Glossary
The terms, in plain English
Product and engineering conversations are full of jargon that hides simple ideas. These are the terms that come up most often in our projects, defined the way we'd explain them on a call.
Overview
AI & machine learning
- Generative AI — models that produce new text, images or code rather than only classifying existing data.
- Agentic AI — systems where a model plans and executes multi-step tasks using tools, instead of answering one prompt at a time.
- RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) — grounding a model's answers in your own documents so it cites your data instead of guessing.
- MVP model — the smallest version of a model that proves the business case before you invest in scale.
Overview
Data & analytics
- ETL / ELT — moving data from source systems into a warehouse, transforming it before (ETL) or after (ELT) the load.
- Data warehouse vs. lakehouse — a warehouse stores structured, query-ready data; a lakehouse holds raw and structured data together.
- Data governance — the rules and ownership that decide who can see what, and whether a number can be trusted.
Overview
Cloud & engineering
- CI/CD — the automated pipeline that tests and ships code, so releases are routine rather than events.
- Infrastructure as code — defining servers and services in version-controlled files instead of clicking through a console.
- Microservices — splitting an application into independently deployable services; useful at scale, overhead when premature.
- Legacy modernization — moving old software to current technology by re-hosting, re-architecting or rebuilding.
Overview
Product & growth
- Product-market fit — evidence that people who try the product keep using it and tell others.
- North star metric — the single number that best represents the value customers get.
- PLG (product-led growth) — the product itself drives acquisition and expansion, rather than sales alone.
- AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) — optimising content so AI answer engines cite you, not just classic search rankings.
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