Glossary - 'S'

• Scales of probability and impact Each risk is assessed according to its likelihood and its impact. There are two approaches to ranking risks: Cardinal scales identify the probability and impact by a numerical value, ranging from .01 as very low to 1.0 as certain. Ordinal scales, on the other hand, identify and rank the risks descriptively from “very high” to “very unlikely.”
• Schedule control Part of integrated change management, schedule control is concerned with three processes: the project manager confirms that any schedule changes are agreed upon; the project manager examines the work results and conditions to know if the schedule has changed; and the project manager manages the actual change in the schedule.
• Schedule management plan A subsidiary plan of the overall project plan. It is used to control changes to the schedule. A formal schedule management plan has procedures that control how changes to the project plan can be proposed, accounted for, and then implemented.
• Schedule performance index (SPI) The SPI reveals the efficiency of work. The closer the quotient is to 1, the better. Its equation is SPI = EV/PV.
• Schedule variance The difference between the planned work and the earned work.
• Scope statement A document that describes the work, and only the required work, to meet the project objectives. The scope statement establishes a common vision among the project stakeholders to establish the point and purpose of the project work. It is used as a baseline against which all future project decisions are made to determine if proposed changes or work-results are aligned with expectations.
• Scope verification The process of the project customer accepting the project deliverables. Scope verification happens at the end of each project phase and at the end of the project. Scope verification is the process of ensuring the deliverables the project creates are in alignment with the project scope.
• Scoring models (also called weighted scoring models) These models use a common set of values for all of the projects up for selection. Each value has a weight: assigned values of high importance have a high weight, while values of lesser importance have a lesser weight. The projects are measured against these values and assigned scores according to how well they match the predefined values. The projects with high scores take priority over projects will lesser scores.
• Secondary risks Risks that stem from risk responses. For example, the response of transference may call for hiring a third party to manage an identified risk. A secondary risk caused by the solution is the failure of the third party to complete its assignment as scheduled. Secondary risks must be identified, analyzed, and planned for just as any identified risk.
• Sender Part of the communications model: the person or group delivering the message to the receiver.
• Sensitivity analysis This examines each project risk on its own merit to assess the impact on the project. All other risks in the project are set at a baseline value.
• Share Sharing is nice. When sharing the risk, ownership is transferred to the organization that can most capitalize on the risk opportunity.
• “Should cost” estimates (also known as independent estimates) These estimates are created by the performing organization to predict what the cost of the procured product should be. If there is a significant difference between what the organization has predicted and what the sellers have proposed, either the statement of work was inadequate or the sellers have misunderstood the requirements.
• Simulation These allow the project team to play “what-if” games without affecting any areas of production.
• Single source A specific seller that the performing organization prefers to contract with.
• Smoothing A conflict resolution method that “smoothes” out the conflict by minimizing its size. It is a temporary solution, but it can calm team relations and reduce the boisterousness of discussions. Smoothing may be acceptable when time is of the essence or any of the proposed solutions will work.
• Soft logic (also known as discretionary dependency) The preferred order of activities. Project managers should use these relationships at their “discretion” and document the logic behind making soft logic decisions. Discretionary dependencies allow activities to happen in a preferred order because of best practices, conditions unique to the project work, or external events.
• Sole source The only qualified seller that exists in the marketplace.
• Staffing management plan This subsidiary plan documents how project team members will be brought onto the project and excused from it.
• Stakeholders The individuals, groups, and communities that have a vested interest in the outcome of a project. Examples include the project manager, the project team, the project sponsor, customers, clients, vendors, and communities.
• Start No Earlier Than (SNET) This constraint requires that the project or activity not start earlier than the predetermined date.
• Start No Later Than (SNLT) This constraint requires that the activity begin by a predetermined date.
• Start-to-Finish This relationship requires that Task A start so that Task B may finish; it is unusual and is rarely used.
• Start-to-Start This relationship means Task A must start before Task B can start. This relationship allows both activities to happen in tandem.
• Statement of work (SOW) This fully describes the work to be completed, the product to be supplied, or both. The SOW becomes part of the contract between the buyer and the seller. The SOW is typically created as part of the procurement planning process and is used by the seller to determine whether it can meet the project’s requirements.
• Statistical sampling A process of choosing a percentage of results at random for inspection. Statistical sampling can reduce the costs of quality control.
• Status reports These provide current information on the project cost, budget, scope, and other relevant information.
• Status review meetings Regularly scheduled meetings to record the status of the project work. These commonly employed meetings provide a formal avenue for the project manager to query the team on the status of its work, record delays and slippage, and to forecast what work is about to begin.
• Subnets (also called fragnets) Portions of a network diagram that branch off the project and are not on the critical path.
• Subproject A subproject exists under a parent project but follows its own schedule to completion. Subprojects may be outsourced, assigned to other project managers, or managed by the parent project manager but with a different project team.
• Supporting detail Any information that supports decisions—including the logic employed and rationales—and the project plan as a whole. Supporting detail can include books, articles, web sites, vendor information, test results, historical information, and many other information sources.
• System or process flowcharts These show the relation between components and how the overall process works. They are useful for identifying risks between system components.

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References:

• PMP Exam Prep, Fifth Edition: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam by Rita Mulcahy.
  
• PMP Project Management Professional Study Guide, Second Edition by Joseph Phillips.
  
• PMP: Project Management Professional Study Guide, 3rd Edition by Kim Heldman.