BA-elzebub’s Glossary – The D’s

Be sure to chip in some D’s of your own, and a few E’s for next time!

D’Oh!:  The perfect attitude to take around any requirement error.  Makes it easier to fix, especially when the BA takes it for the team.

The next three items were inspired by Ronald 2015-05-19 18:35

Data:  The facts collected in the current system – usually the root cause of the need to replace the current system.  

Data, Also:  The opinion of the sponsor about the facts and how they should be discussed by the BAs, regardless of the facts.  

Data, Choose Yours Wisely:  Grasshopper.

Data Dictionary:  One aspiration of certain social climbing Thesauri.  

Thanks to Rich Larson of the BA Times 2015-05-19 15:57

Data Model:  An activity that most BAs would prefer to the information designs they actually do.  Not all BAs – you know who you are.

Data Base:  Piccolo’s Prom dream?

DARPA:  Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency recently known for Driver Accident Reduction Pending Automation.

Inspired by Joe 2015-05-19 14:40

Deadline:  A term of little meaning or consequence.  A date picked with hope, in case hope really matters.

Thanks to to Rich Larson of the BA Times 2015-05-19 15:57

Decision:  A behavior performed too fast or too slow by somebody not yourself.

Thanks to Rich Larson of the BA Times 2015-05-19 15:57

Diagram:  What we turn to when words fail us.  Do not confuse with ViagraMan.  Not funny, unless you do it instead of me.

Decision Tree:  Analytical technique complicated enough that the sponsor might get away with the weights selected for the branches, without anyone actually checking them.

Defect:  Error NOT of design, BUT of execution, as in “That defect killed the wrong person.”

Delay:  A period of time required to complete a project, regardless of the deadline. 

Delete, CTRL-ALT:  Also know as the “three finger salute”, it is a chance for your PC to die with its re-boots on.

Delete, Create, Read, Update: Analysis technique not also known as DCRU.

Delirium:  See deadline.

Deliverable: An object substituted for results.

Deming, Edward:  Guru of quality, singlehandedly responsible for YOUR preference (yes, you do) for Japanese cars.  Famous saying:  “Defects are not free.  Someone makes them, and gets paid for making them.”

Devil’s Dictionary:  A far better read than BA-elzebub’s poor efforts, by a delightful writer named Ambrose Bierce.  Get a copy if you can.

Dirty Write:  A form of preserving data integrity equivalent to “What the heck” (see Heck in this edition of the Glossary).

Disaster Recovery Plan:  NOT “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out…”

With more thanks to Ronald 2015-05-19 18:35

Discovery:  The phase when the project team works out which requirements weren’t.

Disinclination:  One of many common reactions to working with requirements as in “It’s too much trouble to climb this inclination of mine.”

Disk Drive:  Trip taken when the operations manager realizes that the only good backup is on her personal computer at home.

Disk, Floppy:  A condition associated with OLD disks.Diskette:  A cure for floppy disks.

Distracted Driving:  Human driving.

Distributed Computing:  A form of missed requirement, as in “I thought they were doing that over there on the other system.”

Domain, Business:  The primary activities of the business, as in “Spying on do customers is do main business of FaceNet.”

Domain, Subject Matter Expert(s):  Do main person(s) whose best thinking is responsible for the current state.  Also known as “do box” one must “get out of”.

With thanks to steve 2015-06-25 06:45

Dormant:  State of requirements or expectations that sleep soundly during elicitation and suddenly wake up hungry for BA-er meat during acceptance testing or thereafter

DoS:  Denial of Stakeholder, as in “You can’t talk to THEM.”  

Dragon:  Adjective describing most meetings, not to be confused with:

Dragoon:  The goon causing the meeting dragon.

Drive, Shared:  Good luck, I’m sure its out there somewhere.

Duct Tape (aka Duck Tape):  One of the big two cures in engineering.  Unfortunately, it is completely completely useless in software engineering.  You know, “If it’s stuck, spray it with WD-40, if it’s loose…”

With more thanks to Steve 2015-06-25 06:45

Dundant: The first time something occurs.  For all the rest of the times, see redundant (and Einstein’s definition of insanity). Redundant things are superfluous, while dundant things are merely fluous.

Duplication of Effort:  A real “boy” story, used by IT to avoid extra stress (hey, give them more budget and employees before you complain too much).  Example from boy:  “Why do I have to pick up my room?  It will just get cluttered again!”  Example from IT boys:  “You shouldn’t implement that software – we will just have to replace it when we fix everything!”

Dubious Philosophy:  I once read that it was Socrates who said “To be is to do”, and Plato who said “To do is to be”, but we had to wait for Sinatra to say “do be do be do”.

Dumb Ideas:  There are none – leave your comments and thoughts below 🙂