Terminology and Nomenclature

A high-quality glossary is an essential component of a management system – without it, you cannot ensure proper understanding by employees

A term defines the meaning of a word or expression used in a methodology or quality management system. A glossary defines the corporate vocabulary and thus stabilizes nomenclature.

Neither AI nor Google can replace a glossary

People are used to looking up everything they do not know on the internet. Now, they ask an LLM model. It is usually faster than an internal knowledge base, but it is fundamentally wrong.
Many terms, including organizational roles, are used with different meanings. Further inaccuracies in meaning are introduced by translations that are also inconsistent. If you do not establish a clear meaning, you run several risks—and experience shows these are not merely potential risks, but inevitable issues that will arise sooner or later:

• People associate different meanings with the same expression
• As the quality management system undergoes continuous changes, the way authors themselves use the term will evolve
• Other documents will interpret terminology without necessarily sticking to the same meaning of the terms.

Terminological Confusion

An example where confusion easily arises is the term risk.

• Many people do not know the difference between a risk and a threat
• Sometimes the term risk is understood as a general term that also encompasses opportunity (= a risk that, if it occurs, will have a positive impact and is therefore desirable).

Hierarchical Breakdown of Terms

Terms can be defined on multiple levels, just as they are defined in dictionaries. You can define:

• Strategy – main term
• Business Strategy – specifying a specific type
• Financial Strategy – specifying a specific type

Terms in Multiple Languages

If you use multilingual documentation or methodology, it is advisable to define terms in multiple languages as well. This is highly recommended even when working internally in a single language while maintaining project documentation in different languages. In such cases, defining the correct equivalents in all languages you use is essential. Do not rely on employees knowing process and quality terminology across different languages. They do not.
In AyMINE, you define explanations for each term in different languages using language versions via the button. This allows people who lack sufficient command of the primary language used in your company to understand the terms precisely. Every user will then see the terms in the original language along with the translation into their own language.
Note: Write the entire methodology in a single language. Do not mix the base language, or the languages will become confusing for users.

More About Methodologies

The glossary is part of the methodology, or the quality management system documentation. You can find more information about methodology here.