A project manager’s dictionary

In a few simple words. Because, as you’ll soon see, it’s a fairly intuitive position.

What does a Project Manager do?

This is the person who oversees the project, from its planning right through to the implementation of each subsequent stage. This is just a fraction of the tasks for which the Project Manager is responsible. The aim is clear: to ensure the project is successfully completed. You could say that this is the person who is responsible for almost everything whilst the project is underway. This involves supervision, monitoring the competition and keeping an eye on the budget.

Key concepts for every project manager

MVP (Minimum Viable Product) – a version of an application that includes only those features that are essential to verify the application’s viability in the market. This version may also include features that are groundbreaking or innovative.

Firebase – a Google platform that supports the creation and development of mobile applications. It includes both server-side solutions for applications and ready-to-use features and SDKs

SDK (Software Development Kit) – a set of tools for developers, essential for creating applications that utilise the functionality of a given library on a specific platform

Business analysis – the process of drawing up application specifications, taking into account both business and technical aspects. Business analysis enables the identification of objectives and the solutions required to achieve them.

Release – this term refers to the deployment of an application (the next iteration) to the UAT or PROD environment

UAT (User Acceptance Tests) – a version of the application intended for testing by the client for whom we are developing the application. If this version is free of errors, we begin the process of deploying the application to the production environment (PROD)

Prod version – the production version of an application or other IT product. This version contains all data (text, graphics, animations, video) and is intended for the end user. We do not carry out testing or make individual corrections in this version, with the exception of hotfixes

QA testing – internal testing of the entire application or its individual commits (versions) carried out by testing specialists (application testers)

Commit – a feature or set of features that are added to a complete version of the application

SLA (Service Level Agreement) – an agreement covering the maintenance and development of applications, which specifies response times for different types of faults and the procedures for resolving them. The SLA may also cover tasks such as reporting, service monitoring and network monitoring.

Jira – project management and issue tracking software. This tool allows you to create tickets, which then progress through the resolution process. It is a very complex tool, but there are several alternatives to Jira on the market.

Code validation – the process of checking the architecture of the code and its individual components. The aim of validation is to eliminate errors that could cause further complications in the future

Milestones – these are used in business analysis to identify the key moments that lead to the achievement of an objective

IT integrations – linking two IT systems or databases into one

IoT – a concept whereby uniquely identifiable objects can, either directly or indirectly, collect, process or exchange data via a KNX smart electrical installation or a computer network

QR codes (short for Quick Response Code) – barcodes that can store large amounts of data, such as a link to a website.

UI (user interface) – the user interface, i.e. everything the user sees in the application. The elements of the UI are:

• user interface design (tabs, buttons, menus),
• the overall look of the website (design, colour scheme),
• content and information architecture (links, text, overall message),
• functionality (how the website works),
• usability (website accessibility, clarity of information),
• interactions (animations).

UX (user experience) – a set of principles for designing user-friendly applications and interfaces

Dynamic search – a library (set of tools) that allows you to send queries to a search engine quickly and easily.

GitHub – a cloud-based software repository. It allows you to manage versions and share parts or all of the source code

A programming language – a set of rules defining when a sequence of symbols constitutes a computer programme and what calculations it describes. Examples include Kotlin, Swift, Java, Python and many others

Deploy – release of a new version of the software

RWD (Responsive Web Design) – a very important concept from a UI perspective; it refers to adapting an application to different screen resolutions.

Decomposition – used in business analysis, involves breaking down a single functionality into smaller tasks in order to facilitate more efficient implementation

Endpoint – a term used in API integrations. An endpoint is a point to which external software can connect

Application architecture – describes the relationships between the elements of the application interface and the database

Flutter – a technology from Google that allows you to develop apps for both of the most popular mobile operating systems at the same time

Native apps – apps developed using the native language for a specific operating system, e.g. Kotlin for Android and Swift for iOS

Performance – the speed and stability of the software

Statistical events – events within an app that are relevant to marketing and app development; these might include, for example, clicking a button or searching for a keyword

GAnalytics – a tool for tracking statistics and goals, including in mobile apps

Hotfix – a quick fix for a single bug in an application, most commonly in the PROD version

Hot reload – live preview of the application after changes

Debugging or bug fixing – identifying and rectifying errors in an application or other software

Slack – the most popular messaging app for the IT sector and project teams. It allows you to communicate directly with a specific person or a group of people as part of day-to-day operations.

Finally, we have 20 terms directly related to project management. Here they are:

1. Project Scope: A detailed description of all the work, deliverables and outcomes that are included in the project, and all the work, deliverables and outcomes that are excluded from the project.
2. Project Schedule: A plan setting out the sequence and deadlines for the completion of project tasks and stages.
3. Project Budget: The amount of funding allocated to finance the entire project, including the costs of resources, materials and other expenditure.
4. Project Team: A group of people responsible for carrying out project tasks, managing risks and achieving the project’s objectives.
5. Project risk: A potential event or situation that could affect the success of a project, either positively or negatively.
6. Quality Plan: A document setting out the quality standards and criteria for the products or services developed within the project.
7. Stakeholder: A person or organisation that has an interest in a project or may be able to influence it.
8. Resource Management: The process of allocating, monitoring and optimising human, financial and material resources within a project.
9. Progress Monitoring: Tracking and monitoring the completion of tasks and project milestones to ensure that the project remains on schedule.
10. Reporting: Regularly providing updates on the project’s progress, both to the project team and to stakeholders.
11. Change Management: The process of identifying, assessing, and approving or rejecting changes to a project to ensure compliance with revised requirements.
12. Milestones: An important point of achievement in a project, usually associated with the completion of a key stage or the attainment of a specific objective.
13. Risk Management: The process of identifying, analysing, assessing and managing risks within a project in order to minimise potential adverse effects.
14. Task dependencies: Relationships between tasks that specify the order in which they must be carried out so that the project can proceed according to schedule.
15. Project Phase: A logically related group of tasks that form a coherent part of the project, usually culminating in a significant milestone or checkpoint.
16. Project Communication: The process of exchanging information between the project team, stakeholders and other parties involved.
17. Human Resource Management: Activities relating to the recruitment, training, motivation and performance management of project team members.
18. Impact: The effects that a particular decision or event may have on the project’s objectives, resources or schedule.
19. Procurement: The process of selecting and acquiring the necessary resources, services or products from external sources in order to meet the requirements of a project.
20. Project Acceptance: Formal confirmation by stakeholders that the project’s objectives have been achieved and the project can be closed.