Project Management Acronyms

Below is a list of acronyms commonly used in project management.  The list is likely not all inclusive, so please feel free to contact us and send us any additional acronyms that should be added.


Acronym

Definition
AC Actual Cost
ACWP Actual Cost of Work Performed
AD Activity Description
ADM Arrow Diagramming Method
ADR Alternative Dispute Resolution
AE Apportioned Effort
AE Arrow Diagramming Method
AF Actual Finish Date
AOA Activity-on-Arrow
AON Activity-on-Node
ARMA Autoregressive Moving Average
AS Actual Start Date
BAC Budget at Completion
BARF Bought-into, Approved, Realistic, Formal
BCR Benefit Cost Ratio
BCWP Budgeted Cost of Work Performed
BCWS Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled
BOM Bill Of Materials
CA Control Account
CAP Control Account Plan
CBR Cost Benefit Ratio
CBT Computer-Based Test
CCB Change Control Board
CCS Change Control System
CH Contact Hours
CMMI® Capability Maturity Model Integrated
COC Cost of Conformance
CONC Cost of Non-Conformance
COQ Cost of Quality
CPAF Cost Plus Award Fee
CPF Cost Plus Fee
CPFF Cost Plus Fixed Fee
CPI Cost Performance Index
CPIF Cost Plus Incentive Fee
CPM Critical Path Methodology
CPPC Cost Plus Percentage of Cost
CR Change Request
CV Cost Variance
CWBS Contract Work Breakdown Structure
DD Data Date
DFD Data Flow Diagram
DOE Design of Experiments
DU Duration
DUR Duration
EAC Estimate at Completion
EEF Enterprise Environmental Factors
EF Early Finish
EMV Expected Monetary Value
EPV Expected Present Value
ES Early Start
ETC Estimate to Complete
EV Earned Value
EVA Earned Value Analysis
  Economic Value Add
EVM Earned Value Management
EVT Earned Value Technique
FF Finish-to-Finish
FFP Firm Fixed Price
FMEA Failure Mode and Effect Analysis
FP-EPA Fixed Price with Economic Price Adjustment
FPIF Fixed Price Incentive Fee
FS Finish-to-Start
FV Future Value
HR Human Resource
IFB Invitation for Bid
IO Inputs and Outputs
IRR Internal Rate of Return
ISO International Organization for Standardization
ITTO Inputs, Tools, Techniques and Outputs
JAD Joint Application Development (or Design)
JIT Just in Time
KA Knowledge Area
LF Late Finish
LL Lessons Learned (or Learnt)
LOE Level of Effort
LS Late Start
NPV Net Present Value
OBS Organizational Breakdown Structure
OD Original Duration
OPA Organizational Process Assets
OPM3® Organizational Project Management Maturity Model
PBT Paper-Based Test
PC Percent Complete
PCT Percent Complete
PDCA Plan Do Check Act
PDM Precedence Diagramming Method
PERT Program Evaluation and Review Technique
PFD Planned Finish Date
PM Project Manager
PM Project Management
PMB Performance Measurement Baseline
PMBOK® Project Management Body of Knowledge
PMI® Project Management Institute
PMIS Project Management Information System
PMO Project Management Office
PMO Program Management Office
PMP® Project Management Professional
PS Planned Start Date
PSWBS Project Summary Work Breakdown Structure
PTA Point of Total Assumption
PV Planned Value
PV Present Value
QA Quality Assurance
QC Quality Control
QFD Quality Function Deployment
QP Quality Planning
RACI Responsible, Accountable, Consult, and Inform
RAM Responsibility Assignment Matrix
RBS Resource Breakdown Structure
RBS Risk Breakdown Structure
RD Remaining Duration
RFI Request for Information
RFP Request for Proposal
RFQ Request for Quotation
ROI Return on Investment
ROM Rough Order of Magnitude
SF Scheduled Finish Date
SF Start-to-Finish
SME Subject Matter Expert
SOW Statement of Work
SPI Schedule Performance Index
SS Scheduled Start Date
SS Start-to-Start
SV Schedule Variance
SWOT Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats
T&M Time and Material
TC Target Completion date
TCPI To-Complete Performance Index
TF Total Float
TF Target Finish Date
TQM Total Quality Management
TS Target Start Date
TT Tools and Techniques
TTM Time To Market
TTV Time To Volume
VAC Variance at Completion
VE Value Engineering
VOC Voice of the Customer
WAS Work Authorization System
WBS Work Breakdown Structure
WPI Work Performance Information