Glossary

Predecessors/Before You Begin

A glossary will help codify your organization's jargon. Please make sure you have a clear, authoritative source before building a glossary.

Creating a Glossary

Process documentation requires using jargon. Most process templates include a section for "definitions." Definitions should be included here, so the process can be considered a complete reference text. However, definitions should also be included in a central glossary, to ensure terms are used consistently throughout the organization. This glossary can also be a training guide for new staff.

When adding terms to a glossary, consider:

  • Do we actually use this term? If the term is not being used, do not add it. This way your glossary is the list of active terms, not the list of all possible IT jargon.
  • What is the "marginal benefit" of this term? Every new term makes IT more confusing. Terms should only be added if they are useful.
  • What authoritative source could we use to define this term? Is there a reference text appropriate to the term that could give an objective definition?
  • Is there a consensus on how this term is used? If not, who is the decision maker?

Also consider whether it might be appropriate to have some form of change management over the glossary, and how to publicize the glossary to your department.

University-specific risks

Departments tend to use the same words to mean different things, even inside the same University. Even if the IT department starts using words like "customer" and "user" consistently, that doesn't mean that anyone else at the University will understand.

There needs to be an owner for the glossary, someone such as a technical writer. There need to be "watchers" who notify the glossary owner when they hear a new term.

Further Information