Jim Owens PMP: PMBOK still two-phased. Another trap for the unwary

Another trap for the unwary

A lexicon

A lexicon is a definitive list of words and their meanings. It’s similar to a dictionary, but in the case of a lexicon it’s limited to a particular body of knowledge (BOK). Lexicons are invaluable, to us in Project Management, just as the various other lexicons are essential everywhere else that a BOK exists, e.g. to practitioners in Information Technology, medicine, etc. Law tends to be out on its own a bit, because they seem to need a book to define each word, and no two lawyers seem to agree on anything.

The main purpose of a lexicon is to ensure that people who work in the same BOK (or are otherwise stakeholders of it) have reasonable certainty that when they use a particular term, other people who share that same BOK will understand exactly what is meant.

Clarity of terms is vital to a successful outcome in any professional field. Say for example, you are training in medicine, and attend an interview at a hospital. Then if a doctor on the interview panel says, “Please show us your testimonials,” you do not seriously embarrass yourself.

A thesaurus on the other hand, is a book that lists the many alternatives to a word (I wonder why there is no other word for “thesaurus”?). It lists words similar to each other in meaning, usually giving synonyms and antonyms, and is often used for cheating at crossword puzzles.

Of course a lexicon is only one of the tools we use in our profession, it is not sufficient in itself, as we need the knowledge to apply the words. E.g. last week I bought a PMP (don’t look at me in that tone of voice, I mean a Portable Music Player) and the manufacturer in China had obviously used just a dictionary to translate the user manual, so it lacked some of the knowledge required for English communication. Here are a couple of excerpts, directly from the user manual,

• “When a battery uses up almost, diagram the mark is central to change into the blank, at this time should on time recharge”
• “For example the name the song is ‘Pretty Boy.mp3′” – no comment
• “Any of the upgrading error can make the player can’t work. You should lock the user manual carefully. This operation is fit to people who have certain foundations of operation computer”. Yes I think locking the user manual is a good idea for some people (I think they mean “look”)”

The creation of a project management lexicon, was one of the goals in creating the original PMBOK. This has been largely successful (however they have a different word for it, they call it a glossary).

I say “largely” successful, because distilling the meaning of a recent BOK is never easy. Medicine for example has been around for thousands of years, but “modern” project management has been in use for a little over fifty years. The “youthfulness” of our profession means that significant groups of practitioners, all under the general heading of “project mangers” hold differing views on the meaning of many terms and concepts.

One of the areas this shows up in PMBOK, is the dual meaning of the word “phase”

Phase 1: the Project Lifecycle phases

The following diagram is from the PMBOK Fourth Edition (PMBOK) and shows the typical stages that a project might go through.

“A project life cycle is a collection of generally sequential and sometimes overlapping project phases whose name and number are determined by the management and control needs of the organization or organizations involved in the project, the nature of the project itself, and its area of application. A life cycle can be documented with a methodology.” PMBOK page 15

Related posts:

1. Jim Owens: Power in Project
2. Jim Owens: May the Fourth be with you! PMBOK Fourth changes Part 2/2
3. Jim Owens: May the Fourth be with you! PMBOK 4 changes Part 1/2