Glossary
The Language of the Framework
Plain-language definitions of terms used across the competency statements. On the framework page, underlined terms show these definitions when you tap them.
- Accountability
- Being answerable for an outcome, including making sure the work gets done and explaining results when it does not.
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- Adoption
- The point at which people actually start using new or revised standards, processes, or tools as part of their regular work.
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- Change management
- A planned approach to helping people understand, accept, and adjust to changes in how work is done.
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- Checkpoint
- A defined point in a workflow where work is checked against quality expectations before it moves to the next stage.
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- Compliance
- The degree to which work follows the standards, processes, policies, or regulations that apply to it.
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- Continuous improvement
- An ongoing, evidence-based practice of finding what isn't working well and making deliberate, measured changes over time.
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- Corrective action
- A documented step taken to fix a quality problem and, ideally, prevent it from recurring.
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- Criteria
- The specific conditions work is judged against to decide whether it meets a standard. Review criteria are the criteria reviewers use.
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- Decision aid
- A tool, such as a flowchart or decision table, that helps someone choose the right action in a given situation.
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- Decision rights
- Clear agreement about who is allowed to make which decisions, such as approving changes, granting exceptions, or accepting risk.
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- Development lifecycle
- The stages a learning product moves through from start to finish, commonly analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (often called ADDIE) or other more agile process approaches.
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- Escalation
- Routing an issue to someone with more authority or resources when it can't be resolved at the current level.
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- Evidence-based
- Grounded in data, observation, or documented findings rather than opinion or assumption.
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- Exception
- An approved, documented departure from a standard, guideline, or process for a specific situation, with a clear reason and owner.
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- Governance
- The structure of ownership, decision rights, accountability, and escalation that keeps a system running and changes controlled.
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- Guideline
- A reference point for comparison or evaluation that supports the standard and allows some flexibility in how it is met.
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- Job aid
- A short reference tool, such as a checklist or quick guide, that helps someone complete a task correctly.
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- Learning modality
- The format used to deliver learning, such as eLearning, instructor-led, virtual classroom, video, or blended.
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- Operational breakdown
- A point where the quality management system stops working as designed in daily use, such as skipped steps, bottlenecks, or unclear handoffs.
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- Operationalize
- To turn an idea or expectation into concrete, repeatable actions that people can follow in their daily work.
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- Peer review
- Evaluation of work by colleagues with similar expertise, as opposed to self-checking or formal testing.
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- Performance support
- Resources available at the moment of need, such as job aids, examples, checklists, and FAQs, that help people do the work without formal training.
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- Policy
- A formal statement of rules or intent set by the organization that defines what must or must not be done and who is accountable.
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- Procedure
- Step-by-step instructions for carrying out a specific part of a process: the "exactly how" of a task.
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- Process
- The sequence of stages or activities that turns inputs into outputs: the "what happens, in what order" of a piece of work.
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- Process map
- A visual diagram showing the steps, roles, and handoffs in a process from start to finish.
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- Process owner
- The person responsible for a process's design, upkeep, and performance, and for approving changes to it.
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- Product-level issue
- A problem limited to a single learning product, such as a typo or broken link, rather than one caused by how the system is set up.
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- Proportionate
- Sized to fit: the amount of quality control applied matches the risk, complexity, and resources of the work, rather than one level for everything.
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- Quality assurance
- A set of guidelines designed to ensure standards are met and to define what learning products will be measured against.
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- Quality control
- the implementation of the policies, processes, and procedures that support those guidelines during production so quality can be achieved and maintained.
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- Quality finding
- A documented observation from a review, test, or audit that notes where work meets or falls short of expectations.
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- Quality indicator
- A measure or signal used to judge whether the quality management system and its outputs are performing as intended.
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- Quality management system
- The connected set of standards, processes, tools, roles, and resources an L&D function uses to define, build, check, and improve the quality of its work.
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- Quality management system assets
- The documents and tools that make up the system, such as standards, guidelines, procedures, templates, and job aids, which must be kept current and easy to find.
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- Quality measure
- A specific, trackable data point, such as defect counts or review cycle time, used to show how well quality work is performing.
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- Quality oversight
- The level of ongoing monitoring and review applied to a product or project, adjusted for its risk, complexity, and visibility.
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- Quality review
- A structured examination of a learning product or process against established standards and criteria, usually by someone other than the creator.
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- Quantitative and qualitative data
- Quantitative data is information expressed in numbers that can be measured, counted, compared, or analyzed statistically. Qualitative data is non-numerical information that describes characteristics, experiences, perceptions, behaviors, or themes.
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- Review
- A review is a structured examination of a learning product or component to determine whether it meets established quality expectations, standards, guidelines, or requirements.
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- Root cause
- The underlying reason a problem happens, as opposed to its visible symptoms. Fixing it prevents the problem from coming back.
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- Self-checking
- A creator reviewing their own work against standards or a checklist before handing it to others for review.
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- SME
- Subject matter expert. A person with deep knowledge of the content being taught who contributes accuracy and context.
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- Stakeholder
- Anyone with an interest in or influence over the work or its results, such as business leaders, sponsors, learners, and partner teams.
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- Standard
- A set of guidelines, specifications, or criteria intended to ensure consistency, quality, safety, and performance; it serves as the overall body of knowledge governing the quality management system.
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- Systemic problem
- A problem caused by how the system is set up, such as its standards, processes, or resources, rather than a one-off mistake on a single product.
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