| Term |
Definition |
Discussion |
Examples & Illustrations |
| Impactee |
A (project) impactee is a stakeholder who
experiences a loss of value as a consequence
of the project being undertaken—regardless of
whether or not it achieves its target outcomes.
|
The interests of impactees are acknowledged
and managed as a critical element of a project
for either of two reasons:
- From an equity point-of-view, negative
project outcomes should be managed.
This can also be viewed as an issue of
altruism.
- From a risk point-of-view, an impactee
can become a serious threat to success.
|
Those established suppliers who don’t make it
onto the preferred vendor list are impactees of
Project BuyRite—because they will suffer a
reduced volume of business from ICO.
|
| Infeasible (project) |
A project for which parameters have been set that are internally inconsistent. There is no
program of work that would allow the
parameters to be achieved—and so the project
cannot succeed.
Infeasibility is revealed in either/both of two
constraints:
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Refer also:
|
|
| Influencer |
A (project) influencer is a stakeholder who, by
virtue of his/her role, standing or influence is
able to carry a significant body of opinion
about the project.
|
Influencers are important targets of the
project’s communications plan because their
views determine the views of a large number
of stakeholders.
|
|
| Initiation |
A (generic) stage of a project directed at
assembly of baseline documentation.
|
|
|
| Input |
An economic resource that is consumed during
the execution of a process.
|
In projects we are concerned with just two
broad inputs:
- Labour.
- Purchased resources.
|
|
| Input Process Output (model) IPO |
A (long established) model that seeks to
explain the relationships amongst: inputs, a
process and outputs.
The IPO model says nothing about outcomes.
|
The conventional view of a project
corresponds to an IPO model of that project.
|
|
| Input Transform Outcome (model) ITO |
A model developed by John Smyrk in the late
80s that seeks to explain the relationships
between outputs and outcomes.
|
The ITO model extends the IPO model by
incorporating a mechanism called utilisation.
|
|
| Internal event |
See event. |
|
|
| IPO |
See Input Process Output. |
|
|
| Issue |
A matter of general concern for the project
(other than a risk) that requires resolution.
|
|
The definitions of issues and risks don’t lend
themselves particularly well to abstract
discussion—examples tend to be more useful:
- “The project manager leaves” is an
example of a risk (or, more precisely, a
threat).
- “Fred Nurke has switched his rostered
days off from Friday to Monday” is an
example of an issue.
|
| Issues life-cycle |
The particular sequence of states through
which an issue passes between being
identified and resolved.
|
The states that an issue can assume in its life-cycle
are:
- To be assessed: no program to resolve
the issue has yet been established.
- Active: is currently being addressed
through an agreed program of resolution,
and has been assigned to someone to
look after.
- Inactive: a program for resolution has
been agreed, but, for some reason, is not
currently being actioned.
- Open: Is either Active or Inactive.
- Parked: has consciously been
abandoned as not requiring any further
attention.
- Resolved: has been completely
addressed and requires no further
action.
|
|
| Issues management |
The broad meaning: A (clerical) procedure for
identifying, analysing, tracking and resolving
issues.
|
The narrow meaning: The work of resolving
an issue.
|
|
| Issues Register |
A tool for cataloguing issues and documenting
their management.
|
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