10.23.1 Purpose
A glossary defines key terms relevant to a business domain.
10.23.2 Description
Glossaries are used to provide a common understanding of terms that are used by stakeholders. A term may have different meanings for any two people. A list of terms and established definitions provides a common language that can be used to communicate and exchange ideas. A glossary is organized and continuously accessible to all stakeholders.
10.23.3 Elements
A glossary is a list of terms in a particular domain with definitions for those terms and their common synonyms. Organizations or industries may use a term differently than how it is generally understood.
A term is included in the glossary when:
- the term is unique to a domain,
- there are multiple definitions for the term,
- the definition implied is outside of the term’s common use, or
- there is a reasonable chance of misunderstanding.
The creation of a glossary should take place in the early stages of a project in order to facilitate knowledge transfer and understanding. A point of contact responsible for the maintenance and distribution of the glossary throughout the initiative is identified. Organizations that maintain glossaries often find additional uses for this information and are able to leverage the glossary for future initiatives.
Consider the following when developing a glossary:
- definitions should be clear, concise, and brief,
- acronyms should be spelled out if used in a definition,
- stakeholders should have easy and reliable access to glossaries, and
- the editing of a glossary should be limited to specific stakeholders.
10.23.4 Usage Considerations
.1 Strengths
- A glossary promotes common understanding of the business domain and better communication among all stakeholders.
- Capturing the definitions as part of an enterprise’s documentation provides a single reference and encourages consistency.
- Simplifies the writing and maintenance of other business analysis information including but not limited to requirements, business rules, and change strategy.
.2 Limitations
- A glossary requires an owner to perform timely maintenance, otherwise it becomes outdated and may be ignored.
- It may be challenging for different stakeholders to agree on a single definition for a term.
