints and priorities. [D01617]	N	PMK87
	Regression Analysis Where past data is insufficient for direct forecasting of future levels of activity it may still be possible to make assumptions based on relationships with other activities that can be forecast. This applies particularly to apportioned-effort tasks and to a lesser extent to level-of-effort tasks. [D03084]	JN CH	CCCP
	A quantitative technique used to establish a line-of-best-fit through a set of data to establish a relationship between one or more independent variable and a dependent variable. That line is then used with a projected value of the independent variable(s) to estimate a value for the dependent variable. Editor's Note: A valuable estimating tool provided the value to be estimate lies within the observed data and not beyond those limits. [D03558]	N	GAT
	A statistical technique used to establish and graphically depict the relationship of a dependent variable to one or more independent variables. [D06200]	N	PMTWG
	Regulation Requirements decreed by an authority having jurisdiction. [D05713]	JN	RMW
Index of all terms Top of Page	Regulations Rules or orders issued by an executive authority or regulatory agency of a government and having the force of law. [D03228]	FGJN	Webster
	Regulators Government authorities having jurisdiction, who set rules, and whose job it is to ensure compliance on the project and give approvals. [D05714]	GJN	RMW
	Regulatory Alternate meanings include To bring order, method, or uniformity. To fix or adjust the time, amount, degree, or rate of. Pertaining to Regulations [D03229]	GJN	Webster
	Regulatory Personnel Those individuals working for government regulatory agencies whose task it is to assure compliance with their particular agency's requirements. [D01618]	GJN	PMK87
	Reimbursable Expenditure A seller's expenditure that will be paid for under the contract. [D05470]	GJN CH	SU
	A seller's expenditure funded by the buyer. [D04213]	JN	CSM
	Reimbursement Payment to a seller, employee, or other party for incurred expenses in project performance or any aspect of work associated with an organization. [D06201]	GJN	PMTWG
	Reinforcement Theory The view that reinforcement must be ongoing, and when performance becomes punishing, effort will stop. Also, fixed-interval, fixed-schedule type reinforcement (e.g. weekly paycheck) is not as effective as variable pay on variable schedules. See also Control Theory, Expectancy Theory, Equity Theory, and Goal Setting Theory. [D02638]	N	PMH p316
Index of all terms Top of Page	Rejected Acceptance refused. Typically because not wanted, unsatisfactory, or not fulfilling requirements in some way. [D03230]	JN	Webster
	Rejection Number The minimum number of defects or defective units in the sample that will cause rejection of the lot represented by the sample. [D01619]	N	MIL-STD 109A QMPP
	Related Base A comparable baseline or connected source of reference information. [D03231]	N	RMW
	Relational Database Management System. ("RDBMS") A management system that makes use of a relational type database. [D04873]	N	RUP
	Relationship A logical or natural association between two or more things; relevance of one to another; connection. [D01621]	N	VPM p19
	A logical connection between two activities. [D01620]	N	WST
	A semantic connection among model elements. Examples of relationships include associations and generalizations. [D04874]	N	RUP
	Relationship Float Relationship free float is the amount by which the lag on that relationship would have to be increased in order to delay the successor activity. Relationship total float is the amount by which it would have to be increased in order to cause a delay in the completion of the project as a whole (or the violation of a late target). [D01622]	N	WST
Index of all terms Top of Page	Release A configuration management action whereby a particular version of hardware, software, or documentation is baselined and made available for general use. [D04214]	N MT	CSM
	A subset of the end-product that is the object of evaluation at a major milestone. A release is a stable, executable version of product, together with any artifacts necessary to use this release, such as release notes or installation instructions. A release can be internal or external. An internal release is used only by the development organization, as part of a milestone, or for a demonstration to users or customers. An external release (or delivery) is delivered to end users. A release is not necessarily a complete product, but can just be one step along the way, with its usefulness measured only from an engineering perspective. Releases act as a forcing function that drives the development team to get closure at regular intervals, avoiding the "90% done, 90% remaining" syndrome. See also Prototype, Baseline. [D04757]	N T	RUP
	Release Claims Certificate to release and hold harmless from future claims by the contractor. [D01623]	N CHMT	PMK87
	Release Manager A manager responsible for ensuring that all software assets are controlled and configurable into internal and external releases as required. [D04758]	N T	RUP
	Release of Lien A sworn legal document presented by a contractor, subcontractor of supplier of materials, to an owner, stating under oath that all costs incurred in performing such labor work or materials have been paid in full, and further holding harmless the owner from the filing of any mechanics lien or claim against those owners of real property for any payments not made by the contractor, subcontractor or material supplier. A Release of Lien is usually the last document to be submitted by a contractor to an owner, after which release of final payment (including retention or retainage) is made. [D05715]	N CH	PDG
	Reliability A fundamental characteristic of an individual, item or material expressed as the probability that it will perform its intended function for a specified time under stated conditions. [D03684]	FGJN CHMT	DSMC
	The probability that an item will perform its intended function for a specified interval under stated conditions. [D01624]	N	USDoD QMPP
	The ability of an item to perform a required function under stated conditions for a stated period of time. [D01625]	FGJN CHMT	ISO 8402 QMPP
Index of all terms Top of Page	Reliability Assurance All actions necessary to provide adequate confidence that material conforms to established reliability requirements. [D01626]	N	004 4155.11 QMPP
	Remaining Available Resource The difference between the resource availability pool and the level schedule resource requirements. Computed from the resource allocation process, [D01627]	N	PMK87
	Remaining Duration The estimate of time remaining to complete an activity. A far more useful measure of progress than percentage complete. [D03932]	JN CHMT	PNG
	The estimated work units needed to complete an activity as of the data date. [D01628]	N	PMK87
	Time needed to complete the remainder of an activity or project. [D01629]	N	WST
	Remaining Float ("RF") The difference between the early finish and the late finish date. [D01630]	JN CH	PMK87
	Re-measurement Measurement of work actually accomplished. Typically required under unit price contracts and repeated at the end of each progress period. [D03232]	N CH	RMW
	Remedy The right of a contracting party when the other party does not fulfill its contractual obligations. [D06202]	GJ CH	SU
Index of all terms Top of Page	Repetitive Work Sequence A work effort that can be identified and repeated as a recognizable cycle. Valuable in the application of learning curve theory, leading to improved efficiency in each cycle. In project work, few cycles are identical because the project progresses as a whole, but sufficiently close to be of value. [D03233]	JN CH	RMW
	Replacement Theory A statistical methodology for arriving at the optimum life of replaceable elements in a project. It considers replacement cost, maintenance and down time costs, tax implications and scrap value. [D03085]	JN CH	CCCP
	Replacement Value The amount equal to the cost of replacing an item with a new one rather than the depreciated value of the existing one. [D03234]	GJ CH	RMW
	Definitions for page R01: 50

Introduction | What's New in Version 5.5 | Sources and References International Recognition | About the Author Content Index

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Introduction | What's New in Version 5.5 | Sources and References
International Recognition | About the Author
Content Index

Home | Issacons | PM Glossary | Papers & Books | Max's Musings
Guest Articles | Contact Info | Top of Page