project management glossary

abstract resource

 Imaginary resource introduced so that its availability and activity requirement gives an extra means of control.

abstraction

 The creation of a view or model that suppresses unnecessary details to focus on a specific set of details of interest.

acceleration

 The use of methods for completing work in a shorter time than previously planned or required by the contract.

acceptability criteria

 A limit or limits placed upon the degree of non-conformance permitted in material expressed in definitive operational terms.

acceptable quality level (AQL)

 The maximum percent defective (or the maximum number of defects per hundred units) that, for the purpose of sampling inspection, can be considered satisfactory as a process average.