Dictionary of terms

Terms in product work are only useful in terms of general meaning within the team: use the dictionary as a starting point, and for important metrics and processes, fix the local operational definition: formula, boundaries, data source, and an example of what is not included in the concept.

What is a dictionary of terms and why is it critical at the beginning of the work?

Definition and role in the team

The term dictionary is a list of definitions of key concepts, names, abbreviations and internal abbreviations that are used by the product team, and its purpose is to make sure that everyone understands each other equally, without distortion.

Vocabulary is especially important at the start of a project or at the speed of team growth, without it, new members become confused in the designation of features, roles or internal names, and the product has an extra layer of fragmentation of knowledge.

Example: Why you need a dictionary

The project introduces “Personalization”; for marketing, it’s banner selection scenarios; for analytics, tagging system; for development, API settings. Without a coherent vocabulary, discussions drag on, bugs grow, and the product goes into chaos. One unified glossary solves this mess right away.

How to build a basic reference of terms

How to assemble a structure and fill

To make a working dictionary, first write down all the terms that are actually used in work meetings, documentation, tickets and letters. For each, add not only a definition, but also a context: where it is used, who owns the term, whether there are synonyms.

The directory should be simple, accessible, up-to-date, and one of the best ways to do that is to use Google Docs with live links or a page on an internal wiki like Confluence.

Example of structure

Title: User
Definition: A person who uses a product but is not always a customer. In user analytics, any unique session, in marketing, any new lead, for support, a real person. Synonyms: User, Customer (partially). Date of last update: 09.08.2026

Mistakes and mistakes in the introduction of the dictionary

Anti-patterns of dictionaries

A common mistake is to collect a dictionary for the sake of a tick and forget to update it, even worse if the definitions are not consistent between departments, for example, a product owner means a work service by MVP, and the sales team considers MVP only the first pilot deal.

Another mistake is that the new team spends a lot of time trying to understand a vocabulary that is outdated and not supported.

How to avoid problems

Make sure that the dictionary owner is appointed and responsible for its relevance, embed a glossary in the onboarding of new employees, remind them of it when starting new projects and when entering new terms.

Example: at a SaaS company, the term Feature was reinterpreted after scaling the command, and the team made a rule: discuss every controversial word with the glossary owner and fix a new interpretation.

How to Use a Dictionary to Start and Navigate

First steps for new team members

If you’re just joining a product or starting a new project, the first thing you do is look for or create a basic vocabulary, and check with it before you talk about any task, and you can see who’s doing what and what it’s called in the system.

In teams, the level of consistency of terms directly affects the speed and quality of decisions. Feel free to clarify or initiate the addition of new definitions through the dictionary owner.

Where and how to maintain a dictionary

The best format is an open online page or wiki that is easy to update and where you can see the date of the change, add quick searches, links to related terms and mini-guides, and it’s good practice to review and clean out outdated or duplicate definitions once a quarter.

Useful references

• Atlassian: How to Create and Maintain Glossaries
• Mind the Product: Shared Vocabulary
• ProductCoalition: Product Glossary Templates

FAQ

Why do you need a dictionary of terms in the beginning of a product?

To ensure that the team understands the same words in the same way and agrees on tasks, problems and goals faster.

Who is the first person to use a glossary?

Any new team members, interns, project managers, management and engineers – anyone who enters the product ecosystem.

How to maintain the relevance of the dictionary?

Assign a responsible person, integrate updates into the team process, and regularly review definitions.

Where to find a dictionary in Notion, Confluence or Google Docs?

The key is to make it easy for everyone to access, easy to find and quickly change, and they usually use Wikis — Notion, Confluence or internal portal.

How often do I update the definitions in the glossary?

Once a quarter, or as new features, roles, or business terms are added, usually pops up when a dispute arises about the meaning of a word.

What if the departments interpret a single term differently?

Discuss, choose the most neutral definition and fix in a glossary, specify the source department or context if necessary.