PC SeeMicrocomputer, Laptop computer, Notebook computer,
Netbook.
PDA SeePersonal digital assistant.
Perceptive systems The branch of artificial intelligence that
involves creating machines possessing a visual or aural perce-
ptual ability, or both, that affects their physical behavior; in other
words, creating robots that can “see” or “hear” and react to what
they see or hear.
Performance management (PM) A software package—an
expanded version of an executive information system—that is
intended to give all levels of management the information they
need to ensure that the organization performs successfully.
See alsoCompetitive intelligence system, Executive information
system.
Personal computer SeeMicrocomputer.
Personal digital assistant (PDA) The smallest micro-
computers, also called palmtop or handheld computers, which
weigh under a pound and cost from $100 to $500; now being
replaced by smartphones, which combine the functions of a PDA
with the ability to make phone calls.
Personal productivity software Software products, usually
microcomputer-based, designed to increase the productivity of a
manager or other knowledge worker; examples are word
processing, spreadsheets, database management systems, presen-
tation graphics, and Web browsers.
Phishing A technique used to fool computer users into giving
away sensitive personal information (e.g., usernames, passwords,
credit card details) via their responses to a fraudulent e-mail or
instant messaging communication.
Physical system or model A depiction of the physical form
(the how) of an information system. See alsoLogical system or
model.
PM SeePerformance management.
PMO SeeProject Management Office.
Portal A standardized entry point to key information on the
corporate network. Many organizations have created carefully
designed portals to enable employees (and perhaps customers
and suppliers) to gain easy access to information they need. See
alsoIntranet.
Portlet A specialized content area, or window, within an
intranet opening page, or within a portal. See alsoPortal.
PP SeeParallel processor.
Privacy policy An organizational policy that describes the
organization’s rules for the protection (nondisclosure) of infor-
mation collected as part of its business transactions and other
interactions with consumers of its products and services, includ-
ing online transactions using its Web site.
Procedural language SeeThird generation language.
Procedural-oriented techniques SeeStructured techniques.
Processor SeeCentral processing unit.
Processor chip The computer chip at the heart of all computers,
which includes boththe arithmetic/logic unit and the control unit;
Glossary 683these small silicon chips, often less than one inch square, contain
millions of transistors. See alsoCentral processing unit.
Productivity language Another name for a fourth generation
language. This type of language tends to make the programmer or
user more productive, which explains the name.
Program (1) A complete listing of what the computer is to do
for a particular application, expressed in a form that the control
unit of the computer has been built to understand or that can be
translated into such a form. A program is made up of a sequence
of individual steps or operations called instructions. See also
Control unit, Instruction. (2) A group of projects managed in a
coordinated way—as a program—rather than separately.
Program Management Office An organizational unit
responsible for the management of multiple, related projects in a
coordinated way, with the objective of achieving greater benefits
to the organization than would be achieved from managing the
projects individually. See alsoProject Management Office.
Project A temporary initiative to create a unique product or
service in a specific time period, including activities that require
coordination and control.
Project champion A project role played by a business manager
who has high credibility among those workers who will be most
affected by the implementation of the new product or service being
created by the project team. The role might not be a formally
designated one, but the project champion is relied upon to use his
or her influence to remove obstacles and motivate users to accept
changes that will enable the project to meet its formal milestones
and overall activities. See alsoProject sponsor.
Project charter A document prepared during the initiation
phase of a project, which states the objectives, scope, known
constraints, and estimated benefits of the project, based on a
feasibility analysis.
Project management The application of people knowledge,
skills, tools, and techniques to multiple activities designed to
meet the objectives of a particular project.
Project Management Office (PMO) An organizational unit
(sometimes called a “project office”) staffed with experienced
project managers to ensure projects are run well and coordinated
as necessary. The PMO might be a temporary unit set up for a
complex project or a permanent unit measured on project
performance. The unit might be responsible for only IS projects
or for both IS and non-IS projects. See also Program
Management Office.
Project manager The manager accountable for delivering a
project of high quality, on time and within budget; might be an IS
manager, a business manager, or both.
Project milestone A significant deliverable for a project and its
assigned deadline date for completion.
Project sponsor A project role typically played by the manag-
er who financially “owns” the project, which includes not just
funding the project but also participating in its oversight. For IS
projects that are not just IT infrastructure investments, a business
manager typically is in this role.