- Triple constraint
- The balance of scope, time (schedule), and cost, with quality at the center. Changing one forces a change in at least one other.
- Project (definition)
- A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. It has a defined start and finish and a specific purpose.
- Program
- A group of related projects managed together to gain benefits not available from managing them individually.
- Portfolio
- A collection of projects, programs, and operations managed as a group to achieve strategic business objectives.
- Scope
- The total work required to deliver a product, service, or result with the specified features and functions.
- Scope creep
- Uncontrolled expansion of project scope without adjusting time, cost, or resources; prevented by change control.
- Product change vs. project change
- A product change alters the deliverable itself; a project change alters how the work is executed (schedule, cost, approach).
- Waterfall
- A predictive, sequential methodology where each phase completes before the next begins; best when scope is stable.
- Agile
- An iterative, adaptive approach that delivers work in short increments (sprints) and welcomes changing requirements.
- Scrum
- An Agile framework using fixed-length sprints, a product backlog, daily stand-ups, and roles (product owner, scrum master, team).
- Kanban
- An Agile method that visualizes work on a board and limits work in progress to improve flow.
- XP (Extreme Programming)
- An Agile software framework emphasizing frequent releases, pair programming, and continuous testing.
- SAFe
- Scaled Agile Framework — applies Agile practices across large, multi-team enterprises.
- PRINCE2
- PRojects IN Controlled Environments — a structured, process-based project management methodology.
- SDLC
- Software Development Life Cycle — the phased process for planning, building, testing, and deploying software.
- DevOps
- A culture and practice that unites development and operations to deliver software faster and more reliably.
- DevSecOps
- DevOps with security integrated throughout the pipeline rather than added at the end.
- Sprint
- A short, fixed time-box (often 1–4 weeks) in which an Agile team delivers a working increment.
- Product backlog
- A prioritized list of features, requirements, and work items for an Agile product.
- Story point
- A relative unit estimating the effort of a backlog item, rather than estimating in hours.
- Velocity
- The amount of work an Agile team completes per sprint, used to forecast future capacity.
- Change request
- A formal proposal to alter a project's scope, schedule, cost, or quality.
- Change control log
- A document that records every change request and its review status and decision.
- Change Control Board (CCB)
- The group that reviews change requests and approves, rejects, or defers them.
- Impact assessment
- Analysis of how a proposed change affects scope, schedule, cost, quality, resources, and risk.
- Risk
- An uncertain future event that may help or hurt the project; tracked in the risk register.
- Issue
- A problem that has already occurred and needs resolution now; tracked in the issue log.
- Avoid (risk response)
- Eliminate a threat entirely, for example by removing the risky scope.
- Mitigate (risk response)
- Reduce a threat's probability or impact.
- Transfer (risk response)
- Shift a threat's impact to a third party, such as via insurance or a contract.
- Accept (risk response)
- Take no proactive action; rely on a contingency reserve if the risk occurs.
- Exploit (positive risk)
- Ensure an opportunity is realized.
- Enhance (positive risk)
- Increase the probability or impact of an opportunity.
- Share (positive risk)
- Partner with a third party to capture an opportunity.
- Qualitative risk analysis
- Prioritizing risks subjectively by probability and impact (e.g., a probability-impact matrix).
- Quantitative risk analysis
- Numerically analyzing risk, e.g., Monte Carlo simulation, to model overall project risk.
- Contingency reserve
- Time or budget set aside for identified (known) risks if they occur.
- Fallback plan
- An alternative plan used when the primary risk response fails.
- Root cause analysis
- Investigating an issue to find its underlying cause rather than treating symptoms.
- Issue severity
- How serious an issue is; used with impact and urgency to prioritize resolution.
- Critical path
- The longest sequence of dependent tasks; determines the shortest project duration. Tasks on it have zero float.
- Critical Path Method (CPM)
- A technique that calculates the critical path and each task's float from a network of dependencies.
- Float (slack)
- The amount of time a task can be delayed without delaying the project; critical-path tasks have zero float.
- Finish-to-start (FS)
- A dependency where a successor cannot start until its predecessor finishes (the most common type).
- Start-to-start (SS)
- A dependency where a successor cannot start until its predecessor starts.
- Finish-to-finish (FF)
- A dependency where a successor cannot finish until its predecessor finishes.
- Start-to-finish (SF)
- A dependency where a successor cannot finish until its predecessor starts (rare).
- Mandatory (hard) dependency
- A dependency required by the nature of the work or a contract.
- Discretionary (soft) dependency
- A dependency based on best practice or preference rather than necessity.
- Milestone
- A significant point or event in a project with zero duration, used to mark progress.
- Baseline
- The approved version of the scope, schedule, or cost plan against which performance is measured.
- Rebaseline
- Formally resetting a baseline after major approved change, versus simply revising it.
- SLA
- Service Level Agreement — a contract defining the expected level of service and performance metrics.
- KPI
- Key Performance Indicator — a measurable value showing how effectively an objective is being met.
- OKR
- Objectives and Key Results — a goal-setting framework pairing objectives with measurable key results.
- Cost variance (CV)
- The difference between budgeted and actual cost for work performed; negative means over budget.
- Schedule variance (SV)
- The difference between planned and actual progress; negative means behind schedule.
- Verification vs. validation
- Verification checks the product was built right (meets specs); validation checks the right product was built (meets needs).
- Unit testing
- Testing individual components in isolation.
- Regression testing
- Re-testing to confirm new changes did not break existing functionality.
- User acceptance testing (UAT)
- Final testing by end users to confirm the product meets business needs before release.
- Synchronous communication
- Real-time communication such as a meeting, call, or video conference.
- Asynchronous communication
- Communication that does not require simultaneous participation, such as email.
- Noise (communication)
- Anything that distorts or interferes with a message between sender and receiver.
- Active listening
- Fully concentrating on, understanding, and responding to a speaker to ensure accurate communication.
- Timeboxing
- Allocating a fixed maximum time to an activity or meeting to keep it focused.
- Kickoff meeting
- A meeting at the start of a project (or phase) to align the team and stakeholders on goals and roles.
- Stand-up meeting
- A short daily Agile meeting where the team shares progress, plans, and blockers.
- Steering committee
- A decisive group of senior stakeholders that provides direction and major decisions.
- Retrospective
- An Agile meeting at a sprint's end to reflect on what went well and what to improve.
- Functional organization
- An org structure where staff report to functional managers; the PM has limited authority.
- Matrix organization
- An org structure where staff report to both a functional manager and a project manager.
- Projectized organization
- An org structure organized around projects; the PM has high authority over resources.
- Project sponsor
- The person who champions and funds the project and has ultimate authority.
- Stakeholder
- Anyone affected by or who can affect the project.
- Scrum master
- The Agile servant-leader who facilitates the process and removes impediments for the team.
- Product owner
- The Agile role that owns and prioritizes the product backlog to maximize value.
- PMO
- Project Management Office — a group that standardizes and supports project management practices.
- SME
- Subject Matter Expert — a person with deep expertise in a specific area.
- Business analyst (BA)
- A role that elicits, analyzes, and documents requirements.
- Build vs. buy vs. lease
- Procurement options: build it in-house, buy a product outright, or lease it for a period.
- Subscription (pay-as-you-go)
- A procurement model where you pay recurring fees for ongoing access rather than buying outright.
- RFI
- Request for Information — gathers general information about vendors and capabilities.
- RFP
- Request for Proposal — asks vendors to propose a complete solution, evaluated on best value.
- RFQ
- Request for Quotation — asks vendors for pricing on clearly defined goods or services.
- RFB
- Request for Bid — a competitive bid typically awarded on lowest qualifying cost.
- Fixed-price contract
- A contract for a set total price; the vendor bears the cost risk.
- Time and materials (T&M)
- A contract paying for actual labor time and materials used; flexible but the buyer bears cost risk.
- Cost-plus contract
- A contract reimbursing costs plus an added fee or percentage.
- Statement of work (SOW)
- A document detailing the work, deliverables, and timeline a vendor will provide.
- Master service agreement (MSA)
- An overarching contract setting general terms for ongoing work, with details in individual SOWs.
- NDA
- Non-Disclosure Agreement — a contract protecting confidential information shared between parties.
- Resource leveling
- Adjusting the schedule to resolve over-allocation of resources, which may extend the timeline.
- Conflict resolution (PM)
- Approaches to handle team conflict: Smoothing, Forcing, Compromise, Collaboration, and Avoiding.
- Collaboration (conflict)
- Resolving conflict by working together to a win-win solution; usually the best long-term approach.
- Forcing (conflict)
- Imposing one party's view; fast but can damage relationships.
- Project life cycle
- The phases a project moves through: discovery, initiation, planning, execution, and closing.
- Discovery / pre-initiation
- Early work to justify a project: business case, ROI analysis, and current-vs-future state.
- Business case
- A justification document showing why a project should be undertaken, including expected benefits.
- ROI (Return on Investment)
- A measure of a project's financial benefit relative to its cost, used to justify the project.
- CapEx vs. OpEx
- Capital expenditure is a one-time investment in assets; operating expenditure is ongoing operational cost.
- Initiation phase
- The phase where the project is formally authorized via the charter and stakeholders are identified.
- Project charter
- The document that authorizes the project and gives the PM authority to use resources.
- Stakeholder identification
- Finding everyone who affects or is affected by the project, done during initiation.
- RAM (Responsibility Assignment Matrix)
- A grid mapping roles to tasks; RACI is the most common form.
- RACI chart
- A matrix labeling roles as Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, or Informed for each task.
- Responsible (RACI)
- The person who performs the work for a task.
- Accountable (RACI)
- The single person who owns the outcome of a task; there is exactly one per task.
- Consulted (RACI)
- People whose input is sought before a task is done (two-way communication).
- Informed (RACI)
- People kept up to date on progress or decisions (one-way communication).
- Planning phase
- The phase that produces the WBS, scope statement, schedule, budget, and management plans.
- Detailed scope statement
- A document precisely defining what is and is not included in the project.
- Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
- A hierarchical decomposition of total project scope into manageable deliverables and work packages.
- Work package
- The lowest level of the WBS, small enough to estimate cost and duration reliably.
- Communication plan
- A document defining what information is shared, with whom, how, and how often.
- Project management plan
- The integrated plan covering baselines, milestones, and how the project is executed and controlled.
- MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
- The smallest usable version of a product that delivers value and enables feedback.
- Execution phase
- The phase where the work is performed to produce deliverables according to the plan.
- Organizational change management (OCM)
- Managing the people side of change: training, adoption, communication, and reinforcement.
- Vendor management
- Overseeing suppliers: rules of engagement, monitoring performance, and approving deliverables.
- Phase gate review
- A checkpoint between phases where stakeholders decide whether to proceed, hold, or cancel.
- Status report
- A periodic summary of project progress, issues, risks, and upcoming work.
- Closing phase
- The phase that validates deliverables, gets sign-off, releases resources, and archives documents.
- Validate deliverables
- Confirming that completed deliverables meet the agreed requirements before acceptance.
- Project sign-off
- Formal acceptance by the customer or sponsor that the project is complete.
- Lessons learned
- Documented insights captured (often at closure) so future projects can improve.
- Closeout report
- A final document summarizing project outcomes, performance, and lessons learned.
- Release resources
- Reassigning team members and equipment back to the organization at project close.
- Budget reconciliation
- Comparing actual spending to the budget at closure to settle accounts.
- Records management plan
- A plan for how project documentation is stored, accessed, and retained.
- Transition / release plan
- A plan covering operational training, go-live, and handoff to operations.
- Predictive vs. adaptive life cycle
- Predictive plans fully up front (Waterfall); adaptive plans iteratively (Agile).
- Solution design
- Defining how the project will meet requirements, often during initiation or early planning.
- Go-live
- The point at which a product or system becomes available for operational use.
- Operational handoff
- Transferring a completed deliverable to the team that will operate and support it.
- Gantt chart
- A horizontal bar chart showing tasks against a timeline, with durations, dependencies, and milestones.
- PERT chart
- Program Evaluation and Review Technique — estimates task duration using optimistic, pessimistic, and most-likely values.
- Network diagram
- A diagram of project activities and their dependencies, used to find the critical path.
- Milestone chart
- A simplified schedule view showing only key milestones and their dates.
- Burndown chart
- Shows work remaining in a sprint or release over time against an ideal line.
- Burnup chart
- Shows work completed and total scope over time, making scope changes visible.
- Project organization chart
- A diagram showing the project's roles and reporting relationships.
- Risk register
- The central document recording risks with probability, impact, owner, response, and status.
- Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS)
- A hierarchical organization of project risks by category.
- Issue log
- A document tracking issues, their severity, owners, and resolution status.
- Change log
- A record of all change requests and their decisions.
- Defect log
- A document tracking identified defects and their resolution.
- Project dashboard
- A visual, at-a-glance summary of key project metrics and status.
- Version control
- A system that tracks and manages changes to documents, code, or other artifacts.
- Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM)
- A grid linking each requirement to its source, deliverables, and tests to ensure coverage.
- Task board / Kanban board
- A visual board showing work items moving through stages (To Do, In Progress, Done).
- Histogram
- A bar chart showing the frequency distribution of data.
- Pareto chart
- A bar chart ordering causes by frequency, illustrating the 80/20 principle (vital few).
- Run chart
- A line chart showing a process metric over time to reveal trends.
- Scatter diagram
- A chart plotting two variables to reveal a possible relationship between them.
- Fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram
- A cause-and-effect diagram used to identify the root causes of a problem.
- Control chart
- A chart showing whether a process stays within statistical control limits over time.
- Decision tree
- A diagram mapping decisions and their possible outcomes, costs, and probabilities.
- Monte Carlo simulation
- A quantitative technique running many random scenarios to model project uncertainty.
- Earned value analysis
- A method comparing planned, earned, and actual values to assess cost and schedule performance.
- Resource histogram
- A bar chart showing resource usage over time to spot over- or under-allocation.
- Project status report
- A formal periodic report on progress, performance, risks, and issues.
- Time-tracking tool
- Software that records the hours team members spend on tasks.
- Collaboration tools
- Software for real-time co-editing, file sharing, workflow, e-signature, whiteboards, and wikis.
- Ticketing / case management
- Tools that log, track, and resolve requests or incidents.
- Velocity chart
- A chart showing an Agile team's completed work per sprint over time.
- Charting / diagramming tools
- Office tools for building charts, flowcharts, and diagrams to communicate information.
- ESG
- Environmental, Social, and Governance — a framework for evaluating a project's broader impact.
- Governance
- The framework of rules, practices, and oversight directing how projects align with organizational goals.
- Information security (project context)
- Protecting project data and systems across physical, operational, and digital controls.
- MFA
- Multi-Factor Authentication — requiring two or more verification factors to grant access.
- Data classification
- Labeling data by sensitivity (e.g., Public, Internal, Confidential) to apply the right controls.
- Need-to-know
- Restricting access so people receive only the information required for their role.
- Least privilege
- Granting users only the minimum access needed to do their jobs.
- PII
- Personally Identifiable Information — data that can identify an individual (name, SSN, address).
- PHI
- Protected Health Information — health-related data protected by regulations such as HIPAA.
- Confidentiality (CIA)
- Ensuring information is accessible only to authorized people.
- Integrity (CIA)
- Ensuring information is accurate and unaltered by unauthorized parties.
- Availability (CIA)
- Ensuring information and systems are accessible when needed by authorized users.
- Compliance
- Adhering to applicable laws, regulations, standards, and organizational policies.
- Privacy regulations
- Laws governing the handling of personal data, which vary by country, state, or industry.
- IaaS
- Infrastructure as a Service — cloud-provided compute, storage, and networking.
- PaaS
- Platform as a Service — a cloud environment to build, test, and deploy applications.
- SaaS
- Software as a Service — complete applications delivered over the internet.
- XaaS
- Anything as a Service — the umbrella term for cloud delivery models.
- ERP
- Enterprise Resource Planning — integrated software managing core business processes.
- CRM
- Customer Relationship Management — software for managing customer interactions and data.
- CMS
- Content Management System — software for creating and managing digital content.
- EDRMS
- Electronic Document and Records Management System — manages an organization's documents and records.
- Multitiered architecture
- An IT design separating presentation, application logic, and data into layers.
- Operational change control
- The process governing changes to live IT infrastructure and software.
- Maintenance window
- A scheduled period for performing changes or maintenance with planned downtime.
- Rollback plan
- A procedure to restore a system to its prior working state if a change fails.
- Validation checks
- Verification steps confirming a deployed change works as intended.
- CI/CD
- Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery — automating the build, test, and release of software.
- Production vs. staging environment
- Production is the live environment; staging or beta is a pre-release environment for testing.
- Customer notification
- Informing affected users before a change or maintenance that may impact them.
- Data retention / legal hold
- Policies for how long data is kept and when it must be preserved for legal reasons.
- Brand value (project impact)
- How a project may affect an organization's reputation and brand, an ESG consideration.
- Smoothing (conflict)
- Emphasizing areas of agreement and downplaying differences; a temporary fix.
- Compromise (conflict)
- Each party gives up something to reach a middle-ground solution (lose-lose elements).
- Avoiding (conflict)
- Withdrawing from or postponing a conflict; rarely resolves the underlying issue.
- Resource leveling vs. smoothing
- Leveling adjusts the schedule to fix over-allocation; smoothing keeps the finish date and uses float only.
- Gap analysis
- Comparing current capabilities to required ones to identify what is missing.
- Backlog prioritization
- Ordering backlog items by value and urgency so the team works on the most important first.
- Epic
- A large body of Agile work that can be broken into smaller stories or tasks.
- User story
- A short, plain-language description of a feature from the user's perspective.
- Escalation (PM)
- Raising an issue or decision to higher authority when it exceeds the team's ability to resolve.
- Issue prioritization factors
- Severity, impact, urgency, and scope of impact determine how quickly an issue is addressed.
- Workaround
- A temporary solution that bypasses a problem until a permanent fix is implemented.
- Known vs. unknown risk
- Known risks are identified and planned for with contingency; unknown risks use management reserve.
- Probability and impact matrix
- A grid scoring risks by likelihood and consequence to rank them.
- Procurement
- Obtaining goods and services from outside the project organization.
- Best value vs. lowest cost
- Best value weighs quality and capability; lowest cost picks the cheapest qualifying option.
- Prequalified vendor
- A supplier already vetted and approved for use, speeding procurement.
- Cost-benefit analysis
- Comparing a project's expected costs to its expected benefits to support a decision.
- Schedule baseline
- The approved schedule used as the reference to measure schedule performance.
- Cost baseline
- The approved time-phased budget used to measure cost performance.
- Scope baseline
- The approved scope statement, WBS, and WBS dictionary.
- Forecasting
- Predicting future project performance based on current data and trends.
- Audits and inspections
- Reviews that verify the project follows processes and meets quality requirements.
- Smoke testing
- A quick test confirming the most critical functions work before deeper testing.
- Stress testing
- Testing a system under extreme load to find its breaking point.
- Performance testing
- Measuring responsiveness and stability under expected workloads.
- Post-implementation support / warranty
- Support provided after delivery to fix issues during a defined warranty period.
- Communication security and integrity
- Protecting project communications from unauthorized access and ensuring they are accurate.
- Formal vs. informal communication
- Formal is documented and structured (reports); informal is casual (chats, emails).
- Written vs. verbal communication
- Written leaves a record; verbal is faster and better for nuance and rapport.
- Resource life cycle
- Acquisition, maintenance, and decommissioning of resources over a project.
- Shared vs. dedicated resources
- Shared resources serve multiple projects; dedicated ones work on a single project.
- Internal vs. external resources
- Internal resources come from within the organization; external are contracted from outside.
- Program manager vs. project manager
- A program manager oversees related projects; a project manager runs a single project.
- Tester / QA role
- Verifies deliverables meet quality and requirements through testing.
- Pre-initiation activities
- Early discovery work, such as feasibility, ROI, and current-vs-future state, before formal initiation.
- Feasibility study
- An assessment of whether a proposed project is practical and worthwhile.
- Current state vs. future state
- Documenting how things work now versus the desired end state the project will achieve.
- Preexisting contracts
- Agreements (client SOW or TOR) already in place that shape the project.
- Predetermined client
- A client identified before the project starts, shaping scope and constraints.
- Success criteria
- The measurable conditions that define whether the project succeeded; defined in the charter.
- Preliminary scope statement
- A high-level scope defined in the charter, refined into the detailed scope in planning.
- Access requirements
- Defining who needs access to what systems and data, established during initiation.
- Assign and train resources
- Allocating team members to roles and providing the training they need, done in planning.
- Meeting cadence
- The regular schedule of project meetings, defined in the communication plan.
- Budget considerations
- Estimating and planning project costs, including reserves, during planning.
- QA plan
- A plan defining the quality standards and how they will be verified.
- Initial risk assessment
- Identifying and analyzing risks early in planning to feed the risk register.
- Execute according to plan
- Performing work as defined by the project management plan during execution.
- Ensure adoption (OCM)
- Helping users embrace a change through training, communication, and reinforcement.
- Rules of engagement (vendors)
- Agreed expectations governing how the project and vendors interact.
- Approve deliverables
- Reviewing and accepting vendor or team deliverables against requirements during execution.
- Tracking and reporting
- Monitoring progress and communicating status during execution (touch points, risk reports, gap analysis).
- Gap analysis (execution)
- Comparing actual progress to the plan to identify shortfalls during execution.
- Update budget and timeline
- Revising cost and schedule forecasts as the project progresses.
- Project evaluation (closing)
- Assessing whether the project met its objectives and success criteria at closure.
- Close contracts
- Formally completing and settling all procurement agreements at closure.
- Remove access (closing)
- Revoking team and vendor access to systems and data when the project ends.
- Archive documentation
- Storing project records in an accessible repository for future reference.
- Collect stakeholder feedback
- Gathering input at closure to improve future projects.
- Project closure meeting
- A meeting to formally conclude the project and review outcomes.
- Phase
- A distinct stage of the project life cycle with its own deliverables and gate.
- Deliverable
- A unique, verifiable product, result, or capability produced by the project.
- Project network diagram (PDM)
- A precedence diagram showing activities as nodes linked by dependency arrows.
- Three-point estimate
- Estimating using optimistic, most-likely, and pessimistic values (the basis of PERT).
- RACI vs. RAM
- RACI is the most common form of a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM).
- Quality charts (seven tools)
- Common quality tools: histogram, Pareto, run chart, scatter, fishbone, control chart, and check sheet.
- Workflow tool
- Software automating the routing and approval of tasks and documents.
- E-signature tool
- Software for legally signing documents electronically.
- Wiki
- A collaborative website where teams create and edit shared knowledge pages.
- Whiteboard tool
- A digital canvas for real-time visual collaboration and brainstorming.
- Conferencing tool
- Software for audio and video meetings among distributed participants.
- Polling tool
- A tool to gather quick input or votes from a group.
- Calendaring tool
- Software for scheduling meetings and managing availability.
- Spreadsheet (PM use)
- An office tool for budgets, trackers, and simple analysis.
- Cloud vs. on-prem scheduling tools
- Cloud tools run on a provider's servers; on-prem tools are installed locally.
- Dashboard vs. status report
- A dashboard is a live visual summary; a status report is a periodic written update.
- Check sheet
- A simple form for collecting and counting data in real time.
- Physical security
- Controls protecting facilities and devices: badges, locks, mobile device and removable media policies.
- Operational security
- Personnel controls such as background screening and security clearances.
- Digital security
- Controls over digital access: permissions, remote access, and multi-factor authentication.
- Remote access security
- Securing connections for off-site users, e.g., via VPN and MFA.
- VPN
- Virtual Private Network — an encrypted tunnel for secure remote access to internal systems.
- Trade secret
- Confidential business information that provides a competitive advantage and must be protected.
- Intellectual property (IP)
- Creations of the mind (designs, code, brands) protected by law and policy.
- National security information
- Highly sensitive data whose disclosure could harm national security; tightly controlled.
- Corporate IT security policy
- Organizational rules governing acceptable use, access, and data handling.
- Branding restrictions
- Rules limiting how an organization's brand and assets may be used.
- GDPR (privacy regulation)
- A European Union regulation governing the protection and privacy of personal data.
- HIPAA (privacy regulation)
- A US regulation protecting the privacy and security of health information (PHI).
- PCI DSS
- Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard — rules for securely handling cardholder data.
- Industry-specific compliance
- Compliance obligations unique to a sector, such as finance or healthcare.
- Infrastructure (IT)
- The computing, networking, storage, and services that support IT systems.
- Data warehouse
- A central repository of integrated data used for reporting and analysis.
- Financial system
- Software managing accounting, budgeting, and financial transactions.
- Database
- An organized collection of data managed by a database management system.
- Software change control
- The process governing changes to software: requirements, risk, testing, approval, and release.
- Cloud vs. on-prem (change)
- Cloud changes are managed by the provider; on-prem changes are managed internally.
- Beta / staging environment
- A pre-production environment for testing before a change goes live.
- Downtime / maintenance notification
- Informing stakeholders of planned outages during a change window.