SchoolMeasures Glossary A-Z

Author

User who initiates the item i.e. "creates the item".

Category

Categories organize the project into smaller buckets and make the project easier to manage.

Display name

The user name that is shown in SchoolMeasures.  This may be a real name or an alias.  Click here for instructions on how to change your display name.

Friend

A Collaborator from any Project can be made a Friend to facilitate communications, and make it easier to add him/her to another Project in the future as a Collaborator or Contact.  Click here to learn how to build your Friend list.

Item	Something that needs action, such as a task or an issue.

Item owner (Usually just called "owner")

User that has current responsibility for completing the item.  A newly created Item shows the Author as the Owner by default.  The Author may need to assign it to one or more members of the project team to do the work.

Master account

The login ID that can access all the Projects.  The Master account is usually held by the Project owner of all the Projects.

Message log

These are the back and forth communications among the  project team regarding each item.

Next steps

Open and Rejected items listed in priority order.  Work has not been started on these items.  They may need to be assigned to one or more members of the project team to do the work.

Project

A scope of work defined in the project charter.

Project collaborator

A project team member or other project stakeholder who has been given access to the project.  A Project collaborator can add, edit and delete items, and make other changes to the content.  By default, the Project owner also is a Project collaborator.

Project contact

Staff or project team members that do the work but that are not given access SchoolMeasures.

Project owner

Usually the project leader.  The Project owner holds the Master account.  In addition to the privileges of a Project collaborator, the Project owner has unique privileges such as the capability to add and delete Categories and Project collaborators.

Share

Enable other users to access this Project in SchoolMeasures (in other words, add Project collaborators).  Only the Project owner can Share the Project with other users.  Click here  for more help on Sharing.

Status

Indicates the progress towards completing work on the service request ("item").  The settings for Status are: Open - Item has been created by the Author but work has not started;  may need to be assigned to one or more members of the project team to do the work.  This is the default setting when an item is created. Started - Tangible progress has been made but the work has not been completed.  In general, the team member(s) responsible for doing the work would change the setting from Open to Started once s/he has been assigned the work and has begun working on the request. Finished - The team member(s) doing the work should set the Status to Finished when s/he feels the work is complete.  Closed - Indicates that the work has been completed to the Author's satisfaction.  Only the Author of the item should have the authority to set the Status to Closed. Rejected -  This should be used by: The team member(s) assigned to work on an Open item to indicate to the Author that s/he cannot start work because the item is incomplete or unclear (e.g. important information is missing).  A Message should be created to explain the rejection. or The Author of an item that has been marked Finished, to indicate that the work has not been completed to her/his satisfaction.  A Message should be created to explain the rejection.  Defer - Set by the Author who created the Item to indicate that s/he does not want work to proceed for the time being. The Author needs to reset the Status to Open if/when work is to proceed.

Work in progress

Items for which work has been Started but which have not yet been Closed.  The Status of these Items is Started, Rejected, or Finished.