Why You Need A Project Management Dictionary

When I got a PR notice last week telling me that the “Dictionary of Project Management Terms” currently is in its third edition, I went blank… Why do I need a dictionary? Why not just use “simple” language? So, I asked the author, J. LeRoy Ward … [Project Shrink]: “Why should one learn the specific Project Management language? It seems far more effective to just use simple clear language that everyone understands, even non-Project managers. Why shouldn’t one simply ask for clarification when “strange” words are used?”

[J. LeRoy Ward, PMP, PgMP]: “In today’s world, we can’t do “either/or”; we have to do both, to multitask, to take on more than we commonly would do. If you want to be average do either/or; if you want to excel, get a good dictionary, throw it in your briefcase, backpack, or bag, when you hear a word you don’t know look it up, Google it, or ask the person who used it what they meant. By all means we need to be as clear as possible, but let’s face it, all professions have their own terminology and for good reason. When working with people within your discipline, it speeds up communications and causes a lot less confusion than everyone using different terms.

Project Management language has developed as the field itself has. In my opinion, it’s not like Latin, a dead language, but the basis for a thriving industry. However, we do need to be careful. In a cross-functional meeting, a project manager should not “throw around” terms such as “Delphi technique” and “Monte Carlo analysis” as that won’t mean much to people outside the industry. Rather the concepts of those terms should be used. Alternatively, if you’re a PM working on an accounting system and the accountant in charge uses the term General Ledger and if you say “Oh, what’s that?” you’ll lose credibility instantly. It’s better to keep a reference guide close at hand in the event such misunderstandings arise.”

J. LeRoy Ward, PMP, PgMP, Executive Vice President, is responsible for all ESI corporate client engagements worldwide including training, consulting, and international activities. Complementing a 17-year career with four U.S. federal agencies, Mr. Ward joined ESI in 1991 as Director of the Information Technology Project Management Program and senior instructor. He has delivered project management programs to ESI clients nationally and internationally in North America, Central America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. more