Glossary
The words that turn up in a scoping call.
Each one defined in its first paragraph, in the terms an operator would use, with a dated example from a system we run. If a proposal leans on one of these words and does not explain it, this is the explanation.
- AI agentA program given a goal and a set of actions, choosing its own next step.
- AI product integrationAI APIs inside your product's own flow, not bolted beside it.
- Baseline measurementWhat was true before the system, so “improved” means something.
- Dry runEverything except the part that changes something. Default, not a flag.
- Growth systemFinds and drafts; nothing sends until a person says yes.
- HallucinationFluent, plausible, false. The model is working as designed.
- Human in the loopA person approves before the system acts, while that approval is still real.
- ObservabilityAnswering why, from what was already recorded.
- Operating partnerRuns the system after it ships, instead of handing it over.
- Operations systemTakes over repeat work; never closes a person's step.
- OrchestrationWhat runs, in what order, and what happens when a step fails.
- p95 latencyThe slowest 1 in 20. Averages hide exactly what users notice.
- Product systemVoice agents, memory and decision models inside a product, acting only within set limits.
- Rate limitingThe provider says no. What happens next is your architecture.
- Retrieval augmented generationSearch your documents first, then let the model answer from them.
- RollbackPutting the last working version back, on a path somebody has walked.
- System architectureThe parts, the connections, and where a person decides.
- Total cost of ownershipLicences, runtime, attention, dependencies, and the cost to change.
- WebhookThey call you when it happens, instead of you asking every minute.
If a proposal used one of these words and did not explain it, ask us.
The first conversation is with the people who would build it. If there is a fit, the Consult comes next.