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:
Annual, there will be 1 review or assessment
Bi-annual = 2 reviews
Quarterly = 4 reviews, etc.
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