The world's leading professional associations, governmental organizations and many other entities have created useful glossaries of program and project management (PPM) terms. Those included below are widely recognized and used by PPM practitioners in many countries.
PPM Professional Organizations
AACE Glossary of Terms - This glossary provides definitions for terms used for the process of certification and recertification. The definitions were compiled by the AACE International Certification Headquarters staff and were designed to be used as a reference for certificants and candidates for certification.
APM Glossary - The glossary provides over 800 definitions from the APM Body of Knowledge 6th edition. Here you can find the definitions from the very basics through to more specialist areas such as ‘what is earned value management?’ The Association for Project Management (APM) is the UK's national project management professional body. Go to: https://www.apm.org.uk/resources/glossary/
Other Non Profit Organizations
Praxis Framework - Praxis is a free framework for the management of projects, programmes and portfolios. It includes a body of knowledge, methodology, competency framework and capability maturity model. The framework is supported by a knowledge base of resources and an encyclopeadia. Search and learn at https://www.praxisframework.org/ (July 2016)
Praxis Framework Comparative Glossary - Separately published glossary of terminology related to projects, programmes and portfolios and their management, published by APM in the UK. The aim of this document is twofold. Firstly it acts as a conventional glossary of terms. Secondly, it provides comparisons between terms from various project management guides and standards. The glossary is not a substitute for the various guides. It merely explains the relationships between different terms so that someone familiar with one terminology can quickly discover equivalents or similarities in another. Access the glossary at https://www.praxisframework.org/en/glossary/glossary
Project Business Glossary - A glossary provided by the Project Business Foundation for the purpose of supporting project professionals and organizations from all industries and disciplines to do better project business. Available for free download at https://www.project-business.org/programs/project-business-glossary
Wideman Compartive Glossary of Project Management - A free online glossary of project management terms created since 2002 by Max Wideman, PMI Fellow and former President and Chair of PMI. This is one of the best known project management glossaries in the world. Access the glossary at http://maxwideman.com/pmglossary/
Wikipedia Project Management Glossary - Wikipedia is the free global encyclopedia created by contributions from people around the world. There is now a glossary of project management terms in Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_project_management
University Glossaries
UC Berkeley PM Glossary (USA) -
Governmental Organizations
Glossary of Terms for Investment Planning and Project Management - Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
WashDOT Project Management Glossary (2007) - glossary of project management terms from the Washington State Department of Transportation in the USA. Useful for those engaged in highways projects in the United States. To access, click here.
Project Management Company Glossaries
AXELOS Glossaries of Terms - The AXELOS online Common Glossary covers over 1,000 IT service management and project management terms, definitions and acronyms used in the AXELOS portfolio of publications. Building on the individual glossaries within IT Service Management (ITIL) and Project, Programme and Portfolio Management (PPM) publications, the Common Glossary takes a consolidated approach, providing a generic definition followed by modifying detail where the interpretations of ITIL and PPM differ. Glossaries cover ITIL®, PRINCE2®, MSP®, M_O_R®, P3O®, MoP®, MoV®. To view glossaries click here.
Method123 PM Glossary (USA) - from method123.com (July 2016)
Microsoft - glossary containing over 400 keyword definitions that relate to Microsoft Project and Project Management
Mind Tools Words Used in Project Management (UK) - from mindtools.com (July 2016)
Project Management Hut PMO and PM Glossary - from pmhut.com (July 2016)
ProjectSmart PM Glossary - from ProjectSmart.co.uk (July 2016)
Successful Projects PM Glossary - from successfulprojects.com (July 2016)
TechRepublic - IT Project Management Terms You Should Know - to help IT project teams standardize on frequently used project management terms, from critical path to work breakdown structure to scrum. Free at http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/it-consultant/it-project-management-terms-you-should-know/
Wrike PM Glossary - Chapter VIII in Wrike's Project Management Guide for Beginners.
Other Resources
Articles, Papers, Reports
Pirozzi, M. (2021), The Everlasting Importance of a Common Project Management Language, PM World Journal, Vol. X, Issue IX, September. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/pmwj109-Sep2021-Pirozzi-The-Everlasting-Importance-of-a-Common-Project-Management-Language.pdf
More Coming Soon
This section of the library is a work in progress. If you know of good resources to add here, please let us know. If you are a student and might like to help, consider our research internship. Click here for information or contact help2@pmworldlibrary.net
This section of the library created July 2016
