A reference from Weave

Find a term

Understand the metrics, models, and methods behind modern engineering. Clear definitions, practical examples, and a closer look at what the numbers actually mean.

Terms beginning with I

87 terms

  • Inner loop efficiency

    Inner loop efficiency is a developer productivity concept that helps teams understand inner loop efficiency in the context of software delivery.

    Developer productivity

  • Input context

    Input context is a language-model concept about context selection and limits. It names a mechanism, representation, prompting pattern, decoding control, or context behavior that can change how an AI system processes input and produces output.

    LLM fundamentals

  • Input metric

    Input metric describes a controllable activity or condition.

    Engineering analytics

  • Input token

    An input token is a unit of text or other encoded content sent to a language model before generation. The prompt, system instructions, conversation history, retrieved passages, and tool results can all contribute input tokens.

    Token costs and AI ROI

  • Input-output token mix

    Input-output token mix is the proportion of input and output tokens in a workload. 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

  • Instability metric

    A software architecture measure based on a component’s outgoing dependencies compared with its incoming dependencies.

    Code quality and technical debt

  • Instruction following

    Instruction following is a language-model concept about generation behavior and sampling. It names a mechanism, representation, prompting pattern, decoding control, or context behavior that can change how an AI system processes input and produces output.

    LLM fundamentals

  • Instruction hierarchy

    Instruction hierarchy is a language-model concept about context selection and limits. It names a mechanism, representation, prompting pattern, decoding control, or context behavior that can change how an AI system processes input and produces output.

    LLM fundamentals

  • Instruction hierarchy conflict

    Instruction hierarchy conflict is a language-model concept about context selection and limits. It names a mechanism, representation, prompting pattern, decoding control, or context behavior that can change how an AI system processes input and produces output.

    LLM fundamentals

  • Instruction-following evaluation

    Instruction-following evaluation is a defined lens for examining AI system behavior with a stated task, evidence, and interpretation rule.

    Evaluations and benchmarks

  • Instrumental variable

    Instrumental variable is a statistical or measurement concept used to describe, compare, or interpret engineering data. Its meaning depends on the unit of analysis, data-generating process, and question being asked.

    Measurement and experimentation

  • Instrumentation

    Instrumentation adds hooks or measurements so behavior can be observed.

    Engineering analytics

  • Instrumentation bias

    Instrumentation bias is a statistical or measurement concept used to describe, compare, or interpret engineering data. Its meaning depends on the unit of analysis, data-generating process, and question being asked.

    Measurement and experimentation

  • Instrumentation coverage

    Instrumentation coverage measures the observed share of relevant workflows or entities.

    Engineering analytics

  • Instrumentation drift

    Instrumentation drift is an analytical risk or quality concern that can make an engineering analysis appear more certain, comparable, or causal than it is.

    Engineering analytics

  • Instrumentation gap

    Instrumentation gap marks an unobserved or unreliable workflow measurement point.

    Engineering analytics

  • INT4 inference

    INT4 inference is the serving concept concerned with int4 inference during AI inference.

    Inference performance

  • INT8 inference

    INT8 inference is the serving concept concerned with int8 inference during AI inference.

    Inference performance

  • Intake capacity

    Intake capacity is a concept used in software delivery planning to describe a condition, relationship, estimate, or decision about engineering work.

    Flow and capacity planning

  • Integration debt

    Integration debt is a software maintenance concern describing a condition that can make future changes, verification, operation, or ownership harder. Its practical importance depends on supported behavior, rate of change, and the consequences of delay.

    Code quality and technical debt

  • Integration testing

    Integration testing checks whether two or more software components work together through their real or representative interfaces. It focuses on interactions such as application-to-database queries, service calls, message publishing, or framework configuration.

    Code quality and technical debt

  • Intention to treat analysis

    Intention to treat analysis is a statistical or measurement concept used to describe, compare, or interpret engineering data. Its meaning depends on the unit of analysis, data-generating process, and question being asked.

    Measurement and experimentation

  • INTer token latency

    INTer token latency is the serving concept concerned with inter token latency during AI inference.

    Inference performance

  • Inter-rater reliability

    Inter-rater reliability is a defined lens for examining AI system behavior with a stated task, evidence, and interpretation rule.

    Evaluations and benchmarks

  • Interface segregation

    A design principle that favors focused interfaces so clients depend only on what they use.

    Code quality and technical debt

  • Interface testing

    Interface testing is a software testing or test-design practice used to gather evidence about a defined risk, behavior, boundary, or operating condition. It makes the question under test explicit, identifies the inputs and observations that matter, and gives a team a repeatable basis for deciding whether the result is acceptable.

    Code quality and technical debt

  • Interference

    Interference is a statistical or measurement concept used to describe, compare, or interpret engineering data. Its meaning depends on the unit of analysis, data-generating process, and question being asked.

    Measurement and experimentation

  • Internal benchmark

    Internal benchmark is an analytical concept for using reference values to understand engineering performance, variation, or capability.

    Engineering analytics

  • Internal developer platform

    Internal developer platform is a way to organize, support, or evaluate software work so that teams can make useful progress with less avoidable friction. It is most valuable when connected to a concrete outcome and the local conditions of the team using it.

    Developer productivity

  • Internal validity

    Internal validity is a statistical or measurement concept used to describe, compare, or interpret engineering data. Its meaning depends on the unit of analysis, data-generating process, and question being asked.

    Measurement and experimentation

  • Internationalization testing

    Internationalization testing is a software testing or test-design practice used to gather evidence about a defined risk, behavior, boundary, or operating condition. It makes the question under test explicit, identifies the inputs and observations that matter, and gives a team a repeatable basis for deciding whether the result is acceptable.

    Code quality and technical debt

  • Interquartile range

    Interquartile range is a statistical or measurement concept used to describe, compare, or interpret engineering data. Its meaning depends on the unit of analysis, data-generating process, and question being asked.

    Measurement and experimentation

  • Interruption cost

    Interruption cost is a way to organize, support, or evaluate software work so that teams can make useful progress with less avoidable friction. It is most valuable when connected to a concrete outcome and the local conditions of the team using it.

    Developer productivity

  • Interruption rate

    Interruption rate is a developer productivity concept that helps teams understand interruption rate in the context of software delivery.

    Developer productivity

  • Inverse probability weighting

    Inverse probability weighting is a statistical or measurement concept used to describe, compare, or interpret engineering data. Its meaning depends on the unit of analysis, data-generating process, and question being asked.

    Measurement and experimentation

  • Item size

    Item size describes the work unit used in flow analysis. It may use changed behavior, files, stories, or another local convention, but comparisons require a consistent definition and awareness of complexity.

    Flow and capacity planning

  • Iteration planning

    Iteration planning is a concept used in software delivery planning to describe a condition, relationship, estimate, or decision about engineering work.

    Flow and capacity planning