Charter - A document used by teams to define the context, specifics and plans of an improvement project; includes team membership, problem statement, problem scope, potential benefits, and a summary timeline of events.

Feedback – Once a recommended treatment has been approved by the Cabinet, the project team will ask for input from all stakeholders in the district. This will be in the form of an online survey to give all employees an opportunity to provide suggestions for changing or improving the implementation plan.

Implementation Plan – This is a plan detailing how the recommended treatment will be put into action.

PCTR - A specialized version of the common PDSA or PDCA quality improvement cycle. Teams identify a Problem (P), then find the root Cause (C), then apply a Treatment (T) and lastly monitor the Result (R). This common framework can be used in project teams or in Professional Learning Communities for continuous quality improvement. This is the basis for CQI in DCSD.

Problem – Sometimes called an Opportunity for Improvement (OFI), this is a gap in performance in a process. A problem statement is written that does not suggest causes, solutions or blame. It is detailed in the team charter and supported with numbers and more detail once data is obtained.

Project Leader – A member of the Superintendent’s Cabinet that is responsible for the success of the project team. The leader writes the first draft of the project charter identifying the gap in performance and the timeline for solving the problem.

Project Management - A discipline involving the formation of Project teams that solve problems using the PCTR cycle. Team members are accountable for the problem and continuously monitor results to control the treatment.

Project Manager – Someone assigned to manage the ongoing work of the project team, reporting directly to the Project Leader.

Recommendation – When a project team has identified the root cause(s) of the problem, they recommend a treatment, or solution, to the gap in performance. This treatment is presented to the Cabinet for approval, including an overview of how it will be implemented.

Results - Refers to outcomes achieved by an organization in addressing the Treatment applied to a Problem. Results are evaluated on the basis of current performance; performance relative to appropriate comparisons; and the relationship of results measures to key organizational performance requirements.

Scope - Defines the boundaries of the process or project; helps to clarify specifically where opportunities for improvement reside (start and end points) and helps define where and what to measure and analyze; project scope needs to be within the sphere of influence and control of the team working on the project. The broader the scope, the more complex and time consuming the process improvement efforts will be.

Status Reports – Ongoing reports detailing the progress of Project Teams. These are produced at various stops along the project path, summarizing identification of current state, root causes, and possible implementation plans.

Supplier - Any person or organization that feeds inputs (products, services, data or information) into the process. A supplier is not a permanent member of the team, but supplies vital information to the project.

Treatment – The best solution to a Problem or Opportunity for Improvement. The treatment should represent best practices and clearly attack the root cause(s) of the problem.