Activity Definition

Activity definition refers to the process of parsing a project into a number of individual tasks which must be completed before the deliverables can be considered completed. Activity definitions rely on a number of specific input processes. These include enterprise environmental factors, organizational process assets, the project scope statement, the work breakdown structure, the WBS dictionary, the project management plan (which consists of the project scope management plan and the schedule management plan). Through use of these inputs, the activities that will need to ultimately be completed in order to compete all of the project objectives can be readily defined, and the activity definition can be further accomplished through the utilization of a number of tools and techniques including decomposition, templates, rolling wave planning, expert judgment, and planning components. The four ultimate outputs of the activity definition process are the activity list, the resulting activity attributes, all requested changes, and any milestones.

This term is defined in the 3rd edition of the PMBOK but not in the 4th.

 
• Scope Definition One of the first and most important steps in project management is to flesh out a statement or scope definition...
 
• Decomposition The term decomposition, used in non project-related terms to describe an item that has deteriorated in quality, or broken down...
 
• Scope Planning Scope planning refers to a project management process that defines boundaries and deliverables. The basic matrix of a scope planning...
 
• Rolling Wave Planning Rolling wave planning refers to a specific project management technique which is often implemented by the project management team and...
 
• Activity Sequencing [Process] The term activity sequencing refers within the context of project management to a dual process. Initially, activity sequencing involves a...