P | Project Leadership

Paradigm: A mind-set that presents a fundamental way of thinking about perceiving and understanding the world.
Participative leadership, participative decision-making: Leadership that emphasizes consultation with group members and takes their suggestions seriously when making decisions.
Performance: Accomplishment of project expectations; ability to attain goals by using resources efficiently and effectively.
Plan: A formal, approved document used to guide both project execution and project control.
Plan-do-check-act model (PDCA): The team first plans ("plan")who needs to know what information, how often they need it, and their preferred information format. Next the team uses ("do") the communications plan. Very quickly and repeatedly, the team should seek feedback("check") on the quality and completeness of the information being transmitted through the communications plan. Finally the team should act ("act") on the feedback by improving the communications plan.
Planning: The management function that assesses the management environment to set future objectives and map out activities necessary to achieve those objectives.
Planning stage, project planning: The development and maintenance of the project plan.
Plus delta: A tool for collecting lessons learned. The facilitator draws a large T on a flip chart with a plus sign over the left crossbar and a large triangle over the right crossbar. Then project participants state what they thought was positive and should be repeated during this project or on future projects as well as negative things they feel should be changed.
Political forces: The influence of political and legal institutions on people and organizations.
Polling: Voting, in the form of informal polling; sometimes useful when testing for consensus.
Predecessor: The task prior to the current task in the network diagram.
Preplanning: Preparing the charter; provides a quick understanding of what is involved in completing the potential project with the knowledge that if something is not acceptable, the project may not get approved.
Prioritize: To put things in order of importance.
Problem-solving: The thought processes involved in solving a problem.
Process improvement: Continuous improvement of work processes to achieve project goals and stakeholder satisfaction efficiently and effectively.
Project: A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.
Project charter: A document issued by senior management that formally authorizes the existence of a project. Provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities.
Project closing: Formalized acceptance of the project and bringing it to an end.
Project kickoff meeting: A formal meeting with the intent of answering all questions and securing approval from all stakeholders to proceed.
Project leader: An individual at any level who exerts a guiding role at some point in a project.
Project lifecycle: A collection of generally sequential project phases whose names and numbers are determined by the control needs of the organization.
Project manager: The individual responsible for managing a project.
Project office: An organizational unit that controls and standardizes project management practices. Some also perform internal training and consulting.
Project sponsor, project champion: A person assigned by top management to mentor the project manager and champion the project, help the project manager secure resources, and help remove obstacles to project progress.