Appendix A - Definitions and Terminology

Definitions, Abbreviations and Acronyms

KPA: Key Performance Area

KC:   Key Competency

LB:      Leadership Behaviours

VB:      Values and Behaviours

KPI:      Key Performance Indicator

Performance Agreement: A performance plan or performance agreement is the agreed upon document determining an employee’s scope of work against which he will formally be measured or performance appraised.

Contract: Comprises a performance agreement plus scores from additional components e.g. 360 degree reviews etc.

Agreement Year: A contract is always created for a specific year called the agreement year.

Assessment/Review Period: A performance plan usually consists of one or more review periods e.g. semesters, quarters etc. Within the scope of a performance plan each semester or quarter is called a review period.

Contract Item: All KPA, KC, LB and VB records or items, making up the measurable components of an assessment period on a performance contract are sometimes referred to as the contract items.

Assessment Frequency:   How often contract reviews will be held.  If the assessment frequency is:

CWA: Calculated Weighted Average. The total section score calculated separately for the KPA and KC sections.  The weight per contract item is incorporated into this final calculation.

RA:      Revised Average.  The KPA and/or KC sections’ final scores if manually revised by the employee’s supervisor.

Terminology