Is the PMI Lexicon of Project Management Terms Version 3.2 in Sync with PMBOK v6?

The PMI Lexicon of Project Management Terms was published in 2012 to provide a consistent PM vocabulary resource to practitioners. Until then, the glossaries of each standard, practice standard, framework, and practice guide were developed by the committee which developed the standard itself. Not being lexicographers, terms were "defined" mostly using content from the standard, were lengthy, and were not consistent from standard to standard. In order to remedy this, and reduce confusion, PMI worked with a professional lexicographer who is also a project manager, and team of volunteers who had worked on PMI standards, to develop the first Lexicon. Since 2012, it has been updated several times, as committees developing standards have worked with the Lexicon committee to address needed changes, additions, and in some cases, removal of a term from the Lexicon.

Thanks Elena!

Elena - some concepts are in PMBOK v6 Glossary but are not in the PMI Lexicon of Project Management Terms Version 3.2.

I would hate to state just one and not indicate other missing concepts, so I will try to generate a list of missing ones to make a relevant contribution.

Thanks! Great to see that there is tighter integration & a desire to ensure consistency across the various standards, practice guides & publications!

Kiron

Elaine - thanks for your comment, this answers the question that there could be some critical concepts in a standard like PMBOK which is not in the PMI Lexicon of Project Management Terms Version 3.2.

Is this statement Correct?

It would be great to have this list on the change control form located at the PMI Lexicon site at PMI.org, George!

George, I don't know about "critical." There are likely terms defined in the PMBOK® Guide, as well as in other PMI standards, not included in the PMI Lexicon, which are "critical" to that specific topic (a practice standard for, say, EVM or Scheduling, will define many more terms "critical" to that activity of project management, but not "critical" to all project management activities.

To put it another way, the first Lexicon team, which produced version 1.0 published in 2012, made it their first action to identify the most central, the most basic, the most fundamental terms of project management to put in the first version. The committee came up with around 200 terms to define. The first update to the Lexicon was an expansion, with about 45 additional terms in 2015. Once we published that version, we considered the Lexicon - not "complete" exactly - but established, with the potential for any more large extensions moved into the future. Perhaps one day it will be a much larger document and be called the "PMI Lexicon of Project, Program, and Portfolio Terms." But, for now, the additions are limited to those coming from the public (see the change request form attached provided at the site) and from working standard-development committees, such as just occurred in the last two years, with the PMBOK® Guide - Sixth Edition committee and others submitting requests for changes to existing definitions, or offering new ones. That work is reflected in the current version of the Lexicon. Right now, five practice standards are being updated and one new practice guide is being developed. All those committees will work with the Lexicon committee to update their glossaries as well as submit potential additions to the Lexicon.