Engineering & AI glossary
Understand the metrics, models, and methods behind modern engineering. Clear definitions, practical examples, and a closer look at what the numbers actually mean.
All terms
2,008 termsAgent Supply Chain Risk
Agent Supply Chain Risk is a software-engineering concept describing how an AI coding system, its tools, or human collaborators handle a defined task.
AI coding and agentsAgent Task Outcome
Agent Task Outcome is a software-engineering concept describing how an AI coding system, its tools, or human collaborators handle a defined task.
AI coding and agentsAgent Task Queue
Agent Task Queue is a software-engineering concept describing how an AI coding system, its tools, or human collaborators handle a defined task.
AI coding and agentsAgent Task Specification
Agent Task Specification is a software-engineering concept describing how an AI coding system, its tools, or human collaborators handle a defined task.
AI coding and agentsAgent Termination
Agent Termination is a software-engineering concept describing how an AI coding system, its tools, or human collaborators handle a defined task.
AI coding and agentsAgent Test Repair
Agent Test Repair is a software-engineering concept describing how an AI coding system, its tools, or human collaborators handle a defined task.
AI coding and agentsAgent Threat Model
Agent Threat Model is a software-engineering concept describing how an AI coding system, its tools, or human collaborators handle a defined task.
AI coding and agentsAgent Timeout
Agent Timeout is a software-engineering concept describing how an AI coding system, its tools, or human collaborators handle a defined task.
AI coding and agentsAgent Tool Poisoning
Agent Tool Poisoning is a software-engineering concept describing how an AI coding system, its tools, or human collaborators handle a defined task.
AI coding and agentsAgent Tool Result
Agent Tool Result is a software-engineering concept describing how an AI coding system, its tools, or human collaborators handle a defined task.
AI coding and agentsAgent Tool Selection
Agent Tool Selection is a software-engineering concept describing how an AI coding system, its tools, or human collaborators handle a defined task.
AI coding and agentsAgent Tool Validation
Agent Tool Validation is a software-engineering concept describing how an AI coding system, its tools, or human collaborators handle a defined task.
AI coding and agentsAgent Verifier
Agent Verifier is a software-engineering concept describing how an AI coding system, its tools, or human collaborators handle a defined task.
AI coding and agentsAgent Workflow Evaluation
Agent Workflow Evaluation is a software-engineering concept describing how an AI coding system, its tools, or human collaborators handle a defined task.
AI coding and agentsAgent Workspace
Agent Workspace is a software-engineering concept describing how an AI coding system, its tools, or human collaborators handle a defined task.
AI coding and agentsAgentic software factory
An agentic software factory is a software delivery system in which software agents perform one or more engineering tasks with access to tools, repositories, or environments under defined instructions and permissions. It requires observable outputs, human or automated review, and controls for failure and recovery.
Measurement and experimentationAggregate inference error
Aggregate inference error is an analytical risk or quality concern that can make an engineering analysis appear more certain, comparable, or causal than it is.
Engineering analyticsAggregate reversal
Aggregate reversal is an analytical risk or quality concern that can make an engineering analysis appear more certain, comparable, or causal than it is.
Engineering analyticsAggregate score
Aggregate score is a defined lens for examining AI system behavior with a stated task, evidence, and interpretation rule.
Evaluations and benchmarksAggregation bias
Aggregation bias is an analytical risk or quality concern that can make an engineering analysis appear more certain, comparable, or causal than it is.
Engineering analyticsAggregation function
Aggregation function determines how observations become a summary.
Engineering analyticsAging WIP
Aging WIP shows the elapsed time since selected work entered progress and remains unfinished. It helps teams see risk in current work before a slow item becomes a completed-item statistic.
Flow and capacity planningAI adoption
AI adoption is the sustained use of AI capabilities in real work, together with evidence that the use produces value for people or the organization. Installation, invitations, or isolated experiments are adoption signals, not proof of effective use.
AI coding and agentsAI avoided cost
AI avoided cost is expense reduced or prevented compared with a credible alternative. It gives teams a way to name, measure, or reason about an economic property of an AI workload without treating raw usage as proof of value.
Token costs and AI ROIAI batching savings
AI batching savings is reduction in effective cost or overhead from processing eligible work in batches. It gives teams a way to name, measure, or reason about an economic property of an AI workload without treating raw usage as proof of value.
Token costs and AI ROIAI benefit realization
AI benefit realization is verification that expected AI benefits occurred in operations. It gives teams a way to name, measure, or reason about an economic property of an AI workload without treating raw usage as proof of value.
Token costs and AI ROIAI break-even volume
AI break-even volume is workload volume where AI benefits equal operating and investment costs. It gives teams a way to name, measure, or reason about an economic property of an AI workload without treating raw usage as proof of value.
Token costs and AI ROIAI budget alert
AI budget alert is a notification triggered by a consumption or spend threshold. It gives teams a way to name, measure, or reason about an economic property of an AI workload without treating raw usage as proof of value.
Token costs and AI ROIAI budget owner
AI budget owner is the person or team accountable for an AI spending limit. It gives teams a way to name, measure, or reason about an economic property of an AI workload without treating raw usage as proof of value.
Token costs and AI ROIAI budget variance
AI budget variance is the amount actual AI spending differs from an approved budget. It gives teams a way to name, measure, or reason about an economic property of an AI workload without treating raw usage as proof of value.
Token costs and AI ROIAI business case
AI business case is a structured argument for funding AI with costs, benefits, risks, and measures. It gives teams a way to name, measure, or reason about an economic property of an AI workload without treating raw usage as proof of value.
Token costs and AI ROIAI chargeback
AI chargeback is a policy that bills an internal consumer for its AI resources. It gives teams a way to name, measure, or reason about an economic property of an AI workload without treating raw usage as proof of value.
Token costs and AI ROIAI code attribution
AI code attribution identifies or estimates the contribution of AI tools to a software change. It can rely on direct tool records, explicit metadata, or inference, and its confidence depends on the evidence available.
AI coding and agentsAI Code Explanation
AI Code Explanation is a software-engineering concept describing how an AI coding system, its tools, or human collaborators handle a defined task.
AI coding and agentsAI Code Refactoring
AI Code Refactoring is a software-engineering concept describing how an AI coding system, its tools, or human collaborators handle a defined task.
AI coding and agentsAI Coding Assistant
AI Coding Assistant is a software-engineering concept describing how an AI coding system, its tools, or human collaborators handle a defined task.
AI coding and agentsAI cost attribution
AI cost attribution is the process of assigning AI expense to a responsible business dimension. It gives teams a way to name, measure, or reason about an economic property of an AI workload without treating raw usage as proof of value.
Token costs and AI ROIAI cost center
AI cost center is an accounting boundary used to collect and manage AI-related expense. It gives teams a way to name, measure, or reason about an economic property of an AI workload without treating raw usage as proof of value.
Token costs and AI ROIAI cost of goods sold
AI cost of goods sold is direct AI expense required to deliver a sold product or service. It gives teams a way to name, measure, or reason about an economic property of an AI workload without treating raw usage as proof of value.
Token costs and AI ROIAI failure cost
AI failure cost is cost of model work ending in an error, abandonment, or unusable result. It gives teams a way to name, measure, or reason about an economic property of an AI workload without treating raw usage as proof of value.
Token costs and AI ROIAI gateway
AI gateway is a model-routing or gateway concept used to manage interface consistency for AI requests. It describes a distinct decision, control, interface, or observation point between an application and one or more model providers.
Model routing and gatewaysAI Generated Patch
AI Generated Patch is a software-engineering concept describing how an AI coding system, its tools, or human collaborators handle a defined task.
AI coding and agentsAI governance cost
AI governance cost is expense of controls, review, monitoring, documentation, and oversight. It gives teams a way to name, measure, or reason about an economic property of an AI workload without treating raw usage as proof of value.
Token costs and AI ROIAI incremental revenue
AI incremental revenue is additional revenue plausibly attributable to an AI-enabled capability. It gives teams a way to name, measure, or reason about an economic property of an AI workload without treating raw usage as proof of value.
Token costs and AI ROIAI net present value
AI net present value is present value of expected AI cash flows minus investment and operating costs. It gives teams a way to name, measure, or reason about an economic property of an AI workload without treating raw usage as proof of value.
Token costs and AI ROIAI opportunity cost
AI opportunity cost is value of the best alternative use of money, people, or capacity. It gives teams a way to name, measure, or reason about an economic property of an AI workload without treating raw usage as proof of value.
Token costs and AI ROIAI payback period
AI payback period is time for cumulative AI benefits to recover investment cost. It gives teams a way to name, measure, or reason about an economic property of an AI workload without treating raw usage as proof of value.
Token costs and AI ROIAI price-performance ratio
AI price-performance ratio is useful performance delivered for a given model cost. It gives teams a way to name, measure, or reason about an economic property of an AI workload without treating raw usage as proof of value.
Token costs and AI ROIAI productivity value
AI productivity value is measurable value created when AI changes useful work volume, speed, or quality. It gives teams a way to name, measure, or reason about an economic property of an AI workload without treating raw usage as proof of value.
Token costs and AI ROIAI retry cost
AI retry cost is additional model expense caused by repeating a request or workflow step. It gives teams a way to name, measure, or reason about an economic property of an AI workload without treating raw usage as proof of value.
Token costs and AI ROI