Client Success Manager Glossary

This resource was created to help CSMs understand terminology that is frequently used by our clients. Please familiarize yourself with these terms and feel free to add definitions that you believe are relevant.

Consultation

Google Analytics specific terms:

A

Agile: A project management approach in which project phases overlap and tasks are completed in iterations.

Average Session Duration: The average time that a user spends on the site.

Authority: Refers to one’s ability to make decisions for the project that impact the organization

B

Barrier: Something that can get in the way of project progress

Buzzword: A word or phrase that is popular for a period of time or in a particular industry

Bounce Rate: From Google:  a bounce is calculated specifically as a session that triggers only a single request to the Analytics server, such as when a user opens a single page on your site and then exits without triggering any other requests to the Analytics server during that session.

C

C-Suite: All the “chief” level officers in an organization

Change agent: A person from inside an organization who helps the organization transform by focusing on improving organizational effectiveness and development

Change management: The process of delivering a completed project and getting people to adopt it

Classic structure: An organizational structure with a traditional, top-down reporting hierarchy

Closing: The phase at the end of a project during which team members’ work is celebrated and how the project went is evaluated

Contract work: Work done for a company by non-employees on a project-by-project basis

Corporate governance: The framework by which an organization achieves its goals and objectives

Cross-functional team: Team members who have different skill sets and may even work in different departments but are all working towards the successful completion of a project

Culture mapping: A tool that can illustrate a company’s culture and how the company’s values, norms, and employee behavior may be affected by change

D

Delegation: Assigning tasks to individuals or resources who can best complete the work

Deliverable: A specific task or outcome

DMAIC: A strategy for process improvement; refers to the five phases in the Lean Six Sigma approach: define, measure, analyze, improve, and control

E

Effective communication: Refers to being transparent, upfront with plans and ideas, and making information available

Escalation paths: Refers to the courses for communicating risks to the right people at the right time

Executing: Completing the tasks necessary to achieve the project goals

F

Feedback mechanism: A tool that can capture input from stakeholders, such as a survey

Floating task: A task for which a change in its delivery would not affect the project’s overall success or impact its timeline

Flowchart: A tool that can visualize a project’s development process

Functional manager: The leader of a department in a functional (Classic) organization

Functional organizations: An organization divided into departments based on function; also called a Classic organization

G

Governance: The management framework within which decisions are made and accountability and responsibility are determined

H

HTM – How To Manage a Small Law Firm (coaching group)

I

Influencing without authority: Refers to a project manager’s ability to guide teammates to complete their assigned work without acting as their direct managers

Initiation: The project phase that is the launchpad for the entire project; project goals, deliverables, resources, budget, and people are identified at this stage

Internship: A short-term way to get hands-on experience in an industry

Interpersonal skills: The behaviors used to interact with others; skills than can help one influence without authority, including communication, negotiation, conflict mediation, and understanding motivations

Iterative: Refers to phases and tasks that overlap or happen at the same time that other tasks are being worked on

K

Kanban: An Agile approach and a tool that provides visual feedback about the status of the work in progress through the use of Kanban boards or charts.

L

Lean: A methodology in which the main principle is the removal of waste within an operation

Lean Six Sigma: A combination of two “parent” project management methodologies: Lean and Six Sigma; used for projects that have goals to save money, improve quality, and move through processes quickly

Linear: A project structure in which the previous phase or task has to be completed before the next can start

M

Mission: Clarifies what the “what,” “who,” and “why” of the organization

Matter – Legal Case

MVA: Motor Vehicle Accidents

O

Organizational culture: Employees’ shared values and the organization’s values, mission, history, and so on; a company’s personality

Organizational structure: The way a company or organization is arranged

P

Planning: Making use of productivity tools and creating processes; creating and maintaining plans, timelines, schedules, and other forms of documentation to track project completion

Program manager: A project manager who manages multiple projects for specific products, teams, or programs

Project: A unique endeavor which usually includes a set of unique deliverables; a series of tasks that need to be completed to reach a desired outcome

Project governance: The framework for how project decisions are made

Project life cycle: The basic structure for a project; consists of four different phases: initiate the project, make a plan, execute and complete tasks, and close the project

Project management: The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements

Project management methodology: A set of guiding principles and processes for owning a project throughout its life cycle

Project manager: Individual who shepherds projects from start to finish and serves as a guide for their team, using their impeccable organizational and interpersonal skills every step of the way

Project task: An activity that needs to be accomplished within a set period of time by the project manager, the project team, or the stakeholder

PNC – (Acronym) – Potential New Client.

R

Retainer: a fee paid in advance to someone, especially an attorney, in order to secure or keep their services when required.

Reporting chart: A diagram showing the relationships among people and groups within the organization and who each person or group reports to

Resource availability: Knowing how to access the people, equipment, and budget needed for a project

Resources: Anything needed to complete a project, such as people, equipment, software programs, vendors, and physical space or locations

Retrospective: A workshop or meeting with the project team to note best practices and learn how to manage a project more effectively the next time

Risk: A potential event which can occur and have an impact on a project

S

Session: From Google: The period of time a user is active on your site or app. By default, if a user is inactive for 30 minutes or more, any future activity is attributed to a new session. Users that leave your site and return within 30 minutes are counted as part of the original session.

SERP: Search Engine Results Page

Scrum: An Agile framework that focuses on developing complex projects through collaboration and an iterative process. Work is completed by small, cross-functional teams led by a Scrum Master and is divided into short Sprints with a set list of deliverables.

Six Sigma: A methodology used to reduce variations by ensuring that quality processes are followed every time

Sprint: A phase in the Agile project management approach which has a defined duration with a set list of deliverables

Stakeholder: People who are interested in and affected by the project’s completion and success

Steering committees: A group that decides on the priorities of an organization and manages the general course of its operations

T

U

Urgency: Getting team members to understand that the project is important and to identify what actions need to be taken to move the project along

V

Values: Principles that describe how employees are expected to behave

W

Waterfall: A project management methodology that refers to the sequential ordering of phases