GLOSSARY

360-degree Feedback. The type of feedback in which project team members, project sponsors, and other stakeholders are surveyed anonymously in regard to the project manager's performance. This can be used to assess baseline competence in order to complete a competence gap analysis and create a development or training plan.

Ability. The quality of being able to do something; the physical, mental, financial, or legal power to perform; a natural or acquired skill or talent.

Accept. The act of formally receiving or acknowledging something and regarding it as being true, sound, suitable, or complete.

Acceptance. See accept.

Activity. A distinct, scheduled portion of work performed during the course of a project.

Assumption. A factor in the planning process considered to be true, real, or certain, without proof or demonstration.

Attitudes. Relatively lasting feelings, beliefs, and behavior tendencies directed toward specific persons, groups, ideas, issues, or objects. They are often described in terms of three components: (a) an affective component, or the feelings, sentiments, moods, and emotions about some person, idea, event, or object; (b) a cognitive component or the beliefs, opinions, knowledge, or information held by the individual; and (c) a behavioral component or the intention and predisposition to act.

Baseline. The approved version of a work product that can be changed only using formal change control procedures and is used as the basis for comparison.

Behavior. The manner in which an individual acts or conducts oneself under specified circumstances.

Capability. A specific organization project management maturity (OPM3^®) competency that should exist in order for an organization to execute project management processes and deliver project management services and products. Capabilities are incremental steps leading up to one or more Best Practices.

Change Control. A process whereby modifications to documents, deliverables, or baselines associated with the project are identified, documented, approved, or rejected. See also change control board.

Change Control Board (CCB). A formally chartered group responsible for reviewing, evaluating, approving, delaying, or rejecting changes to the project, and for recording and communicating such decisions.

Change Request. A formal proposal to modify any document, deliverable, or baseline.

Communication. A process through which information is exchanged among persons using a common system of symbols, signs, or behaviors.

Communications Management Plan. A component of the project, program, or portfolio management plan that describes how, when, and by whom information will be administered and disseminated.

Competence. A cluster of related knowledge, attitudes, skills, and other personal characteristics that affects a major part of one's job (i.e., one or more key roles or responsibilities), correlates with performance on the job, can be measured against well-accepted standards, and can be improved by means of training and development. See also knowledge competence, personal competence, and performance competence.

Competence Baseline. An initial assessment of the individual compared to the personal knowledge, performance, and personal competencies as described in the PMCD Framework.

Competence Dimensions. A multidimensional framework that breaks competency into dimensions of knowledge, performance, and personal competencies.

Competence Gap. The difference between the desired level of competence within a given dimension and the level of competence assessed for an individual. It is the gaps in one's competence that an individual aims to improve through individual development.

Competency. See competence.

Competency Development Plan. A plan that prescribes activities to be undertaken by the project manager that are necessary to achieve the learning required after an assessment is performed to determine the competence gap.

Cost Management Plan. A component of a project or program management plan that describes how costs will be planned, structured, and controlled.

Document. A medium and the information recorded thereon, which generally has permanence and can be read by a person or a machine. Examples include project management plans, specifications, procedures, studies, and manuals.

Effective Performance. An intended or expected accomplishment.

Elements of Competence. The basic building blocks of a unit of competence. They describe, in output terms, actions or outcomes, which are demonstrable and assessable.

Emotional Intelligence. Describes an ability, capacity, or skill to perceive, assess, and manage the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups.

Feedback. A reaction or response to a particular process or activity.

Integrated Change Control. The process of reviewing all change requests, approving changes, and controlling changes to deliverables and organizational process assets.

Knowledge. Knowing something with the familiarity gained through experience, education, observation, or investigation; it is understanding a process, practice, or technique, or how to use a tool.

Knowledge Competence. The knowledge and understanding that a project manager brings to a project. This can include qualifications and experience, both direct and related. These are the knowledge components of competence.

Lessons Learned. The knowledge gained during a project that shows how project events were addressed or should be addressed in the future for the purpose of improving future performance.

Organizational Process Assets. Plans, processes, policies, procedures, and knowledge bases specific to and used by the performing organization.

Outcome. The tangible or intangible result of applying a capability.

Performance Competence. What the project manager is able to do or accomplish by applying project management knowledge. This competency dimension looks at the demonstrable performance of the individual in carrying out project management tasks, and focuses on the project outcomes grouped in five units: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing a Project.

Performance Criteria. An integrated list of aspects of performance that would be regarded as displaying competent performance during a project in an element of competence.

Personal Competence. The core personality characteristics underlying a person's capability to do a project. These are the behavior, motives, traits, attitudes, and self-concepts that enable a person to successfully manage a project, grouped into six units: communicating, leading, managing, cognitive ability, effectiveness, and professionalism.

Personality. A unique organization of a relatively stable set of characteristics, tendencies, and temperaments that define an individual and determine that person's interaction with the environment.

Procurement Management Plan. A component of the project or program management plan that describes how a team will acquire goods and services from outside of the performing organization.

Project Charter. A document issued by the project initiator or sponsor that formally authorizes the existence of a project and provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities.

Project Management. The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements.

Project Performance. A measure of the extent to which the project is carried out as planned in terms of objectives, time and financial constraints, and organizational policies and procedures.

Project Schedule. An output of a schedule model that presents linked activities with planned dates, durations, milestones, and resources.

Project Success. A collective assessment by project stakeholders (e.g., client/customer, sponsor) of the degree to which the project has achieved each of its objectives.

Quality Management Plan. A component of the project or program management plan that describes how an organization's quality policies will be implemented.

Responsibility Assignment Matrix. A grid that shows the project resources assigned to each work package.

Risk Management Plan. A component of the project, program, or portfolio management plan that describes how risk management activities will be structured and performed.

Risk Mitigation. A risk response strategy whereby the project team acts to decrease the probability of occurrence or impact of a threat.

Risk Register. A repository in which outputs of risk management processes are recorded.

Risk Response Planning. The process of developing options and actions to enhance opportunities and to reduce threats to project objectives.

Seller. A provider or supplier of products, services, or results to an organization.

Skill. Ability to use knowledge, a developed aptitude, and/or a capability to effectively and readily execute or perform an activity.

Staffing Management Plan. A component of the human resource plan that describes when and how team members will be acquired and how long they will be needed.

Stakeholder. An individual, group, or organization that may affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of a project, program, or portfolio.

Style. A set of skills, attributes, or characteristics of a person; the concept refers to a frequent pattern of what is said, done, expressed, or performed by a person demonstrating one's values. It encompasses the modes or patterns of behavior that people exhibit in approaching their work and interacting with others.

Subject Matter Expert (SME). A person, usually an accomplished performer, who knows the knowledge, performance, and personal competence required for a given unit of competence.

Types of Evidence. Specific documented proof that performance criteria are achieved or expected action has been completed; these form the basis upon which competence can be assessed.

Unit of Competence. A major segment of overall competency, typically representing a major function.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). A hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables.

Work Breakdown Structure Dictionary. A document that provides detailed deliverable, activity, and scheduling information about each component in the work breakdown structure.