Establish A Common Language¶
Even when people use the same natural language (E.g. English, Spanish) to communicate, there is no guarantee that thee is a shared understanding.
Answer With Repetition¶
When agreeing on a course of action, each person should restated the action as they understand it, using words and terms they are highly confident of their meaning.
Data Dictionary¶
A classic approach to capturing and sharing concepts in a form that is highly discoverable and simple to consume.
A Wiki or similar knowledge base tool (Static Site Generator, Notion, Atlassian Confluence, etc) are excellent starting points for a data dictionary.
Provide contribution guidelines and carry out submission reviews to maintain the integrity and value of your data dictionary.
Instant Messaging tools are rarely a structured knowledge base
The flexible and convenient approach to sharing in tools such as Slack/Discord rarely encourage a strong sense of long term discoverability.
The information shared in these tools can be scraped for valuable information and added to a structured approach to knowledge.
Anacronyms¶
Used to save time in verbal and written communication.
Only affective if there meaning is well defined and used within a specific context.
Every Anacronym should be included in a data dictionary, covering the use across the whole organisation.