Compliance glossary
Glossary of productivity, time management, & work-life balance terms.
A/B Testing
A method of comparing two versions of a webpage, email, or feature to determine which performs better based on user behavior.
Acquisition cost (CAC)
The total cost of acquiring a new customer, including marketing and sales expenses, divided by the number of customers acquired in a given period.
Agile development
An iterative approach to software development that promotes collaboration, adaptability, and continuous delivery.
API
A set of protocols and tools that allow different software applications to communicate and share data.
Analytics
The systematic computational analysis of data or statistics to discover meaningful patterns, trends, and insights that inform business decisions and improve performance.
Authentication
The process of verifying the identity of a user, system, or application attempting to access a resource or service.
Automation
The use of technology to perform tasks with minimal human intervention, often increasing efficiency and reducing errors.
Backlog
A prioritized list of tasks, features, or bugs waiting to be developed or addressed in future sprints.
Backlink
A link from one website to another, often used by search engines to measure a site's authority and relevance.
Beta release
A pre-launch version of a software product released to selected users for testing and feedback.
Bootstrapping
Building and growing a company using personal savings or internal revenue rather than external funding.
Bug tracking
The process of identifying, documenting, and managing software defects throughout the development lifecycle.
Build automation
The practice of automating the compilation, testing, and deployment of software to reduce manual work and errors.
Burn rate
The rate at which a company spends its available capital, typically measured monthly, indicating cash flow sustainability.
Business Intelligence (BI)
Technologies and strategies used to analyze business data and provide actionable insights for decision-making.
Churn rate
The percentage of customers who cancel or stop using a subscription service during a given period.
CI/CD Pipeline
Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment processes that automate code testing, building, and deployment.
Cloud computing
The delivery of computing services including servers, storage, databases, and software over the internet instead of local infrastructure.
Code repository
A storage location where software source code and related files are kept, typically using version control systems like Git.
Conversion rate
The percentage of users who complete a desired action (such as signing up, purchasing, or upgrading) out of the total number of visitors.
CRM
Software that helps businesses manage interactions with existing and potential customers to improve relationships and retention.
CTA (Call to Action)
A prompt on a webpage or ad that encourages users to take a specific action, such as “Buy Now” or “Sign Up.”
Customer lifetime value
The total revenue a business can expect from a customer over the entire duration of their relationship.
Dashboard
A visual interface that displays key metrics, analytics, and performance indicators in real time for easy monitoring and decision-making.
Data analytics
The process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data to uncover patterns, trends, and insights that guide business decisions.
Data migration
The process of transferring data from one system, platform, or storage type to another, often during upgrades or software transitions.
Database
An organized collection of structured data stored electronically, designed for efficient retrieval, management, and updating.
DevOps
A set of practices that combines software development and IT operations to shorten the development lifecycle and deliver high-quality software.
Documentation
Written materials that explain how software works, including user guides, API references, and technical specifications.
Encryption
The process of converting readable data into encoded format to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access.
End-to-end testing
A testing methodology that validates the complete flow of an application from start to finish to ensure all components work together correctly.
Engagement rate
A metric that measures how actively users interact with your product, content, or platform, often through clicks, time spent, or feature usage.
Engagement Rate
The percentage of users who interact with content, such as liking, sharing, or commenting on a post.
Enterprise software
Large-scale software solutions designed to meet the needs of organizations rather than individual users, typically offering extensive features and scalability.
Error handling
The process of anticipating, detecting, and responding to errors in software applications to maintain functionality and user experience.
Event-driven architecture
A software design pattern where components communicate through events, enabling decoupled and scalable systems.
Extensibility
The ability of software to be extended with new features or functionality without modifying existing code.
Extract, Transform, Load (ETL)
A data integration process that extracts data from sources, transforms it to fit operational needs, and loads it into a target database.
Feature flag
A technique that allows developers to enable or disable features remotely without deploying new code, enabling safer releases and A/B testing.
Frontend
The part of a software application that users interact with directly, including the user interface and user experience components.
Framework
A reusable platform or structure that provides foundational code and functionality to build software applications more efficiently.
Funnel
A model that represents the stages customers go through before making a purchase or taking a desired action.
Funnel analysis
A method of analyzing the conversion process by tracking users through a series of steps to identify where drop-offs occur.
Full-stack development
The practice of developing both frontend and backend components of a software application, covering the complete technology stack.
Function as a Service (FaaS)
A cloud computing model where developers can execute code in response to events without managing server infrastructure.
Gamification
The application of game-design elements and principles in non-game contexts to enhance user engagement and motivation.
Git
A distributed version control system that tracks changes in source code during software development, enabling collaboration and code history management.
GitHub
A web-based platform that provides Git repository hosting, collaboration features, and project management tools for software development.
GraphQL
A query language and runtime for APIs that allows clients to request exactly the data they need, reducing over-fetching and under-fetching.
Growth hacking
A marketing approach that focuses on rapid experimentation across marketing channels to identify the most effective ways to grow a business.
Growth Hacking
A strategy focused on rapid experimentation across marketing channels to identify the most effective ways to grow a business.
Hashing
The process of converting input data into a fixed-size string of characters using a mathematical function, commonly used for data integrity and password storage.
Headless architecture
A software architecture pattern where the frontend presentation layer is decoupled from the backend, allowing flexible content delivery across multiple channels.
High availability
A system design approach that ensures services remain operational and accessible for extended periods, minimizing downtime through redundancy and failover mechanisms.
Horizontal scaling
The practice of increasing system capacity by adding more machines or servers rather than upgrading existing hardware, improving performance through distribution.
Hosting
The service of providing storage space and access for websites, applications, and data on servers connected to the internet.
Hotfix
An urgent patch or update deployed to fix critical bugs or security vulnerabilities in production software without following the normal release cycle.
HTTP/HTTPS
Protocols for transferring data over the internet, with HTTPS providing encrypted and secure communication between web browsers and servers.
Hybrid app
A mobile application that combines web technologies with native app features, allowing it to run on multiple platforms from a single codebase.
IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)
A cloud computing model that provides virtualized computing resources over the internet, including servers, storage, and networking infrastructure.
IDE (Integrated Development Environment)
A software application that provides comprehensive tools for software development, including code editor, debugger, and build automation in a single interface.
In-memory database
A database management system that primarily relies on main memory for data storage, providing faster data access compared to disk-based databases.
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
The practice of managing and provisioning computing infrastructure through machine-readable definition files rather than physical hardware configuration or interactive tools.
Integration
The process of combining different software systems and applications to work together, enabling data sharing and coordinated functionality across platforms.
Iteration
A single development cycle in an iterative process where software is built, tested, and refined incrementally to improve quality and functionality over time.
Journey Mapping
A visual representation of a customer's experience with a brand, showing each step and touch point across their journey.
JavaScript
A popular programming language used to build dynamic, interactive web applications on both the client and server side.
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)
A lightweight data format used for storing and exchanging structured information between systems and APIs.
Job Queue
A system that manages and processes background tasks asynchronously to improve application performance and reliability.
Jira
A widely used project and issue tracking tool designed to help teams plan, track, and release software efficiently.
Keyword Research
The process of discovering search terms that people use in search engines to inform SEO and content strategy.
K-Factor
A metric used in viral marketing to measure how many additional users each existing user brings to a product or service.
Kanban Board
A visual workflow management tool used to visualize tasks, identify bottlenecks, and improve productivity in projects.
KPI (Key Performance Indicator)
A measurable value that indicates how effectively a company is achieving key business objectives.
Knowledge Base
A centralized repository of information that helps users find answers to common questions about a product or service.
Knowledge Graph
A system that connects information using relationships between concepts, improving data organization and understanding.
Knowledge Management
The process of capturing, organizing, and sharing knowledge within an organization to enhance efficiency and decision-making.
Landing Page
A focused web page designed to convert visitors into leads or customers, often tied to marketing campaigns.
Lead Generation
The process of attracting and converting potential customers into leads who show interest in a company's product or service.
Lead Nurturing
The process of developing relationships with potential customers through personalized communication to move them toward a purchase.
Lifetime Value (LTV)
The total revenue a business can expect from a single customer over the entire duration of their relationship.
Link Building
The process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to improve your own site's search engine visibility and authority.
Local SEO
An optimization strategy focused on increasing visibility for businesses in local search results, maps, and directories.
Market Segmentation
The process of dividing a target market into smaller groups based on shared characteristics such as behavior or demographics.
Marketing Automation
Software that automates repetitive marketing tasks such as email campaigns, lead scoring, and social media posting.
Metadata
Descriptive data that provides information about other data, often used in SEO and content organization.
Microcopy
Small pieces of text on digital interfaces that guide users or improve user experience, such as button labels or error messages.
Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
A simplified version of a product that includes only the essential features needed to validate an idea and gather user feedback.
Machine Learning
A field of artificial intelligence that enables systems to learn from data and improve performance without explicit programming.
Marketing Funnel
A framework that maps the stages a customer goes through from awareness to conversion and retention.
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
A customer loyalty metric that measures how likely users are to recommend a product or service to others.
Newsletter
A regularly distributed email that shares updates, tips, or news to engage subscribers and promote brand awareness.
Niche Market
A specialized segment of the market focused on a specific need, interest, or demographic group.
Navigation Menu
A UI element that helps users move through different sections of a website or application.
No-Code Platform
A development tool that enables users to build applications without writing traditional code.
Native App
A mobile application built specifically for a particular platform, such as iOS or Android, using platform-specific languages and tools.
Network Latency
The time it takes for data to travel between its source and destination across a network.
Onboarding
The process of welcoming and educating new users or customers about a product to ensure successful adoption.
Organic Traffic
Visitors who come to a website through unpaid search results rather than paid advertisements.
Open Rate
A metric that measures how many recipients opened an email campaign compared to the total number delivered.
Optimization
The process of improving a system, webpage, or workflow to increase performance, speed, or conversion rates.
Omnichannel Marketing
A strategy that provides customers with a seamless experience across multiple touchpoints, including web, mobile, email, and physical locations.
Outreach
Efforts made to connect with potential customers or partners through email, social media, or other communication channels.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
An online advertising model where advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their ad.
Persona
A semi-fictional representation of an ideal customer based on research and real data.
Product Roadmap
A strategic plan that outlines the vision, direction, and progress of a product over time.
Pageview
A metric that counts how many times a webpage is loaded or viewed by users.
Prototype
An early version of a product used to test concepts, gather feedback, and validate functionality before full development.
Performance Metrics
Quantitative measurements used to evaluate the effectiveness or efficiency of a product, feature, or marketing campaign.
Push Notification
A message sent directly to a user's device to re-engage them, deliver updates, or prompt actions.
Quality Score
A rating used by search engines to measure the relevance and quality of ads, keywords, and landing pages.
Retargeting
A digital marketing tactic that displays ads to users who previously interacted with your website or app.
ROI (Return on Investment)
A performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment or compare profitability.
Release Notes
A document that outlines new features, improvements, and fixes included in a software update.
Regression Testing
A type of software testing that ensures new changes do not break existing functionality.
SaaS (Software as a Service)
A software delivery model where applications are hosted online and accessed via a subscription.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
The practice of improving website visibility on search engines through content and technical optimization.
Social Proof
The concept that people are influenced by the actions and opinions of others, often shown through reviews or testimonials.
Scrum
An Agile framework used to structure work into short cycles called sprints.
Target Audience
A defined group of people most likely to be interested in a product or service.
Touchpoint
Any interaction or communication between a business and its customers throughout the customer journey.
Technical Debt
The cost of reworking code that was implemented quickly rather than properly.
Telemetry
Automated data collection that monitors usage, performance, and system behavior in real time.
UI (User Interface)
The visual layout of elements that users interact with in a digital product.
UX (User Experience)
The overall experience a user has while interacting with a product or service, focusing on ease of use and satisfaction.
User Journey
The complete path a user takes from discovering a product to becoming a loyal customer.
Viral Marketing
A strategy that encourages users to share a marketing message rapidly across their networks.
Version Control
A system that tracks changes to code and enables collaboration among developers.
Virtual Machine
Software that emulates a physical computer, allowing multiple operating systems to run on the same hardware.
Wireframe
A simplified visual guide that outlines the structure of a webpage or app before design and development.
Workflow Automation
The use of software to automate business processes, reducing manual effort and increasing efficiency.
Webhooks
Automated messages sent from one system to another when specific events occur.
XML (Extensible Markup Language)
A markup language that defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a human- and machine-readable format.
XaaS (Everything as a Service)
A broad category of cloud services delivered over the internet, including SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS.
Yield Management
A strategy used to maximize revenue by adjusting prices based on consumer behavior and demand.
YAML
A human-readable data serialization language commonly used for configuration files.
Zero-Click Search
A search result where the user finds the answer directly on the search results page without clicking a link.
Zero Downtime Deployment
A deployment strategy that ensures updates go live without causing service interruptions.