Practice: Define a Robust Glossary

Introduction

Regardless of the language used, when doing architectures it is imperative that there be a clear understanding of what is needed, what is produced and how to interpret it all. Small nuances in meaning at the business level will propagate through to become huge problems at the system and technology levels.

Benefits	Productivity Reduced rehash, rework, and misunderstandings
Pattern	Clarify meanings as you go Use language consistently Use only one term for something Terms have only one meaning Write it down and get it agreed and published
Anti-Patterns	Language is not used precisely nor consistently Language is ignored as being unimportant Nothing is agreed, written down or published Terms are "overloaded" with multiple uses/meanings

Discussion

One of the main problems faced when defining architecture is in precisely communicating the intention. Language is a barrier to good communications if terminology is not defined and used consistently. Confusion results and assumptions or interpretations are made, which are typically not what was intended. Defining and agreeing on terms and using them consistently will greatly aid the understanding, and help the development of the architecture progress more quickly and with more precision.