Glossary of Terms

Key terms, abbreviations, and definitions used throughout the PIDE Internship Portal.

A

Approval Matrix	A configuration that defines multi-level approval processes for various entity types. Each process has sequential approval levels with designated approvers.
Audit Log	A system-generated record of every significant action performed in the portal (create, update, delete, login, approval). Audit logs are read-only and cannot be modified.

C

Certificate	An official document issued to interns upon completion of their internship. Each certificate has a unique PIP-ID (e.g., PIP-2026-001).
Center / Section	A research division within PIDE. Centers may contain multiple sections. Interns are allocated to a specific center/section during onboarding. 14 default centers are pre-configured.
CNIC	Computerized National Identity Card. Required for intern registration. The portal supports CNIC verification via OCR (optical character recognition).

D

Dashboard	The main landing page after login. Displays role-specific statistics, KPIs, and quick actions. Each role sees a different dashboard.
Department	An administrative division within PIDE. Employees are assigned to departments. 19 default departments are pre-configured.
Daily Log	A daily work report submitted by interns. Contains activities performed, hours worked, challenges, and attachments. Requires supervisor approval.

E

Employee	A PIDE staff member with a portal account. Employees can hold roles such as supervisor, coordinator, or center head. The employee role provides basic portal access.
Evaluation	A performance assessment created by a supervisor for an assigned intern. Evaluates work quality, punctuality, communication, research skills, and other criteria.

I

Intern	An internship participant registered through the portal. The Intern role is exclusive — an intern account cannot hold any other role simultaneously.
Intern ID / PIP-ID	A unique identifier assigned to each intern upon allocation. Format: PIP-{YEAR}-{SEQUENCE} (e.g., PIP-2026-001). Used on certificates and official documents.
Internship Session	A defined time period for an internship program (e.g., "Summer 2026", "Winter 2026"). Sessions have registration windows, start/end dates, and status lifecycle (Open → Closed → Archived). All intern data is scoped to a session.

L

Lookup

Reference data used in dropdown menus across the portal. Organized into categories with values (e.g., "Degree Types" category with values like "BS", "MS", "PhD"). 5 categories with 24 values are pre-configured.

M

Migration

A database schema change script. Migrations are numbered sequentially (e.g., 001, 002, 049) and applied in order. They create tables, add columns, seed data, and modify permissions.

N

Notification

An in-app alert sent to users for important events (task assignment, log approval, announcements, etc.). Displayed via the bell icon in the header.

P

Permission	A granular action that can be performed in the portal. Format: {module}.{action} (e.g., users.view, tasks.create). Permissions are assigned to roles via the Role Matrix.
Profile Wizard	A multi-step form that interns complete after registration. Collects personal information, contact details, academic background, research interests, and documents. Must be 100% complete before allocation.

R

RBAC	Role-Based Access Control. The security model used by the portal. Users are assigned roles, roles are assigned permissions, and permissions control what actions can be performed.
Research Center	A top-level research division within PIDE (e.g., "Center for Energy Research"). Contains one or more sections. Interns are allocated to a center during onboarding.
Role	A named set of permissions (e.g., admin, coordinator, supervisor, intern). Users can hold multiple roles except for the Intern role which is exclusive.
Role Matrix	A visual grid showing which permissions each role has. Allows administrators to quickly grant or revoke permissions by toggling checkboxes.

S

Session	See "Internship Session".
Supervisor	A PIDE employee assigned to guide an intern. Supervisors create tasks, approve daily logs, manage attendance, and conduct evaluations for their assigned interns.
Supervisor Hierarchy	The chain of supervision relationships. The system validates against circular hierarchies (e.g., A supervises B who supervises A).

T

Task	A work assignment created by a supervisor for an intern. Has a title, description, due date, priority, and status (Pending → In Progress → Completed / Overdue).

U

University	An academic institution. All Pakistani universities are pre-seeded in the system. Interns select their university during registration.
User	Any person with an account on the portal. Users can be employees, interns, or both (except intern is exclusive). Each user has a profile with personal and professional details.

W

Workflow	A config-driven process with defined stages and transitions. Managed through the Workflow Designer. Examples: intern onboarding, leave requests, approval processes.
Workflow Designer	An admin tool for creating and managing custom workflows. Allows defining stages, transitions, and transition actions without code changes.