Glossary

Explore commonly used terms related to The Leaner MVP and requirements gathering

A

A formal testing according to user needs, requirements and business processes conducted to determine whether a system satisfies the acceptance criteria or not and to enable the users, customers or other authorized entities to determine whether to accept the system or not.
Detailed requirements that are usually created after the user story and complement it. They actually have two aspects: detailed requirements and acceptance tests. Traditionally, requirements and acceptance tests are usually created separately. However, in Agile, Acceptance Criteria play both roles in making the process more efficient and reducing the cost of document management.
An approach that means a Business Analyst (BA) iteratively (usually every second or fourth week) gathers feedback from the customer and makes modifications to the SRS doc. This way, the software is developed module by module. So, once developers finish one module, a BA performs acceptance testing to check whether it meets the requirements.

An API, or Application Programming Interface, is a set of protocols and tools for building
software applications. Essentially, an API defines how different software components should
interact with one another. This allows developers to create applications that leverage existing
functionality provided by other software systems or platforms.

APIs are critical for building modern software applications, as they enable developers to build
complex systems more quickly and efficiently by leveraging existing functionality.

Applications software developers focus on applications used on mobile devices and computer desktops. Systems software developers create and oversee software used in network distribution, along with database, game, and web development.

Auto-renewal refers to the automatic renewal of a subscription, membership, or other
recurring service. This feature is typically offered by companies to ensure a seamless
experience for their customers and to avoid any lapses in service. By enabling auto-renewal,
customers can avoid the hassle of manually renewing their subscription each billing cycle and
can ensure that they don’t accidentally lose access to the service.

Auto-renewal is a convenient feature that can save customers time and hassle, but it’s
important to keep track of these subscriptions to ensure that they align with your needs and
budget.

B

Business analyst help guide businesses in improving processes, products, services and
software through data analysis. These agile team members straddle the line between
technical and business teams to help bridge the gap and improve efficiencies.

Business requirements describe why a project is needed, whom it will benefit, when and where it will take place, and what standards will be used to evaluate it. Business requirements do not include any details or specific features. They state the problem and the business objective to be achieved such as
  • increased revenue/throughput/customer reach,
  • reduced expenses/errors,
  • improved customer service, etc.

C

A client portal is a secure web-based platform that allows businesses to share information and collaborate with clients in real-time. This platform provides clients with access to important documents, project updates, and other relevant information. By using a client portal, businesses can streamline communication, reduce the need for face-to-face meetings, and improve efficiencies.They offer a secure and convenient way to share information, reduce administrative tasks, and improve client satisfaction.

Cookie tracking is the practice of using HTTP cookies to keep track of user data on a website.
Cookies are small text files that are stored on a user’s device and contain data about the
user’s activity on the website. This data can be used for a variety of purposes, such as
personalizing content, understanding user behavior, and serving targeted ads.

A customer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market
research and real data about your existing customers. By defining a customer persona, you
can better understand the needs, goals, and behaviors of your target audience. This information can help guide your marketing efforts and product development.

Creating customer personas involves gathering data and insights through market research,
surveys, and customer feedback. By using this information to create a detailed persona, you
can ensure that your marketing efforts are targeted and effective.

D

Development of software refers to a set of computer science activities dedicated to the process of creating, designing, deploying, and supporting software. Software itself is the set of instructions or programs that tell a computer what to do. It is independent of hardware and makes computers programmable.
The process of locating and removing coding mistakes in computer programs. In information technology and engineering, the word ‘bug’ is a synonym for the word ‘error.’ The goal of debugging is to identify and correct an error’s root cause.

E

Enterprise software is an over-arching term for any software used in large organizations (whether business or government). It is considered to be an essential part of a computer-based information system, and it provides business-oriented tools such as online payment processing and automated billing systems.

F

Are product features or functions that developers must implement to enable users to accomplish their tasks. It’s important to make them clear both for the development team and the stakeholders. Generally, functional requirements define what a product must do, what its features and functions are.

G

Gamification refers to the use of game design principles to improve customer engagement in non-game businesses. The specific methods used range from the creation of reward schedules to creating levels of achievement via status and badges. Companies use gaming principles to increase interest in a product or service, or simply to deepen their customers’ relationship with the brand.

H

A hierarchical database is a design that uses a one-to-many relationship for data elements. Hierarchical database models use a tree structure that links a number of disparate elements to one “owner,” or “parent,” primary record.

I

An acronym for Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, and Testable. It is a
framework for ensuring high-quality user stories. Following these criteria can help reduce
bugs, avoid unnecessary requirements, and enable more accurate estimation.

J

Javascript (JS) is a scripting language, primarily used on the Web. It is used to enhance HTML pages and is commonly found embedded in HTML code. JavaScript is an interpreted language. Thus, it doesn’t need to be compiled. JavaScript renders web pages in an interactive and dynamic fashion. This allows the pages to react to events, exhibit special effects, accept variable text, validate data, create cookies, detect a user’s browser, etc.

K

A knowledge base is not merely a space for data storage but can be an artificial intelligence tool for delivering intelligent decisions. Various knowledge representation techniques, including frames and scripts, represent knowledge. The services offered are explanation, reasoning, and intelligent decision support.

L

Lean programming is a methodology focusing on optimizing efficiency and minimizing the waste of software applications during their design and creation. This methodology may be applied throughout an organization and involve all stakeholders in a software application’s development and delivery.

M

Master data refers to data units that are non-transactional, top-level level and relational business entities or elements that are joinable in observable ways. An organization may use master data on more than one platform or across a variety of software programs or technologies.

N

Natural language processing (NLP) is a machine learning technology that gives computers
the ability to interpret, manipulate, and comprehend human language. Organizations today
have large volumes of voice and text data from various communication channels like emails,
text messages, social media newsfeeds, video, audio, and more. They use NLP software to
automatically process this data, analyze the intent or sentiment in the message, and respond
in real time to human communication.

Describe the general properties of a system. Not related to the system functionality, rather define how the system should perform are also known as quality attributes.

O

Online data storage is a virtual storage approach that allows users to use the Internet to store recorded data in a remote network. This data storage method may be either a cloud service component or used with other options not requiring on-site data backup.

P

A product release is the process of launching a new product for a specific market or user base. In software development, a product release is sometimes done with a beta version so that core developers/users can assist with debugging and feedback prior to the release of the actual software.
A prototype is an original model, form, or instance that serves as a basis for other processes. In software technology, the term prototype is a working example through which a new model or a new version of an existing product can be derived.

Q

Query language (QL) refers to any computer programming language that requests and retrieves data from databases and information systems by sending queries. It works on user-entered structured and formal programming command-based queries to find and extract data from host databases.

R

Requirements library is a collection of resources in a variety of formats that is organized by
audio files, transcripts, visualized designs/wireframes, technical details, departments, projects,
and modules. With the mission of seamless requirements sharing and management.
Scrum

S

Scrum is a type of Agile framework. It is a framework to address complex adaptive problems while productivity and creativity of delivering product is at highest possible values. Scrum uses an iterative process.
Software developers create software to meet user needs by employing diagrams and models, writing code, and ensuring overall functionality. These professionals design, build, and implement computer programs and applications.
A structured process that is used to design, develop, and test good-quality software. SDLC, or software development life cycle is a methodology that defines the entire procedure of software development step-by-step.
Software developers form a development team to create software products and services. They come with technical skills to implement business requirements through software programming.
Software engineers process develop, test and deploy computer applications to solve real- world problems by adhering to a set of engineering principles and best practices. The field of software engineering applies a disciplined and organized approach to software development with the stated goal of improving quality, time and budget efficiency, along with the assurance of structured testing.
A requirement is a feature of new software that someone either wants, needs or commands. It describes what the software does and any limitations it should have. The goal of determining a requirement should ask, what do we want the system to do? In terms of storing data, any processes, and behavior? Who are the users of the system? What are the needs of the users? What does the system need to do to achieve those needs?
A customer-facing role, owning the overall technical relationship and strategy between the customer and organization. They lead architectural design sessions, develop proof of concepts/pilots, implement projects, and deliver ongoing refinement and enhancement.

T

A framework consisting of three steps to defining requirements: Card, Conversation, and Confirmation. It helps to clarify the user story and acceptance criteria by involving team members in the conversation.

U

A use case is a methodology used in system analysis to identify, clarify and organize system requirements. The use case is made up of a set of possible sequences of interactions between systems and users in a particular environment and related to a particular goal. In a system use case you include high-level implementation decisions.
Are the items that give short descriptions of the product functionalities and features that need to be developed per the requirements. The focus is on describing how the end-users are going to interact with the software and use its functionalities. A good user story is written in simplest clear language, describing the anticipated software/product benefits as the product goal.
Any interaction a user has with a product. The goal of UX is to meet the user’s needs and create easy, relevant, efficient experiences. UX design is the process designers use to create useful, intuitive, enjoyable experiences for users. UX design is the bridge that connects companies with users using a combination of market research, strategy, and testing.

V

A version number is a unique sequence of numbers that identifies the state of development of computer software. It is used to identify the exact build of the software under development and can be used as a reference to what changes have been made between version numbers, which increment with every new function or bug fix added to the code of the software.

W

A sequential development process that flows like a waterfall through all phases of a project (analysis, design, development, and testing, for example), with each phase completely wrapping up before the next phase begins. Waterfall allocates more time for writing software requirements specifications. That’s perfect for business domains that need detailed requirements that aren’t likely to change any time soon and can be formed as a solid document.

A wireframe is used to layout content and functionality on a page that takes into account user
needs and user journeys. Wireframes are used early in the development process to establish
the basic structure of screens before visual design and content is added.

The goal of a wireframe is to provide a visual understanding of screens early in a project to
get stakeholder and project team approval before the creative phase begins. Wireframes can
also be used to create the global and secondary navigation to ensure the terminology and
structure used for the software meets user expectations.

X

An X terminal is an input terminal with a display, keyboard, mouse, and touchpad that uses X server software to render images. Used as an open-source windowing system known as the X Window System, the X terminal does not perform application processing – this is handled by the network server.

Y

A “Yoda condition” is when a piece of computer syntax is inverted or swapped around, for example, where instead of declaring a variable equal to a constant, the programmer declares a constant equal to a variable. A key characteristic of Yoda conditions are that they do not impair the function of the code in any way.

Z

Z Object Publishing Environment (Zope) is an open-source Web Server built using Python. It encompasses a transactional database that stores content, HTML templates, scripts and features a search engine along with an RDBMS.

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