Naming Conventions and Definitions

Names are important. Good names convey meaning; poor names do just the opposite. We have found that every project has names particular to it, and they should be recorded for the sake of communication and future understanding. During the blastoff you begin to collect and record the names, along with their agreed-upon meanings.

Record the names in section 5, Naming Conventions and Definitions, of the specification template. This glossary serves as a reference point for the entire project. We are always amazed at how many misunderstandings occur simply because no central glossary is available, and how effective good names can be at communicating meaning. It is worth expending effort in this area to ensure smooth communication later on in the project.

For example, the IceBreaker project team added the following definition to its glossary during the blastoff:

Weather Station

A collection of hardware capable of collecting and transmitting road-temperature, air-temperature, humidity, and precipitation readings. Weather stations are installed in eight locations in Northumberland.^[2]

^[2] Weather stations are also used as icedetection systems on airport runways. www.vaisala.com

Starting to define terminology at blastoff time has a distinct advantage: You make the words visible. The stakeholders can then discuss them and change them to reflect the consensus of the meaning.

Starting to define terminology at blastoff time has a distinct advantage: You make the words visible. The stakeholders can then discuss them and change them to reflect their consensus of the meaning. Subsequent development activities build on the glossary and use it as the basis for building a complete data dictionary.